Nate Mensel is fancy

Oops. I forgot to mention Nate Mensel is fancy. He must have been staying up late at night watching YouTube videos of 13 year-olds and their cool toe-drags and deeking. His transition and stay-at-home positioning have been instrumental in the Hawks wins this session.

"Nate is that glue that you find that you never knew existed," said GM Rick Titus. "We like to sit back and watch him move the puck, hoping he'll not trip over the blue line on his way back to the defensive zone."

No word whether the Hawks will be able to retain Mensel in his contact year. Mensel's agent had no comment when asked if the talented defenseman will sign his RFA tender before year's end.

"We're considering our options at this point," said Jaque Le'Peter. "Nate has become a force in the league and we're confident his game is as good as it'll ever be."

One thing is certain. The Hawks must re-sign Mensel before other teams get a crack at his services.

"Nate's not going anywhere. He's a Hawk and that's all he'll ever be or we'll egg his house and make him eat raw eggs in the locker room before games," said assistant captain Mac Lawless. "Nate's a product of coaching and would be lost in any uniform other than the Hawks." added Lawless.