McNeill Joining IceHogs 3/20/12
By: Scott Leber
Updated: March 20, 2012
The Chicago Blackhawks have assigned forward Mark McNeill to
the American Hockey League's Rockford IceHogs.
McNeill, 19, was the Blackhawks first selection (18th
overall) in the 2011 National Hockey League Entry Draft, and signed a three-year
contract with Chicago on Jan. 2, 2012. He ranked second on the Western Hockey
League's Prince Albert Raiders with 40 assists and third with 71 points (31G,
40A) in 67 regular-season games this season, and was honored at year's end with
the club's Most Valuable Player award. The Edmonton, Alberta, native shared
third in the WHL with a team-high six shorthanded goals, tied for third in the
league with four shootout markers and registered 17 multi-point outings, which
included notching a career-high five points twice.
Over parts of four seasons (2008-12) with Prince Albert,
McNeill recorded 176 points (72G, 104A) in 209 regular-season contests, and five
points (2G, 3A) in six 2011 WHL postseason tilts after helping lead the Raiders
to the playoffs for the first time since 2006-07. He ranked fourth at the 2011
U-18 World Championships with six assists while competing for Team Canada and
won a gold medal at the 2008 World Ball Hockey Championships in Slovakia, being
named to the tournament All-Star team in the process.
