Marko Dano hasn’t been able to establish himself as an everyday NHLer yet.
The 21-year-old was recently assigned to the minors, again, on Dec. 11, but he’s not too disappointed about it.
“There’s no reason to be mad or be down,” Dano told the Chicago Tribune. “Everyone wants to play hockey and it’s more frustrating to just sit there and work out and do a skate in the morning and then watch the other guys play. Now I can work on things and just get better. That’s the main reason I’m here.”
The ‘Hawks had made Dano a healthy scratch in four of six games between Nov. 28 and Dec. 10.
When he had gotten into the lineup, he played sparingly.
Dano averaged only 9:41 of ice time over 13 contests this season, and he’s never played more 13:16 in a game with Chicago.
The former first round pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets admitted that he’d rather play meaningful minutes in the AHL than sit on the bench in the NHL.
“I didn’t get too much ice time so I was talking to Coach and Stan about that and I think it’s a good move,” he said. “I’m going to get a lot of ice-time opportunities on the power play and penalty kill here. I can get better in what I was doing there. If I would be sitting in the stands it wouldn’t help me at all. I’m glad I can be here and can play some hockey again.”
Dano is likely to be one of the first call-ups from the minors if an injury strikes in Chicago.