Schultz learns big-league defence the hard way

Justin Schultz has played only 97 NHL games, yet he has averaged more ice time than any other Edmonton Oilers defenceman.

Schultz is averaging 23 minutes and 14 seconds over 49 games this season after playing 21:26 last year. He shouldn’t be playing that many minutes, but management hasn’t provided the coaches with any better options, so Schultz is learning the hard way by facing the opposition’s best forwards most nights.

If you do a quick comparison of the active elite D-men in the game, only Duncan Keith, P.K Subban and Drew Doughty averaged 22:30 through their first 97 games.

Breaking into the NHL as a rookie defender is difficult enough and the learning curve is much steeper without veterans to play the tough minutes. Brent Seabrook, Alex Pietrangelo, Erik Karlsson, Zdeno Chara, Mark Giordano and many other top defenders played sheltered minutes their first few seasons.

Schultz, who hasn’t had that luxury, credits his improvement over the last 20 games to being paired with veteran defenceman Andrew Ference.

“It helps me so much just hearing what he is saying on the ice and on the bench,” said Schultz. “He’s also taught me to take a breath in the defensive zone; I don’t have to be running around all the time. He’s taught me if you are not sure, just hold your ground, they’re going to come to you, they’re not going make Grade A chances from the wall or behind the net.

Oilers assistant coach Steve Smith spent his first two NHL seasons playing behind Paul Coffey, Kevin Lowe, Charlie Huddy and a combination of Craig Muni, Randy Gregg and Lee Fogolin. He was able to learn the game as a third-pairing defender before he became a top-pairing D-man.

“The fact is you can’t teach experience and what he’s coming up against is he is trying to learn the players,” said Smith.

Outside of learning how to defend certain players in different situations, Smith has been very impressed with Schultz’s desire to learn and improve.

“Early on, it was like, ‘OK, give me the puck, so I can take off and go score some goals.’ Now, however, he is really thinking about what is best for the team, what’s going to help us win…,” Smith said.

“In the critical situations this kid wants to be on the ice … We’ve talked about that he’s going to get 20 minutes a night because he’s a good player, but if you want 25 minutes, you need to be a good defensive player that we can rely upon and that’s what he is trying to work on.”

Schultz admitted his defensive game has always been his weakness, but is determined to improve. He will never be a physical defender; he doesn’t have the size to punish players, but Smith feels he can still be difficult to play against.

“The way that Justin will be difficult to play against is not the same way that (Shea) Weber will be difficult to play against. Weber is big and strong and mean as a rattlesnake, while Justin has incredible speed and incredible quickness …

“Every time someone tries to take a shot or get to the net, he is going to skate well enough to run them down. He’s going to have a stick in the right spot and be quick enough to not allow them to get the shot off. And he’s going to be smart enough to take the right angle to get there and that’s what he is slowly starting to learn right now.”