Jeff Blashill on Process | Chicago Blackhawks

Jeff Blashill on Process | Chicago Blackhawks

with with a guy like Lebanon. I mean, obviously he’s a young defenseman who’s who’s getting his feet under him and everything like that and and just how beneficial is this camp, not just for obvious reasons, but also the fact that he missed this last year. This is pretty big in the development part of for sure. I think the fact, you know, it’s uh you turn pro and then you miss all that early part. That’s a really hard I think whenever guys miss camp for whatever reasons uh you know it’s you know I’m glad Wyatt was able to get his deal done because I just think missing camp really it puts you behind the eightball. So for him not only did he miss camp but it’s his first year pro. He’s whatever he was 18 19 years old. Uh he’s Bella Russian. Um you know all those things are are make it hard. So um you know I’ve I’ve really enjoyed him as a as a person. Um, we’ve been able to have a number of conversations. Uh, you know, I think it’s just going to be a process. It’s hard to be a young defenseman. We talked about this as a group and and and it certainly is the same uh for him and and you’re just learn, you know, you have this skill set and tools and you’ve had ways to have success at other levels and now you got to figure out how to have success at this level. So, I think the camp will really help kind of um the other thing I’d say about Arty is, you know, I’d like anybody when you feel comfortable, you’re more confident and you’re and you and you react faster when you’re not sure what to do generally, uh that can freeze you up a little bit. And so, the more he he’s able to go through these uh practices and and really learn our system so he doesn’t have to think about them, then he can just use his physical assets, which are great. Do you see him and Kaiser complimenting each other on this? We’re hoping so. You know, um I think Kai’s does a good job of kind of talking to him and and helping him. Um you know, um Kai’s been around just a little bit longer, but but you know, he’s a little bit older. He can kind of help. Hey, you’re you know, let’s be in this spot and and and um you know, I think Kais is why talking to him even before we got going. He likes playing with him. So, I think they can be good compliments for each other. We’re hoping so. The same thing. How do you see the Destro and Renzel pair working so good? You know, we’re we’re still kind of sorting, you know, um Renzel and uh and Vassic played well together, too. Um uh I think Deli’s got a got some, you know, he’s a bit of a gamer in a sense like he I think he uh has a has a way of uh uh making plays and doing that without without being high risk. I think Renzel’s got kind of, you know, he’s got fairly complete package and and so we think they’re they’re a group that can that can play well together and we’re um you know, again, kind of trying out some different pairs. We’ll try this out through the beginning of preseason and go from there. So, you’re working a little bit on Dzone coverage today. What are you hoping to systematically accomplish? Is it man-on-man hybrid zone? Yeah, it’s a hybrid. Um, basically when the puck’s low, you know, we we want to uh have five in our quadrant and outnumber them in that quadrant and get the puck and get out of there. I think the best DZone coverage, uh, you don’t spend any time in your Dzone. When the puck goes up high, we’re going to get into our men right away into man-on-man, and then look for the opportunity to reset whenever the puck gets delivered low, either by a shot or rim to the bottom. Uh, the reason we’re doing that different than what they did last year, not one system’s better than the other, but for us personally, we want to be a pressure team. we don’t have the puck. So, it fits that that motto a little bit better. And two, we got really big long defenseman that I that can skate, so let’s get them into people right away. Um, so yeah, that’s kind of the approach that we’re going to take on it. Is that how you’ve always done it or has it evolved with the personnel that you have? I’ve I’ve run probably four different Dzones at different times. Um, you know, they’ve run mana or sorry, run this kind of quadrant, run more of a real swarm, run uh uh the zone uh system. Um, we’ve kind of done it all. I just really felt that for this group, this was the best Dzone. It’s the simplest in my mind. Um, it’s it it kind of uh feeds into our pressure identity. Um, and it it I think it complements our players well. Just from covering this team last year, it seems like the young defenseman especially uh just chasing guys behind the net and often leaving that home plate area open. Are there certain principles that you try to come out with the young defense? Yeah, there’s still a read like we’d like to, you know, I I understand what you’re saying and there’s there’s there’s issues on that when when we want to pressure, but when you lose that pressure, to me, that’s an opportunity to reset and and certainly protect that net area, you know, and so learning how to hold for a second, let other guys recover. Um, you know, we talk about stick and feet, meaning you build a wall with your stick and feet, uh, so that that puck can’t get through you. And then as we recover, now reestablish our pressure. So, that’s something that we’ll have to continue to work on. We’re not there yet. It was uh that, you know, Dzone will it’ll be a little while for us to really get good at it and uh need to be good at it by the time we play Florida, though. I talked to Michael today and obviously that was sort of a proven camp uh you know, probably too early to say one way or the other. I I’ve liked Reichkes. I got to know him a little bit as a as a guy. I like him. He’s uh he’s got a good personality. Um he’s a he’s a talented player. Um you know, as I said in here, I’ve said to our group, we got more uh good players than spots. And so he’s in that mix of a bunch of guys that have to kind of grab a spot. And and I don’t I think it’s really hard to really