Lauridsen’s fundamental approach paying off for Phantoms
GLENS FALLS — It would not be easy for Oliver Lauridsen to work his way into a highlight reel.
That is not a knock on the emerging stay- athome defenseman, who is quietly putting together an impressive sophomore season for the Adirondack Phantoms. It’s just that highlight packages are often filled with flashy plays in the offensive zone, with commentators lauding a particular player for using creative passing, fancy skating or his booming shot to put his team on the scoreboard.
After all, “that defenseman just forced the attacking center away from the net and made him shoot from a low- percentage scoring area,” just doesn’t have the same ring as the iconic “he shoots, he scores.”
But that kind of solid, fundamental play in a team’s own end of the rink is still an important part of hockey, Phantoms coach Terry Murray said, and that’s exactly what Lauridsen can bring to the table.
A 6-foot-6 native of Den- mark, the 23- yearold has been a rock for the Phantoms’ defense through the first third of the season. He’s clearing opponents away from the net, allowing his own goalies to more easily see shots and making quicker, crisper breakout passes to help the Phantoms improve their transition game.
“That’s a job description that any team in the National Hockey League would die for — a big, strong guy who can move people and move pucks,” Murray said. “You can’t ask for anything that’s more important.”
There is some weight behind Murray’s comments.
Before he became
Adirondack’s coach, he spent three- plus seasons with the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings. That team had three defensemen — Rob Scuderi, Willie Mitchell and Matt Greene — who played stay- at- home, shutdown roles. After last season, the three all now have their names engraved on the Stanley Cup.
“You have to be able to read and shut down a game,” Murray said. “Most games in pro hockey today, you’re looking at ( one- goal) games. It comes down to a critical time when those people need to execute the best. Spe c ia l teams, penalty killing is a very important part of it.”
Tha t ’ s where Lauridsen comes in.
He has one assist in 20 games, but some of the Dane’s most notable strengths are his defensive reads and his willingness to block shots. Those are things that don’t show up in American Hockey League statistics, but he is a plus- 7 on a team on which no other healthy player has a positive plusminus rating.
Teams just aren’t scoring many even- strength goals against the Phantoms when Lauridsen is on the ice.
“It’s a different mindset to go out there with,” Lauridsen said. “First of all, you’ve got to realize that you’re not going to be an offensive force and just put your focus on the defensive part of the play. I think the first realization you have to make is just to be comfortable with playing defense and take pride in doing the little things like blocking shots or playing physical – having good sticks on pucks.”
Lauridsen has mostly done those things this season on Adirondack’s third defensive pairing, first with Cullen Eddy and now with Jeff Dimmen, but blueliners Marc- Andre Bourdon and Erik Gustafsson remain sidelined with an illness and lower- body injury, respectively. In their absence, Lauridsen could see more ice time in weekend games at Syracuse ( 7: 30 tonight) and Bridgeport ( 7 p. m. tomorrow).
An eventual next step for the defenseman would be placing him in a premier match- up role, sending him out to shut down the Tyler Johnsons and N i n o Niederreiters of the American H o c k e y League.
“That’s a learned part of the game — and it’s com ing ,” Murray said. “That’ll take some time and I think in order to be the guy, that pair who’s going to play against top lines – it evolves, it takes time. It’s the process you have to go through as a young player in order to develop your game to know what to do every time and to get the confidence of the coach to get him out there in those situations.” For more Adirondack Phantoms coverage, check out Rink Report at therinkreport. blogspot.com