What’s New

Gaston Gimenez and the Fire lost their first game after Raphael Wicky was dismissed, dropping Sunday’s match to Toronto FC. | Courtesy of the Fire

Three days after Wicky was dismissed, the Fire continued playing out the string on their 2021 season and surrendered the last three goals of the game.

The Fire began life after Raphael Wicky with a 3-1 loss to Toronto FC on Sunday in Toronto. And the defeat felt similar to games that cost Wicky his job.

Three days after Wicky was dismissed, the Fire continued playing out the string on their 2021 season and surrendered the last three goals of the game. Team legend Frank Klopas – not a candidate to be Wicky’s full-time replacement – is leading the Fire while academy coach Ludovic Taillandier is serving as an assistant, along with goalkeeping coach Adin Brown.

Obviously, the Fire didn’t expect to see themselves in position, finishing a lost year with an interim coach. But for a host of reasons, Wicky was unable to get the points to stay in realistic playoff contention and save his job, which he officially lost Thursday.

“Ultimately this is what I always say, it’s professional sports and we all depend on results in the end and we didn’t deliver the results that we all wanted to deliver,” sporting director Georg Heitz said Thursday.

Though the roster should probably be rebuilt again, whoever’s coaching the Fire in 2022 will have a couple promising pieces to build around from the current team.

Gabriel Slonina, who’s making an increasingly convincing argument to be the Fire’s starting goalkeeper next year, stopped Yeferson Soteldo’s 36th-minute penalty. Toronto FC had the opportunity to equalize after the Fire’s Jonathan Bornstein was called for a hand ball in the penalty area.

Slonina, however, didn’t get much help Sunday.

Just 17 and making his fifth consecutive start, Slonina had three saves but couldn’t keep out Marco Delgado’s deflected 44th-minute strike that evened the match. TFC then took a 2-1 lead in the 56th minute when Slonina had no chance to top Omar Gonzalez’s powerful header from the center of the box. Soteldo then clinched the win for Toronto in the 70th minute.

On Wednesday, in what turned out to be Wicky’s final game in charge, Slonina had three saves for his first professional victory, a 2-0 Fire win over New York City FC.

Designated player Robert Beric gave the Fire a 1-0 lead in the 16th minute, giving the beleaguered striker his fifth goal of the year and second in as many games. Unlike Slonina, it’s hard to see Beric sticking around to play for whoever takes Wicky’s spot.

NOTES: Attacker Fabian Herbers was removed due to injury in the 21st minute and replaced by Ignacio Aliseda. Moments earlier, Herbers had the assist on Beric’s goal.

* Defender Francisco Calvo (right thigh) replaced Miguel Navarro in the 75th minute, making his first appearance since Aug. 21.

* The Fire also dismissed director of performance Ben Donachie. The team suffered a rash of injuries during training camp and the first half of the season.

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A 43-year-old man was fatally shot October 3, 2021 in Lawndale. | Sun-Times file

The man was standing in front of an apartment building about 3 p.m. in the 3400 block of West Douglas Boulevard when a light-colored vehicle pulled up and someone from inside opened fire.

A 43-year-old man was killed in a drive-by shooting Sunday afternoon in Lawndale on the West Side.

The man was standing in front of an apartment building about 3 p.m. in the 3400 block of West Douglas Boulevard when a light-colored vehicle pulled up and someone from inside opened fire, Chicago police said.

He was struck in the head and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said.

He hasn’t been identified.

Area Four detectives are investigating.

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Justin Fields drops back against the Lions on Sunday. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

The Bears beat the Lions 24-14 at Soldier Field on Sunday.

Darnell Mooney lined up tight right and ran an out-and-up route with about two minutes to play in the first quarter Sunday. Rookie quarterback Justin Fields dropped back, put his right heel down at the Bears’ 2-yard line, stepped and threw.

In doing so, he looked unlike any Bears quarterback of recent vintage — and far more like what Bears fans were expecting when the team laid a historically dispiriting dud last week.

