There is a hockey axiom that defensemen take longer to develop than forwards. An 18-year-old forward can be drafted and see carefully monitored NHL action, but defensemen take longer to marinate. The natural sequence is a year or two of college or juniors, possibly some AHL action, and then conscientious usage as a defenseman gets used to the NHL game. Supposedly, it takes 300 games to get a good gauge on a defenseman’s potential.
This precept is being flipped on its head. The NHL aging curve continues to veer younger as the game becomes more skill-centric and less physically taxing. In this piece, IH focuses on five, 20-year-old defensemen on Stanley Cup contenders and playoff teams who are playing salient roles in their teams’ success. With the exception of Seth Jones, it can be argued that each of them is his team’s best defenseman.
Note: Buffalo Sabres’ rearguard Rasmus Ristolainen was excluded because his team will be contending for the top pick in the NHL Draft. On a better team, he would have more of a Mirco Mueller – who is 19 years old btw (!) – role.
Hampus Lindholm
“We threw him right into the fire. He was in all situations and kept excelling at it, so we kept him there.” – Head coach Bruce Boudreau
The Anaheim Ducks have the best record in the NHL, and Hampus Lindholm is averaging 22:15 for his time on ice. That is 28 seconds off of the first place Francois Beauchemin’s ice time for a defenseman, but Beauchemin has only played 18 games this season. (Sami Vatanen is playing eight seconds more on average than Lindholm, but Vatanen is older than the seasoned Cam Fowler, which gives Vatanen a healthy three years on Lindholm.)
What makes Lindholm unique is his unwavering confidence in his playmaking. He achieves offense through his effortless mobility as he glides past opposing skaters and protects the puck simultaneously. He moves with gazelle-like grace, eating up ice in several strides and consistently winning the race to where he needs to be. Lindholm calmly keeps the puck in the offensive zone as the Ducks pound away on the cycle – or he impedes an opposing rush chance.
Coach Bruce Boudreau also allows Lindholm to play the type of game he wants to play, which the defenseman has publicly acknowledged. Like a Duncan Keith or Alex Pietrangelo, Lindholm has an offensive bent to his game. But he also has the self-assurance that he has the recovery speed to make the defensive plays when called upon. When a skating lane opens he will take it. But his play is always measured in the context of what is best for his team. If he needs to push the pace he can, but if the offense is clicking and Anaheim would be best served by Lindholm making crisp outlet passes, and displaying his defensive value when the offense loses the puck, he can do that too.
Through 34 games, Lindholm has a 51.6 Corsi, and he has started in the offensive zone less than 50 percent of the time. Last season, he finished 10th in points per 60 minutes for defensemen at five on five, and 4th in primary assists per 60 minutes. This season, his points per 60 minutes numbers are better, as he ranks 7th in that statistic and sits at fifth among primary assists per 60 minutes. ExtraSkater had a statistic last season called setup passes, and Lindholm was a whiz in that, too.
Lindholm is a possession driver, and Beauchemin can thank him for making their pairing thrive. Among all Ducks defensive pairings, the Lindholm and Beauchemin combo has been used the most, per leftwinglock, and using Stats.HockeyAnalysis.com’s WOWY metric, the benefits are evident for Beauchemin.
When the pairing is together, they muster a Corsi of 49.8, which isn’t great, especially for Lindholm. But when Beauchemin plays without Lindholm, his Corsi sinks all the way to 44.2, while when Lindholm plays without Beauchemin, his Corsi rises to 53.0. It does not take much parsing through the numbers to understand that Beauchemin, a veteran stay-at-home blueliner, encumbers Lindholm’s possession numbers.
Lindholm has a tremendous hockey IQ and sees the ice very well – he makes some spectacular plays moments after collecting the puck off the wall. He has some room to improve his decision-making, and his shot is not hard enough, but that will come with more experience and practice.
Still, this is nitpicking. The guy is a hell of a talent who is comfortable assuming puck-handling duties and is a top-notch distributor. At the age of 20, he has many seasons to fine-tune his game.
Olli Maatta
“The last time I saw a rookie defenseman have this kind of an impact was Rob Blake with the Kings (during the 1990-’91 season). We’ve asked him to do more than we ever ask rookies to do: top unit, playing against the top players, killing penalties, playing the power play. And he does it all so well. He’s like no rookie I’ve ever seen.” – Assistant coach Tony Granato
In his “Top 25 players who are under 25,” article, Corey Pronman pegged Olli Maatta’s hockey sense as his best attribute. It’s hard to disagree. Shift after shift, Pittsburgh’s Maatta makes his reads and either delivers a sharp first pass or skates the puck out himself. Even under the duress of a heavy forecheck, Maatta is adept at recognizing when he needs to find an outlet through the middle of the ice, or whether a breakout along the boards is possible.
Maatta’s hockey sense manifests itself in the neutral zone as well. Knowing when to step up and when to retreat is so important, and quite simply, Maatta does not lose his positioning very much. He is very comfortable finding the forwards for the transition or carrying the puck himself.
In the offensive zone, his pliable skill set allows him to unleash a bullet from the point, or creep through the weak side for a backdoor play. He has strength on the puck, and is pivotal to Pittsburgh’s strong cycle game because he can move all around the ice. Maatta can skate, pass, and shoot; he is the full package.
Maatta’s possession metrics are so damn strong when factoring in his quality of competition. Maatta is pitted against the opponents’ top forwards and excels at doing everything possible to neutralize them. While he will never have Erik Karlsson’s flair for the spectacular, Maatta consistently makes the little plays to help his team win.
Jacob Trouba
“Jake had been part of some big goals late in games and he drives the offense and had been part of a power play unit that was getting better.” – Head coach Paul Maurice
Like Lindholm and Maatta, Jacob Trouba is a blossoming star, but unlike those two, he has the skill and one-on-one ability to make a dazzling rush. On December 7th, against the Ducks with Winnipeg down a goal, Trouba ran what basically amounted to a Streak route in football.
