Atkinson, Blackhawks Chasing History

When Cam Atkinson first arrived in Chicago after a Draft Day trade from the St. Louis Blues, he knew he was an opportunity. Coming off a personally successful 36-goal campaign but having endured a 5-game loss to the Colorado Avalanche in the first round of the playoffs, Atkinson was ready to go further.

Just how far he would go was left to one’s interpretation. But few could have predicted he would go this far.

With 11 games left in the regular season, Atkinson needs only to maintain his current scoring pace to set a new single-season scoring record in the EHE. The 28-year old winger has 44 goals in 71 contests, best in the league, with Boston’s Patrick Kane just a goal behind in as many games.

The Elite Hockey Experience goal scoring record is currently held by Alex Ovechkin, who notched 50 goals with the Vancouver Canucks last season.

“I don’t think about it, really,” says Atkinson, who passed Kane with two goals in Chicago’s 5-3 victory over the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night. “I know if I play my game the rest of that stuff takes care of itself. Whatever I can do to help us win games, I’ll do it.”

He isn’t the only Blackhawk player chasing history.

Matt Niskanen is tied for the season lead in goals by a defenseman with 18. He’s also one point behind Colorado’s Brent Burns for the lead in points with a game in hand. Niskanen is five goals shy of the record for goals by a defenseman (23), set last season by Boston’s Erik Karlsson.

Brian Elliott also has a shot at most wins by a goaltender. Pacing the field for most of the season, Elliott (41 wins) needs nine more over the final 11 games to break Robin Lehner’s record set last season while he was with the Edmonton Oilers.

“Records are great, but those are things you think about once you’re sitting by a fire or on a beach someplace after your career’s over,” said Elliott. “Wins especially are so team oriented that I don’t think it means much as an individual thing. I guess it would be cool in a sense, but it’s really a reflection of how we play as a team.”

Expected hockey player modesty aside, Chicago is also looking at some impressive history of their own.

In the four years of the EHE’s existence, no team has ever finished last overall and then placed in the Top 10 of the overall standings the following year. Boston, dead last in the inaugural 2014-15 season, managed to finish 11th overall in the next campaign and is the only EHE team to earn a playoff spot after finishing 30th the year prior.

Chicago currently sits second overall with 11 games remaining, just three points behind the Avalanche for the EHE’s top spot.

“It’s something we’ve strived for since day 1,” stated GM Thomas Gidlow. “One of our goals, part of the #30to1 mentality we have, was to not only turn the ship around and compete for a playoff spot, but to be the best and bring a Stanley Cup back to Chicago.”

“It can mean a lot of things to different people, but everyone here has bought into (the #30to1) mantra. There’s literally nothing you can’t do if you set your mind onto something. And we’ve felt since the beginning that we could not only compete, but be the best."

"We’ve still got work to do, though.”