With the help of improved play-calling from coordinator Bill Lazor — who took over those duties from head coach Matt Nagy — plus strong defense and a hapless Lions opponent, Fields got the Bears back Sunday. They never trailed in a 24-14 win Sunday at Soldier Field.

Fields also made a case — somewhere between strong or undeniable — to keep the starting job regardless of when Andy Dalton returns from a bone bruise in his right knee.

His numbers weren’t gaudy — he went 11-for-17 for 209 yards — but he was special. He showed enough growth between last week and Sunday that the Bears can dream on what his next start will look like against the Raiders. Or at least they should.

With Fields quarterbacking the Bears against the Bengals and Browns — a total of seven quarters — the Bears gained about 5 1/2 feet per play. Sunday, the Bears averaged almost four times as much per play — 6.54 yards, and that includes two kneeldowns at the end of the game.

Fields’ 64-yard completion to Mooney, who had split the Lions’ safety and cornerback, was the longest Bears completion in almost three years. And even that one comes with an asterisk: Tarik Cohen’s 70-yard touchdown reception against the Jets on Oct. 18, 2018, was a screen pass that went only two yards in the air.

Later, he dropped a gorgeous 21-yard teardrop pass into Mooney’s arms along the right sideline. Toward the end of the third quarter, Allen Robinson ran all the way across the field and caught a pass along the same sideline for 27.

Fields didn’t score himself, but he led the Bears to an opening touchdown drive of 75 yards after the Bears won the coin toss and wanted the ball. His second possession went 89 net yards — aided by the deep ball to Mooney — and wound up in the end zone. The Bears went 77 yards to score on their first possession of the third quarter, too, to go ahead 21-0.

Running back David Montgomery scored two rushing touchdowns and gained 106 yards on 23 carries before suffering a left knee injury in the fourth quarter. He was helped to the locker room and almost immediately ruled out.

The Lions got inside the Bears’ 10 three times in the first half, but came away with zero points — they sandwiched two fumbles around a turnover on downs. They punted at the end of the half after getting the ball when Fields’ third-down slant pass was tipped and intercepted by cornerback Amani Oruwariye.

Entering Sunday’s games, five rookie quarterbacks had started a game. They were 1-11 combined — with the one win, by the Patriots against the Jets, coming when one rookie faced another. Fields, then, became the first rookie quarterback this season to beat a team quarterbacked by a veteran.

Next week, the Bears should give him chance to do it again.

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“You can’t let history depict what your future is going to be like,” the Bulls’ DeMar DeRozan said. “You just have to go out there and set the tone and take on the challenge.” | Frank Franklin II/AP

The Bulls are projected to be a .500 team at best, but DeRozan wants his teammates to hear the outside noise to put that chip on their shoulder, but also be willing to slap that chip off when the games start to count.

The lessons taught by DeMar DeRozan in just the first week of Bulls training camp have been many.

The latest to his teammates?

It involves talk of dogs and running fast, but the gist of it from the veteran forward is be aware what’s being said and predicted, but don’t dwell on it.

What DeRozan is very aware of is that even with all the changes made to the roster – including his own addition — the Bulls are viewed as a .500 team at best. The prognosticators see it that way, and Las Vegas sees it that way.

DeRozan, however, sees it quite differently.

“I never try to put too much thought on how Vegas or whoever comes up with the odds they come up with, because at the end of the day you don’t know how hard we’re working, how bad we want something, how much we are fighting for something,” DeRozan said. “It’s bigger than just somebody’s predictions and how we are approaching it. This is an opportunity of a talented group that has a chip on their shoulders. You kind of run faster when the dog is chasing behind you; that’s the type of mentality we have to have going out there playing this season.”

Play that gets at least a dress rehearsal on Tuesday, when the Bulls open up the four-game exhibition season at home against Cleveland.

A tip-off that isn’t expected to answer much in the big picture, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t importance being put into it.

According to DeRozan, he’s always used the preseason to work on getting into a rhythm. Not only his own, but a rhythm with his teammates.

