Blackhawks Top Prospect Wins Game For Team USA

Blackhawks' prospect, Evan Barratt, scored the game-winning goal for Team USA in the U20 IIHF World Junior Championship tournament. Barratt executed a picture perfect backhander to seal the victory for Team USA.

#Blackhawks Prospect Evan Barratt with a DEVASTATING backhander GWG for Team USA in the @iihf_wjc! #USAvsSVK #USAWJC #WJC2018 #HockeyTwitter pic.twitter.com/weIFSei4BE

— ✶ ✶Tony Gianares✶ ✶ (@Certified_TonyG) December 27, 2018

Tonight, Evan Barratt made the most of his ice time and gave Blackhawks fans a glimpse of what the future holds. Barratt was a gamechanger in every sense of the word, and eventually, earned the player of the game award.

#Blackhawks prospect Evan Barratt made the most of his ice time tonight and was a gamechanger for Team USA in their @iihf_wjc matchup with Slovakia. #USAvsSVK #USAWJC #WJC #HockeyTwitter pic.twitter.com/z6lmyIJEUQ

— ✶ ✶Tony Gianares✶ ✶ (@Certified_TonyG) December 27, 2018

Evan Barratt Is No One Hit Wonder

It comes as no surprise that Evan Barratt dominated tonight with Team USA -- to me, at least. In case you haven't been following, Barratt is currently leading the NCAA in points scored this season with 29 points (13G, 16A) in 17 games. In case you're thinking, "Yeah, it's JUST college though and it won't translate to the NHL...," that's not necessarily true. In my opinion, Barratt easily passes the "eye test". Here's a PNHLe projection for Evan Barratt based on his age, current production and body of work, just to give you a more realistic idea of what this kid brings to the table.

Chicago #Blackhawks prospect Evan Barratt has been lights out in the NCAA for the first half of the season and will be a player to watch on Team 🇺🇸 at the World Junior Championship. He always played a secondary role for the USNTDP but is getting first line minutes at Penn State pic.twitter.com/esjFdNM72h

— Mason Black (@NHLRankKing) December 27, 2018

A big part of Evan Barratt's game that he showcases fairly often is his ability to create scoring opportunities in the "dirty areas" around the net. This play here is a perfect example of a guy who's not afraid to get physical and make things happen for himself and his teammates.

UMD’s Mikey Anderson (@LAKings drafty) ties it on power play. Assist Jack Hughes. Evan Barratt (leads NCAA in scoring) screen in front. tied at 1 in 3rd. 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/RoWv4IBpkk

— Bucci Mane (@Buccigross) December 27, 2018

Only time will tell, but with each passing day, it's looking more and more like the Blackhawks may finally have a true center in the making with Evan Barratt. For more Blackhawks news and updates, follow the author @Certified_TonyG on Twitter.