show that in the in in in camp or in practices right away. Like as we get into exhibition, he’ll get a chance to show it in four games or so. And and uh and then we make decisions off that. And also I talked to just to see like where his head heads at going into his third season just as a team how you kind of emphasizing your players have been like working on their mental as much as Yeah. And I think you know um every guys in a little different spot. I think I think I I’ve actually really enjoyed uh where our guys’ heads are at in terms I think they they they you know when you’re when you’re really young, you come to the league, um you’re probably not as comfortable as when you’ve been in the league a few years and and and so I just think guys are getting a little bit more comfortable in in the in the expectations and the roles and all that kind of stuff. Um it’s certainly an important piece of it. I think confidence is a amazing thing. Um confidence matters a ton. I think um uh being willing to kind of look at yourself and say, “Okay, what do I need to get better at matters that self-evaluation and all those things I think come as you as you continue to mature.” Like Jason, who dealt with some injuries last year, but had good track record. Yeah. You know, I actually just said today after the practice, uh I really really like Jason. He’s a just the the the person, you know, like um as a as a as a hockey player, competitor like I really he’s calm. Um but he’s firm, he’s smart. Um I think, you know, he can be a really valuable player for us. I think he knows what he’s good at. And that’s, you know, that’s another thing a lot of young players have to figure out is knowing what they’re good at. I think he knows what he’s good at and can go out there and I think he feels, you know, obviously had the injuries, uh he’s had injuries at different times. I think he feels healthy and ready to go and so I think he can really help us. Sticking with the defense, I’m sorry, sticking with the veterans. Um, could you talk a little bit about Conor Murphy and what your expectations are for him on the ice and also a veteran for the blue line? Yeah, for sure. Well, he is, you know, he is the veteran kind of I mean, Velas is, you know, Yeah. Yeah. No, but he is like he you know and I think it’s an important role for for him um and any of our vet players to kind of you know I use the the verbiage papa bears um be guys that can really help guide our young be an extension of our coaching staff but just in a guiding way not in a you know I’ll be the disciplinarian um their their role is to help you know put a arm around them help guide them help kind of uh teach them the the little nuances uh in in his case the little nuances of defense. Um he’s uh you know he’ll get an opportunity to uh you know right now he’s he’s playing with Velic. If you’re on that parry you’re going to spend a lot of time kind of shutting down the other teams best. He’ll get an opportunity to kind of do that as well. And we’ll see who fills that role best. But you know he’s been a good defender for uh his career. I I coached him at the World Championships uh my first World Championship a number of years ago and I walked away and um really liked him. I really liked him. I think he he’s uh he’s smart. Um he’s got really really good defensive habits. Uh he knows his limitations in a sense that he he doesn’t try to do more than he should. He moves the puck to the open guy and defends well. So um that will be the expectation for him. Who you know really focused in on his defense. How do you kind of bring out that offensive aggressive? Yeah. Yeah. It’s a good question. The balance, you know, there’s a balance. I, you know, I talked to coach about coach has to do uh has to utilize his best assets, you know, and and so um if if part of that best asset is being offensively, you can’t you can’t uh lose that part of it as you’re getting good defensively. Everybody has to be good defensively in order to play in this league. You just don’t play I mean it’s almost impossible to outscore your mistakes. You have to be so talented. So, um you know, he’s got to play good defensively, but he can’t lose the things that that that made him such a high draft pick. and and you know, one of the things that that you know, when I talked to him about his strengths, he talks about his skating and I think he can use that skating offensively in a sense of beating people up the ice. Um, you know, any ch, you know, any any chance he can doing that I think is going to be real important. But he can also use his skating defensively to shut down plays, uh, gap end plays. And if you do that, you spend more time in the ozone. We talked a little bit with Jared last week during the prospect showcase practices about how it seems like Aiden Thompson wants to get a piece of anybody that touched. Um Sam’s done the same thing here previous years. Do you like having that agitator even in camp with his teammates to kind of keep everybody on their coach? Well, I think, you know, the bigger the bigger picture thing is is is we’re coming to compete, you know, and and and um we want to make sure that competitiveness is really high and we want to be smart in practice, but like guys are competing for jobs. So, I I don’t blame him. I think it’s great. He’s a guy that probably draws people into the fight, you know, that’s that would be the best way to uh kind of describe him is he’s definitely, you know, he competes hard. He’s in people’s faces and he kind of draws you into the fight. So, good for him. Uh he’s been fun to watch.

Head Coach Jeff Blashill discusses a hybrid defensive zone coverage system to better suit players as well as a focus on confidence and self-evaluation

Subscribe: https://youtube.com/blackhawks
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nhlblackhawks
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nhlblackhawks
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nhlblackhawks
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nhlblackhawks
Website: https://www.nhl.com/blackhawks/