Ideally, that rhythm comes quickly and the Bulls can get out to a quick start once the games actually do count.

That still won’t likely silence the doubters, but it will at least show the veteran that his teammates are up to accepting the challenge. Not from the critics, but the challenges they have put out there for each other.

“I’ve been on teams where we were picked to be in the tank and then win 50 games and make it to the third seed in the Eastern Conference,” DeRozan said, referring to his Toronto days. “I’ve heard it all — you can’t indulge in it. You can’t let history depict what your future is going to be like. You just have to go out there and set the tone and take on the challenge. With this group of guys and the talent we have everybody is willing to take on whatever that next challenge is.”

Challenge number one might be getting the young players to understand exactly what will be asked of them.

Patrick Williams is still nursing a sore left ankle, while Coby White is sidelined for possibly another month after offseason shoulder surgery, but there’s still Lonzo Ball, who is only 23 and figuring out life on a third team in the last few seasons, rookie big man Marko Simonovic, and even Derrick Jones Jr., who is still 24.

DeRozan has been doing his best to be a sounding board for all three, and anyone else who has a question or concern for him.

It’s about preparing them for the roller coaster ride that every season seems to bring.

“You are going to have ups and downs,” DeRozan said. “It’s all how you get through the downs when they come, how to maneuver through it. That’s on the guys who have been around to be together when things get tough because it is going to get tough. Just prepare for it.”

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Brother Rice’s Jack Lausch (8) runs through Loyola’s defense. | Kirsten Stickney/For the Sun-Times

A look at Jack Lausch’s case for Player of the Year, Richmond-Burton’s win streak, Sandburg’s upset of Lincoln-Way East and Glenbard North’s bad luck.

Sandburg beats Lincoln-Way East. York beats Glenbard West. Naperville North beats Naperville Central.

The upsets just keep coming this season. It appears no traditional power is safe.

The Sandburg win was definitely this week’s biggest surprise but it doesn’t come close to reaching the level of St. Ignatius’ triumph over Mount Carmel in Week 5. The Eagles have been a football powerhouse in the past. Their last win against Lincoln-Way East was a 23-22 triumph in the 2007-08 season though, so it has been a long while.

Sandburg entered the game just 1-4, but all four losses were to good teams: Prospect, Glenbrook South, Bolingbrook and Lockport. None of the scores gave an indication that this upset was brewing however.

New Eagles coach Troy McAllister, who led Phillips to two state titles, saw potential in his team.

“The Bolingbrook game was 14-6 at half and we had a touchdown called back,” McAllister said. “We just came out flat in the second half.”

A pair of juniors led the offense for Sandburg. Quarterback Christian Evans was 19-for-25 passing for 306 yards and three touchdowns against Lincoln-Way East. Wide receiver Walter Davis had six catches for 194 yards and two touchdowns.

Senior Kyle Peterson forced a fumble that set up the winning score.

“The young men really executed,” McAllister said. “It was our best game on offense by far. We threw an interception in the end zone but other than that we had a clean game on offense and that had been our downfall.”

Sandburg was likely expecting big things when McAllister arrived this year. Beating the Griffins should be an important first step towards future success.

“Other than the Lockport game we were making a ton of progress each week,” McAllister said. “But without the results it gets difficult sometimes to keep the motivation up. Now this shows them that if you work hard it will be worth it. Moments like Friday night are what makes high school football special. Before the game you’d have thought we had no business playing [Lincoln-Way East].

Jack Lausch makes his case

St. Rita’s Kaleb Brown entered the season as a heavy favorite for Player of the Year honors. His injury in the first few minutes of the season opened the door wide for all the other contenders.

There haven’t been many contenders stepping up over the past few weeks, which made Brother Rice quarterback Jack Lausch’s performance in Week 4 against Loyola such an eye-opener.

The Crusaders lost, but Lausch was 16-for-26 passing for 289 yards with three touchdowns and had 20 carries for 137 yards and three touchdowns. The performance instantly made Lausch a serious contender for POY honors.

