Playoff fire awaits young defencemen
When Seth Jones entered the NHL, coach Barry Trotz saw a player not intimidated by pressure or expectations.
The son of former NBA power forward Popeye Jones, already a No. 1 defenceman in his fourth season, is now about to face the biggest challenge of his career. In a couple of weeks, Jones and 19-year-old Columbus Blue Jackets defence partner Zach Werenski will go up against opponents’ top players in the Stanley Cup playoffs. “They’ve got two dynamic people,” Trotz said. “I know Jonesy, he’s been in the league a few years so he’s got some experience. Werenski is a real gem of a talent.”
Youth along the blue line will be served this post-season. Jones and Werenski are among more than two dozen defencemen under the age of 24 filling prominent roles.
Along with Jones - who played six playoff games with the Nashville Predators in 2015 - the Edmonton Oilers have a 23-year-old top defenceman in Oskar Klefbom, the Toronto Maple Leafs another in Morgan Rielly and the Ottawa Senators ask a lot out of 23-year-old Cody Ceci.
There’s also Matt Dumba and Jonas Brodin in Minnesota, Colton Parayko in St. Louis, Brandon Carlo in Boston and Brady Skjei with the New York Rangers. They could all soon be confronting the same thoughts Oliver Ekman-Larsson experienced during his first NHL postseason.
“I was just excited to be on the ice with those guys and not try to get burned by some superstar,” the Arizona Coyotes defenceman said. “It feels like everybody’s stepping up a couple levels and it’s a different style of hockey.” With the pressure on last spring, young Washington Capitals defencemen Dmitry Orlov and Nate Schmidt made mistakes that turned them into healthy scratches after being lineup mainstays during the regular season. Trotz called it “next-level hockey” and said the first post-season taste can be eye-opening for young players. Rielly, who could help the Maple Leafs to their second playoff appearance in 12 season, expects to “learn on the fly” alongside 22-year-old Connor Carrick and with the help of coach Mike Babcock.
“Every day, you’re facing new challenges,” Rielly said. “We have a great coach who’s played in these games his whole career as a coach . ... He certainly knows how to handle it.”
Jones, Werenski and 22-yearold Columbus teammate Ryan Murray have veteran coach John Tortorella to lean on, and 22-year-old Olli Maatta was part of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Cup run last year. Trotz said Werenski has adjusted well and that the Blue Jackets put him in the right situations, and Jones seems to have spent the entire season preparing for his playoff close-up.