![\"Blackhawks](\"https:\/\/cst.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/800b5ef\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/6735x4490+0+0\/resize\/840x560!\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F09%2F37%2Fc8fc5ebb4d3588626acf6c74058e%2Fallan.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThe Blackhawks are under plenty of scrutiny, but Nolan Allan isn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
That\u2019s an accomplishment because Allan is, after all, a 21-year-old rookie defenseman. Most guys that young at that position are inherently inconsistent and a likely bet to have at least a few heart-stopping, chaotic shifts per game, as the Hawks experienced with Kevin Korchinski last season.<\/p>\n
Allan, however, couldn\u2019t be further from that. He looks more like a grizzled 10-year NHL veteran, which puts him on a promising track to become precisely that 10 years from now.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe knows the type of player he wants to be going forward, which is great because not a lot of [players do],\u201d said Hawks assistant coach Kevin Dean, who oversees the defense.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe understands that if he wants to become the player I think he can be \u2014 [a player] that plays 10 or 15 years in this league \u2014 he\u2019s going to be a stay-at-home defenseman who moves pucks well and blocks shots and is physical and hard around the net.\u201d<\/p>\n
Actual veteran defenseman Connor Murphy, whose 12-year career arc provides an ideal model for Allan to follow, has reached the same conclusion.<\/p>\n
\u201cUsually you notice with young defensemen \u2014 like me early in my career \u2014 [that] you have a couple of good games, but then the adrenaline wears off, and you get overwhelmed in some games,\u201d Murphy said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe hasn\u2019t shown that. He looks like a veteran because he\u2019s steady and consistent in his work ethic and knows what he is as a player. He doesn\u2019t try to over-complicate things or do too much. It doesn\u2019t feel like you need to correct him much.\u201d<\/p>\n
Allan quickly has evolved from a training-camp surprise to a one-of-the-guys staple on the Hawks\u2019 back end. The injuries to Alec Martinez and Seth Jones have kept a lineup spot open for him, and he hasn\u2019t squandered the opportunity, averaging just over 13 minutes of ice time while appearing in 16 of 19 games. He played a career-high 18:04 in the Hawks\u2019 win Thursday over the Panthers.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wouldn\u2019t say [I felt] immediately comfortable,\u201d Allan said recently. \u201cI\u2019m getting more comfortable every time I\u2019m in the lineup. Obviously, [the game is] a lot faster than the AHL, but that\u2019s something I\u2019ve done my whole career: Just try to play steady. It\u2019s nothing new to try to play that way.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Ovi](\"https:\/\/pbs.twimg.com\/media\/Gc9ip3XXQAADqMu.jpg:large\")
<\/p>\n
He admitted there are \u201cstill things each game that you\u2019re surprised by,\u201d such as the enduring strength of 33-year-old Stars forward Matt Duchene, whom he has faced a couple of times already. Things like that are reminders of how fresh and inexperienced Allan actually is, but those reminders are rare.<\/p>\n
Dean has been particularly impressed by Allan\u2019s physicality and defensive positioning, two longtime strengths. In Rockford last season, his ability to move the puck smoothly and turnover-free out of the defensive zone was considered a weakness, but he has improved substantially with that, too.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes he gets the puck, and .\u2009.\u2009. he\u2019s almost too relaxed,\u201d Dean said. \u201cBecause he makes the right play 95% of the time. I do want to see him get the puck and move a couple of strides because I believe anytime a defenseman is skating, he\u2019s going to have more options. And he\u2019s good enough to see those options.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the years ahead, a horde of more heralded prospects will come for Allan\u2019s job: Korchinski, Artyom Levshunov, Sam Rinzel and even Ethan Del Mastro, Allan\u2019s AHL partner last season who seemed slightly above him in the prospect hierarchy at the time.<\/p>\n
But results matter most, and reliable third-pairing stalwarts are valuable. If Allan keeps playing like this, he\u2019ll deserve a cemented spot in the Hawks\u2019 future depth chart.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s very comfortable playing [this way],\u201d Dean said. \u201cAnd he wants to play that way, which is a credit to him and his maturity.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
On the third pairing, Allan looks like a grizzled 10-year NHL veteran, which puts him on a promising track to become precisely that 10 years from now.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3924,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,10,11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3923","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chicago-blackhawks","category-nfl","category-san-francisco-49ers"],"yoast_head":"\n