Lausch is now the favorite after turning in another terrific game, this time in a 43-36 win against Mount Carmel. Lausch was great again on Friday, finishing 19-for-26 passing for 276 yards and four touchdowns. He had 14 carries for 84 yards.

Next up for Lausch and Brother Rice is a showdown at home against undefeated No. 3 Joliet Catholic.

Respect the Rockets

Richmond-Burton’s 42-20 win against St. Francis on Friday ran up the Rockets’ consecutive win total to 26. That’s even more impressive with all the upsets flying around this season.

Quarterback Joe Miller threw for 161 yards and three touchdowns against St. Francis and running back Brock Wood had 25 carries for 170 yards and two touchdowns.

Richmond-Burton has outscored its opponents 304 to 67 so far this season. The Rockets will be in Class 4A in the state playoffs.

Unbelievable

Glenbard North lost to No. 9 Wheaton North 21-20 on Friday. The Panthers (4-2) scored with 1:24 left to pull within a point. They went for the two-point conversion and the win and didn’t get it.

That’s the same thing that happened Week 5 against No. 8 Batavia. Glenbard North went for two at the end of the game and were stopped. And get this: the score was also 21-20.

What a tough pair of losses. The Panthers are just two plays away from having a perfect start to the season.

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David Lee Roth attends the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards in September. | Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

The rocker insists he’s ‘not going to explain’ but notes the death last year of ‘my beloved classmate’ Eddie Van Halen.

David Lee Roth says he will be retiring from music.

The former lead singer of rock band Van Halen, 66, revealed the news in a Las Vegas Review-Journal article Friday, saying he is “throwing in the shoes” and stepping back from his prolific music career.

“This is the first, and only, official announcement,” Roth said over the phone in a conversation the outlet described as “more a spoken-word performance than interview.” “You’ve got the news. Share it with the world.”

Roth added he is “not going to explain the statement” and that his five January shows at House of Blues Las Vegas will be his last.

Though Roth did not provide the reason for his retirement, his sudden announcement comes almost a year after Van Halen co-founder and guitarist Eddie Van Halen died from cancer at age 65.

Roth told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that he’d been contemplating “the departure of my beloved classmate recently” and said he is “encouraged and compelled to really come to grips with how short time is, and my time is probably even shorter.

“I thought I might have been the first, frankly,” he said. “And my doctors, my handlers, compelled me to really address that every time I go onstage, I endanger that future.”

But though Roth says his retirement is imminent, he still plans to bring his A-game to his final performances.

“I know that when I am in the audience, whether you come out with a ukulele or a marching band, all I ask you give me everything you’ve got to give,” he said. “That’s what I did for the last 50 years.”

With Roth as the lead singer, Van Halen released its self-titled debut album in 1978. But strains between Roth and the band erupted after their 1984 world tour, and Roth left. The group then recruited Sammy Hagar as lead singer — some critics called the new formulation “Van Hagar” — and the band went on to score its first No. 1 album with “5150.” More studio albums followed, including “OU812,” “For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge” and “Balance.”

Roth would eventually return in 2007 and team up with the Van Halen brothers and Eddie’s son Wolfgang Van Halen for a tour, the album “A Different Kind of Truth” and the 2015 live album “Tokyo Dome Live in Concert.”

Van Halen is among the top 20 best-selling artists of all time, and the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.

Read more at usatoday.com

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Cincinnati’s Leonard Taylor (11) is chased by Notre Dame’s JD Bertrand (27) during the second half of the Bearcats’ win over the Fighting Irish. | Darron Cummings/AP

Iowa leapfrogged Penn State to take the No. 3 spot after its 51-14 road win over previously unbeaten Maryland. The Hawkeyes have their highest ranking since 2015.

Iowa is gearing up for its biggest home game since the 1980s, Cincinnati has its highest ranking in 12 years and Clemson is on the outside looking in at The Associated Press college football poll for the first time since 2014.

