BIG BEN HITTING HIS STRIDE
22-year-old rookie blue-liner has made a seamless jump to the NHL
Like a salmon wiggling off a hook, Ben Hutton was talking about the one that got away. And he did it with that trademark ear-to-ear grin and aw-shucks attitude, because in his world, there are no bad days, just good opportunities.
The Vancouver Canucks rookie defenceman did everything right to earn that elusive first NHL goal with a bold foray to the crease Monday against Arizona.
He nearly re-directed a Derek Dorsett feed off the sideboards, but opportunity lost is not the story.
The real story is a fifth-round pick making an impact as a top-four blueliner on a banged-up back end and also being a second-unit power-play performer.
It’s about the power of positive thinking drilled into him at the collegiate level. It’s about combining a fast stride, precise passing and elusiveness to seamlessly transition into the NHL’s toughest position.
Think about it. Teams purposely dump pucks in his corner to place turnover heat on the 22-year-old native of Brockville, Ont.
They try to pound him at every turn and the 6-foot-2, 183-pounder has heard all the taunting not fit for print.
And through it all, there’s that boyish enthusiasm in a man’s game, a camp curiosity who effortlessly placed long training camp passes right on the tape and earned a roster spot amid little fanfare.
For all the hoopla surrounding rookies Jared McCann and Jake Virtanen making the grade, Hutton went about his business with a quiet confidence and ability to make the tough play at the right time.
“I’ve always been confident and you need that to try to make plays and I would never wish injuries on anybody, but I’ve had more opportunities to learn,” said Hutton, who has nine assists, though he missed seven games after a sideboards collision Nov. 18 in Winnipeg.
“There have been times when I’ve been frustrated when I hit a post because I could have delayed longer and then shot. But I try to stay positive at all times, because if I’m negative, it could rub off on somebody else. And maybe me being positive rubs off on the other guys.”
Especially if he scores a goal. He had nine last season at the University of Maine and one in four games with the AHL’s Utica Comets.
“I think I have another gear and the coaching staff has given me the green light to go on offence and join the rush,” said Hutton. “But at the same time you have to be very smart in this league and pick your battles. You can’t be too risky. The green light is there, but I don’t want the red light if I make a few mistakes.”
For all the blue-line angst — injures to unrestricted free-agent Dan Hamhuis and Luca Sbisa and what to make of UFAs Yannick Weber, Matt Bartkowski and Alex Biega — there is anticipation of heightened Hutton expectations and the promise of intriguing 22-year-old restricted free-agent Andrey Pedan.
Do the Canucks need a proven topfour defenceman? Absolutely. Who doesn’t? But they’re not going to part with Bo Horvat or McCann, especially when you consider that after 34 games a year ago, Hutton’s season at Maine was five games away from regular-season completion.
Now, he can be matched against top NHL lines while logging an average of 17:45 in ice time because he’s getting tips from Hamhuis and Chris Tanev and has a high compete level.
“Hammer will tell me about gaps and Tanev will talk about walking the blue-line. Everybody has given me bits and pieces and it’s my job to put it all together,” said Hutton.
“My skating really helps if I happen to make a mistake or get caught. Coming down the stretch, teams are going to be coming harder and it’s going to be a bigger challenge.”
Hutton got everybody’s attention in the Canucks organization after 15 goals in 35 games during the 2013-14 NCAA Hockey East season, during which he was a first-team all-star. But a drop off to nine goals with the struggling Black Bears last season — they were 8-12-2 in conference play and 14-22-3 overall — actually made Hutton a better player.
He had to defend better and take fewer chances offensively.
And when he struggled, the guy behind the bench had a lot to do with his play on the ice.
“My coach at Maine (Dennis ‘Red’ Gendron) was really big on mindset and he had us read a few books because you need confidence to make plays when I’m jumping in and out of the rush,” said Hutton.
Hutton’s comfort factor in all three zones isn’t surprising. He was a forward until age 13 and at a tryout where the first five players were asked to play defence, he looked comfortable. In Hutton’s first year of junior A — which included the 2011 World Junior A Challenge in Langley — he played forward until he told his coach he might be able to help out the back end.
“We were struggling with the breakout the next year and I asked the coach if I could try defence,” said Hutton. “The first shift I ended up having two assists, so he said I might keep you on D a bit. It’s been that way ever since.”
OF NOTE: Jannik Hansen appeared to suffer a back or hip strain Wednesday and left the game in the third period. Joe Cannata has been reassigned to Utica with Ryan Miller back after missing six games with a groin strain. Winger Hunter Shinkaruk, who leads the Comets with 25 points, including 13 goals, is the club’s representative for the AHL All-Star Game on Jan. 31 in Syracuse, N.Y.