Three months after Traverse City, Adam Boqvist and Dennis Gilbert already NHL regulars

DENVER — Dennis Gilbert glanced to his left in the visitors’ locker room Saturday at the Pepsi Center and didn’t have to look far to find his de facto co-captain of the Blackhawks’ new-generation defense.

Adam Boqvist was sitting in the locker next to him.

In September, Gilbert and Boqvist were the Hawks’ top defensive pairing at the prospects tournament in Traverse City, Michigan. They were playing against fellow youngsters, preparing for a season they figured would be spent primarily with Rockford of the American Hockey League.

They were side-by-side again Saturday against the Avalanche, each playing his 13th NHL game of the season with the midway point still a couple of weeks away.

‘‘It’s a little ironic to say that we’re back here together, doing it here now,’’ Gilbert said after the morning skate. ‘‘But it started there. Us doing a good job there is probably a factor in that, too.’’

The defensemen, however, took drastically different routes to this day.

Boqvist, 19, was a top-10 pick from Sweden, a guy penciled in as the Hawks’ next defensive stud from the day he was selected. Gilbert, 23, was a third-round pick who took the college-hockey route at Notre Dame, flying under the radar until this season.

But now, far sooner than anyone expected, they’re together and leading a youth revolution on the Hawks’ blue line.

It has gained so much steam that coach Jeremy Colliton was driven to scratch veteran Brent Seabrook last week to keep Gilbert (averaging just under 16 minutes per game) and Boqvist (averaging about 15 minutes) in the lineup.

‘‘If we’re going to improve, we need young players to be a big part of it,’’ Colliton said. ‘‘They’ve earned the opportunity, so then we gave it. . . . They’re different players, which is great for us going forward. We’ve just got to keep challenging them to improve every day and not take it for granted that they’re here.’’

AP Photos

Boqvist is undersized and has hit some bumps in the road while adjusting to defending at the NHL level, but he boasts dynamic upside as a playmaker, even if it hasn’t shown in his stats much yet.

‘‘I can do more offensively,’’ Boqvist said. ‘‘I don’t think I’ve done anything yet there. When I play good, it’s going to come, so I’ve got to just play my best hockey.’’

‘‘He’s showing he’s trying to do what we’re asking him to do, as far as working hard to box out and stay on the ‘D’ side and using his skating to have a good gap,’’ Colliton said. ‘‘We know he’s going to make plays for us. If he can put himself in the position to have the puck and make those plays and jump in, he’s going to be a great player.’’

Gilbert, meanwhile, has provided a physical presence and intimidation factor, with 51 hits and 21 blocked shots in his first 13 games.

‘‘We have a little bit of a lack in physical presence compared to some heavier teams in our division, so I’m going to be willing to bring even more of that to help balance it out,’’ Gilbert said.

Injuries to Duncan Keith and Calvin de Haan initially opened the door for both prospects to begin their second NHL stints of the season, but it’s the fast transitions they have made into solid NHL defensemen that account for their continued presence on the roster.

Colliton insisted he isn’t surprised this has become reality this quickly: ‘‘We were hoping that they would take another step,’’ he said.

If so, however, he’s the only one.