Alabama and Georgia are the only constants during this topsy-turvy college football season. They held down the top two spots for a fifth straight week in the AP Top 25, which is presented by Regions Bank.

Alabama received 53 of a possible 62 first-place votes Sunday, with Georgia picking up the rest.

After those two teams, the movement up and down and in and out of the Top 25 was about what would be expected after a week in which nine ranked teams lost, including four in the top 10.

Through the first five weeks of the season, 34 ranked teams have lost, the most in poll history.

Iowa leapfrogged Penn State to take the No. 3 spot after its 51-14 road win over previously unbeaten Maryland. The Hawkeyes have their highest ranking since 2015. Penn State beat Indiana 24-0 at home and remained No. 4.

No. 5 Cincinnati, coming off a 24-13 road win over Notre Dame, has its best ranking since Brian Kelly’s 2009 Bearcats were No. 4 in the first week of November.

Oklahoma, Ohio State, Oregon, Michigan and BYU round out the top 10.

Clemson’s 19-13 home win over previously unbeaten Boston College didn’t impress voters enough to keep the Tigers in the Top 25. Thus ends their streak of 107 consecutive weeks in the rankings. The last time the Tigers were unranked was the week of Oct. 5, 2014.

They are one spot out of the Top 25, 15 points behind San Diego State.

POLL POINTS

Midway through the season, it’s strange that a rankings-based debate over the top two teams in the Big Ten doesn’t include Ohio State.

The Buckeyes very well may be the best, and the voters certainly show their respect by ranking them ahead of Oregon despite a Week 2 home loss to the Ducks and a meh home win over Tulsa in the following game.

This week’s Penn State-Iowa clash is the Big Ten’s game of the year — so far.

It will be the highest-ranked matchup in Iowa City since 1985, when the No. 1 Hawkeyes beat No. 2 Michigan 12-10 on a field goal as time ran out for what then-Iowa coach Hayden Fry called the biggest win in program history.

IN

— No. 16 Kentucky (5-0) is rewarded for its win over then-No. 10 Florida with its first ranking of the season.

— No. 21 Texas (4-1) beat TCU for its third straight victory and is back in for the first time in a month.

— No. 22 Arizona State (4-1) returns after wins over Colorado and UCLA.

— No. 24 SMU is 5-0 for a third straight season.

— No. 25 San Diego State (4-0) returns for the first time since November 2019.

OUT

— Clemson managed only one touchdown and four field goals against BC. The Tigers get a week off before facing a top-15 defense at Syracuse.

— Texas A&M got bounced for losing two in a row and Alabama comes calling this week.

— Fresno State is out following two weeks after committing six turnovers and blowing a two-touchdown lead in the fourth quarter against Hawaii.

— UCLA was ranked for three straight weeks but got bumped after losing two straight home games.

— Baylor couldn’t get its running game going against Oklahoma State and is out after a one-week appearance.

CONFERENCE CALL

Losses by Arkansas and Florida made room for the Big Ten to claim four of the top 10 spots, and Michigan State is sitting at No. 11.

Last week, the Southeastern Conference had four teams in the top 10 and five of the top 12. Alabama and Georgia are the SEC’s only two in the top 10 this week.

The Atlantic Coast Conference’s first absence from the top 20 in 10 years lasted only a week thanks to Wake Forest moving up to No. 19.

SEC — 7 (Nos. 1, 2, 13, 16, 17, 18, 20).

Big Ten — 5 (Nos. 3, 4, 7, 9, 11).

ACC — 2 (Nos. 19, 23).

Big 12 — 3 (Nos. 6, 12, 21).

Pac-12 — 2 (Nos. 8, 22).

American — 2 (Nos. 5, 24).

Sun Belt — 1 (No. 15).

Mountain West — 1 (No. 25).

Independents — 2 (Nos. 10, 14).

RANKED vs. RANKED

No. 4 Penn State at No. 3 Iowa. This isn’t the same Nittany Lions team that lost by 20 points to Iowa last year.

