RASMUS DAHLIN – 2018 MWHL PICK #1

Chicago, IL — Rasmus Dahlin wasn’t kidding about how hockey has become his sole obsession.

No more than an hour after completing his introductory news conference in Chicago on Tuesday, the MWHL’s No. 1 overall Prospect draft pick had already changed into a black & white Cosa Nostra practice uniform and, with stick in hand, was on his way to hit the ice.

Finally, after a month-long pre-draft process of interviews, testing and cross-country travel that culminated in hearing his name called first from the podium in last Friday, Dahlin was back in his element.

“I used to play some golf and hang out with friends, but, yeah, I love to play hockey and that’s my 100 percent thing I usually do,” the 18-year-old Swedish defenseman said. “I’m a pretty boring guy.” Off the ice, maybe.

On the ice, Dahlin is considered anything but boring with a heads-up, smooth-skating and play-making style that has already drawn comparisons to elite Swedish defensemen such as Ottawa Bathgate Ranger Erik Karlsson and former NHL Detroit Red Wings star Nicklas Lidstrom.

In Chicago, he’s already captured the imagination of a win-starved base of fans, many of whom started submitting orders for Dahlin’s No. 26 Cosa Nostra jersey moments after he formally pulled one on to close the news conference.

And yet, amid the buzz Dahlin has generated since the Cosa Nostra won the MWHL draft lottery a week ago, it’s unrealistic to presume one player alone can turn around a franchise that is not good & has yet to make the playoffs.

“I don’t actually think that way,” Dahlin said of whether he feels the weight of expectations on his 6-foot-2, 181-pound frame. “I’ll bring everything I can to Chicago and, yeah, try to win hockey games. That’s what I think about.”

Cosa Nostra General manager Stray Corrado was quick to interject once Dahlin completed his answer.

“He doesn’t need to be the savior,” Corrado said, before listing the talented young group of players already on Chicago’s roster, including forward Thomas Chabot, Alex Debrincat, Sanheim, Shea Theodore, Pierre-Luc Dubois, David Pastrnak & William Nylander.

On a day dedicated to Dahlin, Corrado struck an upbeat tone in steering away most questions that featured any hint of negativity. “Look, we certainly have to have better results on the ice,” he said. “But we’re certainly excited to bring Rasmus into our core group here and how they can grow together.”

Concerns still abound for Corrado entering his third year on the job.

The Cosa Nostra have no established depth in goal abut they do have the young and up and coming Juuse Saros.

Offense remains an issue on a team that’s not had a player score more than 35 goals beside Chris Kreider

Culture remains a question after restricted Free Agent Center Jonathan Toews suggested the team adopted a losing mindset last season.

Rather than worry how a gloomy culture might affect newcomers such as Dahlin, Corrado is counting on Chicago’s youngsters to begin changing the atmosphere.

“We’re not expecting them to lead the room, but we’re expecting them to bring their positive attributes, their competitiveness to that group,” Corrado said.

“It’s what we challenged our players at the end of the season. They had to change how they trained. They had to change how they approach the games,” he added. “The beauty of the Mid-West Hockey League is that you can make adjustments, you can make jumps in the standings fairly quickly.”

Corrado chuckled when Dahlin said he was already looking forward to playing Chicago’s new division rival Yellowknife next season.

“The question was asked to me before about changing the culture, changing our results on the ice,” Corrado said. “That’s what we need to bring, players who are very competitive, who want to make a difference.”