{"id":7296,"date":"2024-12-21T11:27:25","date_gmt":"2024-12-21T11:27:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=7296"},"modified":"2024-12-21T11:27:25","modified_gmt":"2024-12-21T11:27:25","slug":"breaking-nolan-allan-carving-out-role-in-blackhawks-defense","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=7296","title":{"rendered":"BREAKING: Nolan Allan carving out role in Blackhawks\u2019 defense"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\"Nolan<\/p>\n

There are always going to be comparisons between the last Chicago Blackhawks\u2019 Stanley Cup-winning players and the next ones. You\u2019ve probably already heard it plenty over recent years. Who will be the next Jonathan Toews? Patrick Kane? Duncan Keith? Marian Hossa? Brent Seabrook?<\/p>\n

The one name you don\u2019t hear as much is Niklas Hjalmarsson. As respected as his game was amongst the Blackhawks\u2019 core, he took a backseat to those others. Only so much love is usually given to a defensive defenseman.<\/p>\n

But you can count Blackhawks interim coach Anders Sorensen among those who haven\u2019t forgotten the contributions Hjalmarsson made to those teams. Sorensen, a fellow Swede, voiced Hjalmarsson\u2019s name, including the proper Swedish pronunciation, within a United Center corridor Thursday. Sorensen hopes to find his own Hjalmarsson for the Blackhawks and went as far as making the lofty comparison to what he\u2019s seen in the early stages of 21-year-old rookie defenseman Nolan Allan\u2019s career.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe kind of knows what he is,\u201d Sorensen said of Allan on Thursday. \u201cHe\u2019s got some \u2014 I hate to make a comparison \u2014 but he\u2019s got Hjalmarsson-type qualities in his game and obviously we know how that looked for years and years. But he has some of those traits in his game, so that should be a really good fit for some of these other guys.\u201d<\/p>\n

Those traits include defending first and foremost, suppressing scoring chances, killing penalties, retrieving pucks cleanly in the defensive zone, making efficient and accurate breakout passes and being a reliable component of the offensive zone cycle. The value in that player isn\u2019t scoring goals or providing a ton of offense. Hjalmarsson had 25 goals and 147 assists in 821 regular-season games. That type of player instead excels when they\u2019re preventing goals and moving the puck ahead.<\/p>\n

Allan, a 2021 first-round pick, showed some of those traits with a high-end skating ability in the AHL with the Rockford IceHogs last season, but his potential trajectory was still unclear. He wasn\u2019t a lock to make this season\u2019s NHL roster. But he played well in training camp and was especially consistent in his decisions with and without the puck in the defensive zone. Luke Richardson played him in 19 games over the first few months of the season, and Allan had his share of first-year struggles. The Blackhawks had a 38.56 expected goals percentage with Allan on the ice in five-on-five play, according to Natural Stat Trick. It was the lowest percentage among the team\u2019s regular defensemen. From retrievals to defensive zone exits to defending entries to denying scoring chances, Allan wasn\u2019t succeeding in Richardson\u2019s system, which asked defensemen to play more preventive than aggressive.<\/p>\n

But that all changed when Sorensen recently replaced Richardson as coach. Sorensen brought in a system that sought defensemen to move forward, defend up the ice, look for opportunities to join the rush and be an option in the offensive zone. All those requests tapped into Allan\u2019s skating ability. A number of the Blackhawks defensemen have flourished in the last few weeks with Sorensen as coach, but none as much as Allan. He looks like a different player.<\/p>\n

Just look at these tracking numbers by Corey Sznajder. Allan had 0.9 retrievals per 60 minutes leading to exits under Richardson and he\u2019s at 13.6 under Sorensen. Allan has a 90.1 successful exit percentage under Sorensen compared to 72 percent under Richardson. His failed exit percentage has dropped from 30 percent to 19 percent. His entry denial percentage has improved from 9.3 percent to 12 percent. His chances allowed off entries have gone from 9.3 under Richardson to 4.8 under Sorensen.<\/p>\n