No. 6 Oklahoma vs. No. 21 Texas. Red River Rivalry will be hard-pressed to duplicate last year’s four-overtime thriller won by the Sooners.

No. 13 Arkansas at No. 17 Mississippi. These are a couple of teams looking for a re-set after lopsided losses to the nation’s best two.

No. 2 Georgia at No. 18 Auburn. Bulldogs have won 12 of 15 in the series.

The Top 25

1. Alabama 5-0

2. Georgia 5-0

3. Iowa 5-0

4. Penn St. 5-0

5. Cincinnati 4-0

6. Oklahoma 5-0

7. Ohio St. 4-1

8. Oregon 4-1

9. Michigan 5-0

10. BYU 5-0

11. Michigan St. 5-0

12. Oklahoma St. 5-0

13. Arkansas 4-1

14. Notre Dame 4-1

15. Coastal Carolina 5-

16. Kentucky 5-0

17. Mississippi 3-1

18. Auburn 4-1

19. Wake Forest 5-0

20. Florida 3-2

21. Texas 4-1

22. Arizona St. 4-1

23. NC State 4-1

24. SMU 5-0

25. San Diego St. 4-0

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Warren’s Aidan Lucero (9) hands off the ball to Maurice Edwards (6) against Maine South. | Kirsten Stickney/For the Sun-Times

Another wild shakeup after a week of crazy results.

Before sitting down and getting into all the usual rankings research I had a feeling that Lincoln-Way East, Naperville Central and Glenbard West were all likely to drop out this week. But they didn’t. All three hung on.

All three traditional powers lost to unranked teams this week. Here’s why they stayed in the Super 25.

Lincoln-Way East: The loss to Sandburg, which entered the game just 1-4, was definitely the worst of the upsets. But the Griffins resume is still better than plenty of ranked teams. They beat Crete-Monee (a regular contender to break into the rankings this season) 35-20 in Week 1. Lincoln-Way East also has a 21-13 road win against No. 18 Bolingbrook.

Naperville Central: It’s been one heck of a schedule. The 3-3 record isn’t pretty but the Redhawks have beaten No. 20 Hinsdale Central and Lincoln-Way East. They lost in overtime on the road at No. 4 Neuqua Valley. Losing at home to rival Naperville North, which is also just 3-3, looks bad. But I don’t like penalizing teams for playing tough schedules. The Redhawks resume is just stronger than the unranked 6-0 and 5-1 teams that could have replaced them.

Glenbard West: The Hilltoppers were dumped in the first draft. They don’t have the strong resumes of Lincoln-Way East and Naperville Central. But there weren’t enough teams sitting outside the Super 25 that were convincing, so Glenbard West stuck at the bottom. One hiccup is definitely allowed this season and York is undefeated.