He dropped the puck back to Mark Stuart, and charged straight up the ice. Stuart found Adam Lowry with a pass along the half-wall, and Lowry knifed a pass through the middle of the ice to Trouba. Trouba did not receive the puck cleanly, but caught it off the boards and powered toward the net. When he reached just inside the right circle, he snapped a hard wrist shot and dashed toward the crease for the follow-up rebound.
The goal tied the game and forced overtime, giving Winnipeg a valuable point against a conference foe. It should also be noted that the Ducks’ defender who is riding Matt Halischuk into the board is Lindholm. Lindholm did his job, but when Trouba went over him there were two Ducks skaters in proximity to knock him off his path. Neither Ducks skater came close.
Aside from Seth Jones, who is mentioned below, there is not a better 20-or-younger defenseman in the NHL who mixes power and skill like Trouba. He can unleash a cannon shot from the point or he can drill a player around the crease. He was recently put on injured reserve by Winnipeg, which could be a death knell to the team’s season. Trouba has a robust Corsi Quality of Competition and starts less than 50 percent of faceoffs in the offensive zone. Yet, his Corsi is 51.1, better than the other three Jets defensemen who face tough competition.
Another thing to love about Trouba is that he loves to deliver the punishing bodycheck. Lindholm and Maatta are both strong and can definitely provide some pushback, but oftentimes when they disrupt plays it is with their sticks and by keeping tight gaps. Trouba has good fundamentals along with some edge. If a forward and defenseman leave themselves vulnerable, or are dancing with the puck around the net, they are susceptible to a crushing hit by the former Michigan Wolverine.
Finally, Lindholm and Maatta both play large special teams roles; when their teams are up or down a man, they will likely get an opportunity. But Trouba is the focal point of the Jets’ special teams. He is quarterback of the power play, and a strong presence along the back line on the penalty kill.
Jacob Trouba is averaging 23:34 time on ice, and has a strong chance of carrying the mantle as the United States’ best defenseman in the years to come.
Seth Jones
“To be able to help be a part of his future and watch him grow and develop into the player he’s going to be is going to be something special for all of us. For me, and for you, and for the city of Nashville, just a tremendous talent.” – Head coach Peter Laviolette
Seth Jones’ sophomore season has been a fascinating storyline that has fallen a little under the radar. The Predators have been a huge surprise, and their defensive corps has burst onto the scene as one of the NHL’s best – but Jones has seemed to be more of a complementary reason because he’s playing a third-pair role.
Jones is scoreless through 30 games, and while his possession numbers are fantastic, he is fifth among Predators defensemen in time on ice and has very soft quality of competition stats. Jones gets power play and penalty kill time, but his even-strength ice time is well below Shea Weber and Roman Josi, and over two minutes below Ryan Ellis and Mattias Ekholm. Frankly, it does not seem like he has fully earned the trust of his coach; Peter Laviolette even gave a seemingly half-hearted endorsement of Jones’ recent play.
Still, Jones is 20, and has time to gain that trust. He is an exceptional skater, and his edge work, especially for his size, is so impressive. Nashville is playing a more up-tempo game with the head coaching change, and Jones’ passing and shooting are tailored to the Predators’ more aggressive style of play.
One of Nashville’s best strengths as a team is that their defensemen consistently find the proper channels to exit the zone, and Jones contributes to that. A swift breakout allows for Nashville to get more offensive zone opportunities. Jones has the ability to dart into space and utilize his puck skills, but he also needs to shoot more. He is averaging barely over a shot a game – unacceptable for someone with his shot.
Jones’ ceiling as a player is as an elite defenseman, but with his impressive size, it would be nice if he had more of a mean streak. He should continue to hone his all-around game, and added bite should come with more experience.
Morgan Rielly
“Alex [Pietrangelo], when he started it was the same thing. Now, Pietrangelo is a different player. He’s a great defenseman and a smart defenseman, because he’s so good in the D-zone and good at picking his spots on offense. Morgan’s going to be the same thing. He just needs more games. Offensively, he’s great.” – Defenseman Roman Polak
Morgan Rielly’s flaws are widely circulated. He commits too many turnovers. He pinches too much. His decision-making is wonky. He slips out of position too often. He gets outmuscled or deked out in one-on-one situations in the defensive zone. But playing under the microscope in Toronto amplifies a player’s problems.
Rielly is far from perfect. In fact, a lot of those shortcomings do rear their head from time to time. But the guy is a hell of a skater, and oozes offensive talent. He is a playmaker who has Duncan Keith-ish edge work, which allows him to sharply change direction and reset the sequence.
Of the five defensemen discussed here, Rielly is the most raw. But his relative lack of polish at this point possibly makes him the most fascinating. Like his role model, Keith, he ascribes to that up-tempo philosophy where he can cut in and out of gaps and whip the puck around like a centrifuge. He has the best Corsi stats on the Maple Leafs’ defensive group, and he makes Toronto a faster team.
He is still finding a balance between when to make a high-risk pass or deke, but the fact that he accomplishes those maneuvers taps into his vast potential. Few defensemen possess his poise and awareness with the puck, or his ability to find the passing lane or sliver of space the second it opens up.
Rielly is the most intriguing because you could see him falling between two extremes: Duncan Keith, a two-time Norris winner and celebrated difference-maker who almost always adds more than he detracts, or Brendan Smith, a mobile, high-risk, high-reward player who drives coach Mike Babcock crazy, but has the skating and skill to drive possession as a top-four defender.
The good news is that all of these defensemen have played less than 150 career games, so we have plenty of time to watch them evolve.
