Speed key for today’s defensemen
Blue Jackets prospect Ryan Collins was 10 years old when the NHL emerged from the 2005 lockout with dramatic rules changes that capped salaries and unlocked the speed of the game.
The financial implications were immediately apparent. It took several years, however, to fully grasp the impact of a crackdown on restraining fouls would have on certain players, particularly big defensemen.
For decades, fullbodied defenders didn’t need to be good skaters provided they could use their size and leverage to hold, hook and obstruct speedy opponents. But plodding defensemen such as Zdeno Chara and Brooks Orpik are becoming a rarity in a league bereft of a red line and flush with stretch passes.
“As you see, the game has changed, it’s not like it used to be,” said the 6- foot5, 216- pound Collins. “Everyone has to be able to skate.”
A majority of Blue Jackets’ defenders are mobile — a trait that extends to their prospects. Both Collins and Gabriel Carlsson ( 6- 4, 191), who are participating in this week’s development camp, are rangy defensemen who can move their feet.
Collins spent the past three years at the University of Minnesota, which plays on an Olympic- size ice surface. The Bloomington, Minnesota, product is likely to start the season with the minor-league Cleveland Monsters and will work to improve his puck handling and stick positioning.
“Ryan Collins is a great skater, and that’s why he’s going to be good in the pros,” Jackets development coach Chris Clark said.
The need for speed has never been greater in the NHL and the Jackets place a significant emphasis on developing it. Three years ago, they hired a full- time skating consultant, Lee Harris. He spends time tutoring players in the minors and assisting Blue Jackets who return from injury or seek additional instruction.
Clark recommended adding Harris, a former hockey player and pairs figure skater, to the staff after one on- ice session.
“Five minutes in, ( Clark) said, ‘ I wish I would have been doing this in my ( playing) career,’ ” Harris said.
It’s not just about strengthening legs and lengthening strides. Harris is very “body aware.” He wants chests up and heels down. The consultant said what makes defenseman Zach Werenski such an efficient skater is he’s “quiet from the waist up,” rarely getting caught leaning forward and placing too much weight on his toes.
Harris believes Collins and Carlsson have made noticeable progress in the past year.
Mobility alone does not make for a reliable NHL defenseman, however. Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen noted that shutdown defender David Savard excels despite not being an elite skater.
“Foot speed won’t save you if you don’t know where to go and when to get there,” Kekalainen said. “( Savard’s) biggest asset is he knows how to play the game. He doesn’t have to be the fastest guy because he knows where to be and when to be there.”
Kekalainen understands, however, the importance of mobility on the back end, especially in a Metropolitan Division featuring two of the league’s fastest teams — the New York Rangers and two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins.
Coach John Tortorella scratched Kyle Quincey in the first three games of the playoff series against Pittsburgh, fearing the veteran defender’s lack of foot speed would be exposed by the fleet Penguins. Quincey, 31, was drafted in 2003 at a time when big defenders could interfere and hook attacking forwards.
Youngsters such as Collins, 21, and Carlsson, 20, have come of age when such infractions often produce penalties.
“If you’re mobile and have a good stick, you can play in this league,” Collins said. “Both of us have an opportunity to grow into our bodies a little more. But we both have a focus on mobility being important.”