Week 7’s Super 25

With record and last week’s ranking

1. Loyola (6-0) 1

Saturday vs. Providence

2. Brother Rice (5-1) 2

Friday vs. No. 3 Joliet Catholic

3. Joliet Catholic (6-0) 3

Friday at No. 2 Brother Rice

4. Neuqua Valley (6-0) 4

Friday at Waubonsie Valley

5. Cary-Grove (6-0) 8

Friday vs. Jacobs

6. Maine South (5-1) 9

Friday at Niles West

7. Warren (5-1) 10

Friday at Mundelein

8. Batavia (6-0) 11

Friday at Geneva

9. Wheaton North (5-1) 12

Friday at Wheaton Warrenville South

10. St. Ignatius (6-0) 13

Friday vs. St. Viator

11. Mount Carmel (4-2) 14

Friday at St. Laurence

12. Marist (4-2) 15

Friday vs. Montini

13. St. Rita (4-2) 16

Friday at Marian Central

14. Hersey (6-0) 17

Friday at Wheeling

15. Lockport (6-0) 15

Friday at No. 18 Bolingbrook

16. Naperville Central (3-3) 6

Friday vs. DeKalb

17. Lincoln-Way East (4-2) 7

Friday vs. Homewood-Flossmoor

18. Bolingbrook (5-1) 19

Friday vs. No. 15 Lockport

19. Lemont (6-0) 21

Friday at Tinley Park

20. Hinsdale Central (5-1) 22

Friday at No. 22 York

21. South Elgin (6-0) 25

Friday vs. Elgin

22. York (6-0) NR

Friday vs. No. 20 Hinsdale Central

23. Glenbard North (4-2) 24

Friday vs. Lake Park

24. Fenwick (4-2) NR

Friday vs. St. Patrick

25. Glenbard West (5-1) 5

Friday at Downers Grove North

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Ian Mitchell struggled at times during his 2021 rookie season. | Stacy Revere/Getty Images

“Of course you want to play in the NHL, and I want to do that,” Mitchell said. “But if I have to be in Rockford, then that’s great, too.”

Ian Mitchell’s 2021 rookie season didn’t fully live up to expectations.

After three years of domination at the University of Denver, elevating his stock from the 57th overall pick in 2017 to the Hawks’ unanimous top prospect in 2019 and 2020, Mitchell struggled to adjust to the relentless and unforgiving nature of the NHL.

“It’s a tough league,” the 22-year-old defenseman said Friday, reflecting on last year. “You come in and you don’t necessarily know what to expect as a rookie.

“I learned you can’t cheat the game. If you get on the wrong side of the puck, even for a split second, they’re going to be able to make a play behind you and there’s going to be a scoring chance. It’s about always being detailed with your positioning. That’s the biggest thing for me.”

After playing in 32 of the Hawks’ first 34 games, he spent a while on the taxi squad and in the AHL down the stretch, appearing only twice between March 26 and May 1.

His underlying statistics weren’t pretty by season’s end, either. His even-strength scoring-chance ratio sat at 42.7%, fourth-worst on the team and better than only fellow rookie Wyatt Kalynuk and already-traded forwards Carl Soderberg and Mattias Janmark.

“When I was playing every night the first 30 games, I thought, ‘I’m starting to get into a groove,'” he said on May 3. “But a couple [bad] games and you get rattled, get thrown off your game… It was just mental. Every day, another game, another game, another game. I didn’t feel my body was wearing down; just the grind of the season takes its toll.”

Mitchell returned to Denver this summer, training with a group of alumni to prepare himself for his first full-length pro season. He’s been joined by an alum on the Hawks this season, too — Henrik Borgstrom.

But it looks increasingly likely Mitchell will start the season in the AHL. The last couple semi-available NHL defensive spots have been seemingly locked up by Caleb Jones’ surprisingly impressive camp and Kalynuk’s placement as the second power-play unit quarterback.

And Mitchell’s aforementioned struggles last year cast into doubt whether he’s actually NHL ready yet, anyway. He and Nicolas Beaudin, whose performance also fluctuated last spring, could learn from handling big minutes as the Rockford IceHogs’ presumed top pair.

“[Ian has] a great attitude,” coach Jeremy Colliton said. “Obviously he played a bunch of games last year, and that was a great experience for him. But coming in, [there are] not guarantees as far as the role you’re going to get. We’ve got a bunch of guys fighting for that. If it doesn’t happen right away, it’s not a failure. Every guy has a different path. Going to Rockford is not a failure. It’s a place to continue to develop and build your game.”

Mitchell emphasized that that likely send-down would not come as a disappointment.

“Of course you want to play in the NHL, and I want to do that,” he said. “But if I have to be in Rockford, then that’s great, too.”

Colliton wasn’t kidding about Mitchell’s great attitude. Molded by his unique personal connections to the Humboldt bus crash tragedy, the Alberta native realizes he’s “blessed to be playing hockey right now” in any form.

And with the Hawks’ newfound commitment to improving their defense, Mitchell understands he remains an important long-term piece for the organization.

“It’s just exciting for us young guys to have an opportunity to play on a really good team and fight for that spot,” he said. “Nothing is given around here — everything’s got to be earned — so it’s just going to make it that much more sweet when you do get that chance and you earn it.”

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