More Jake Dowell

I found a couple more articles mentioning Jake Dowell's call up, and I've pulled out pertinent pieces:

Blackhawks Bits

On Wisconsin
Another call-up from Rockford, Jake Dowell, was a teammate of Hawks forward Adam Burish for three seasons at Wisconsin and they won an NCAA championship together in 2006. Dowell is expected to make his NHL debut Thursday alongside Burish on the Hawks' checking line and penalty-killing unit.

"I want to bring anything I can to the table," Dowell said. "I want to bring energy, play well defensively and try to be really good on the penalty kill."

Dowell's locker was placed next to Burish at the Hawks' practice facility in Bensenville.

"It obviously helps a lot having a familiar face to help guide me," Dowell said.

Goin' IceHog Wild

''I'm pretty excited,'' Dowell said. ''I've been waiting a long time, and there's no better place to play my first game than Calgary. There'll be a great atmosphere.''

Dowell had five goals, nine assists and a plus-1 rating, and he might have a better shot of sticking with the Hawks because he has been assigned to the fourth line. He'll join David Koci and Adam Burish, Dowell's teammate for three seasons at the University of Wisconsin. Koci is coming off the injured-reserve list now that his broken nose has healed.

The eventual return of Williams, who skated by himself the last two days, and Havlat, who will add contact work next week, makes Versteeg's survival with the Hawks a difficult proposition. The fourth line, though, recently lost its leader when Kevyn Adams went down with torn ligaments in his left knee. Dowell, 22, could find a long-term place on that line if he performs well.

''He's a solid two-way player with some grit, and he can also skate,'' Savard said. ''He fits there perfectly.''

I like that Savard says "and he can also skate", as I know that's something Jake worked on in the offseason. Nice to see his effort pay off. Here's hoping that Jake does in fact find a long-term place with the Hawks. I've heard that Jake's coach in Rockford told him he earned the promotion and "not to be back"! Good luck, Jake!!