Allan\u2019s overall defense has improved, too. Over the last seven games, the Blackhawks have had a 47.22 expected goals percentage with him on the ice. The Blackhawks have also outscored opponents 7-3 with him out there on five-on-five. Opponents were outscoring the Blackhawks 14-7 with Allan on the ice under Richardson.<\/p>\n

So, what exactly does Allan feel is different? He thought his experience with Sorensen in the past has helped him in the present.<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess there\u2019s a little bit of familiarity just having him last year,\u201d said Allan, who is 6-foot-2 and 195 pounds. \u201cI guess it\u2019s a little bit easier having him come in than another new face. I like playing under Anders. Most of the guys have enjoyed him here. He\u2019s been great. \u2026 With my skating, I can use that to get up the ice, join the rush late, kind of push the pace up the ice, keep plays alive, still be able to get back on the defensive end. I think it fits a lot of us. I think we\u2019re a great skating defense corps. I think it helps us all a ton.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s plenty of things (I learned from him in Rockford). Just obviously being more aggressive on the defensive end, pinching a lot more, keeping pucks in, shooting far side for sticks in piles, little subtle things to help create offense if you\u2019re not an offensive guy. I think a lot of stuff on the defensive end too and just moving pucks and moving pucks quick.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moving pucks quickly to where they need to be moved has been noticeable in the last few weeks. He\u2019s often part of the breakout when he\u2019s on the ice. He has also been trying to get more involved further up the ice. He scored his first NHL goal and hit a post during Thursday\u2019s game by skating into the play.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/x.com\/i\/status\/1869957018028478740<\/a><\/p>\n

It\u2019s also helped Allan and defense partner Connor Murphy have found chemistry together. They both understand their roles and where their strengths are. Murphy, who is in his 12th season, can recall playing in the NHL at Allan\u2019s age. It can be an unforgiving league especially when put in a defensive role like Sorensen has put the pairing in. Allan and Murphy have two of the lowest offensive zone starting percentages among the defensemen. Allan starts 31.58 percent of the time in the offensive zone.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s not easy as a young guy coming in playing big minutes, against top lines and different things like that,\u201d Murphy said. \u201cFor him to be able to do that right away and show his stuff each game and hold it together well is impressive. His ability is definitely there. I know it\u2019s hard being a young guy and doing it every night. It seems like he\u2019s doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Blackhawks don\u2019t have a lot of defensemen exactly like Allan in the pipeline. Alex Vlasic does lean more on the defensive side, but he\u2019s unique because of his size. Kevin Korchinski and Sam Rinzel, two other first-round picks, are expected to be more likely offensive defensemen in the years to come. The Blackhawks hope Artyom Levshunov, the No.2 pick in the 2024 draft, will do a lot of everything. That could leave Allan on his own path to be part of the Blackhawks\u2019 future.<\/p>\n

Allan has probably altered how the organization thinks of him with his recent play. With all the defensemen the Blackhawks have drafted, he could have been left behind.<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess with the amount of defensemen that we had, you can look at it, \u2018Oh, s\u2014, I don\u2019t know where I\u2019m going to fit in now,’\u201d Allan said. \u201d Another thing if you can look at it like there\u2019s a lot of other players to learn from, a lot of players to compete with and kind of push your level and you kind of push theirs. I think that just makes you better at the end of the day. Obviously you got to find your own, I guess, niche or skill set within the organization so you\u2019re not the same as another guy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of course, as close to Hjalmarsson as Allan can get would help. Allan watched Hjalmarsson growing up and loved his game.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust watching the Blackhawks with their dynasty there and their Cup years, just how big a part that he was,\u201d Allan said. \u201cEven though he wasn\u2019t a Keith or a Seabrook, he was still a huge part of it, a great player and well-respected player, big part of those teams, for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for Sorensen\u2019s comparison, Allan isn\u2019t ready to accept that at this stage of his career.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think I play the same style a little bit, defense first and a little hard-nosed, but in no way am I Niklas Hjalmarsson,\u201d Allan said.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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