Alex Vlasic faces a pivotal season with the Blackhawks. Discover how he aims to stand out amid competition.

Over the last two years, Alex Vlasic has been the Blackhawks’ No. 2 defenseman behind Seth Jones. Now with Jones out of the picture and Sam Rinzel on the up and up, Vlasic will seek to avoid being overlooked on a bad Blackhawks team once again.

Apr 6Apr 6 Alex Vlasic skates against the Vancouver Canucks in the First Period. Credit Bob Frid

Elevated Role: Alex Vlasic’s 2024-25 

One of the few remaining pieces from the Stan Bowman era, Vlasic, the former second-round draft pick, came into his own in the NHL last year. His pure numbers look a little rough compared to his previous seasons—more giveaways, lower plus-minus, and other downgrades in analytics across the board. However, numbers never tell the whole story.

After Jones’ departure, Vlasic was thrust into a No. 1 defenseman role in early March, and on a horrible Blackhawks team, Alex was expected to take more chances and stray from his lockdown style of play. Vlasic had many great offensive moments, but his ability to stay the course as a true lockdown defenseman shows that he will be a key piece for the Hawks, as evidenced by his contract extension in April of last year. 

What’s To Come For Alex Vlasic:

Vlasic enters this season as a projected first-pairing defenseman. With Rinzel likely playing on the first pairing with Pickles, Alex’s defense will bring a good balance to the pairing and can help cover up Rinzel’s raw defensive game after nearly doubling his point totals and recording career highs across the board. Vlasic’s age-24 season will be important.

Is a lockdown defenseman with reliable offensive production the ceiling, similar to a Ryan McDonough? Or will Vlasic build on last year’s success, perhaps showing Vlasic as a possible true 1D?

Story continues below.

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Alex Vlasic protects the puck from Jake Neighbors in the 2025 NHL Bridgestone Winter Classic.

The Cowboy Round-Up

Vlasic, at age 24, is already a veteran presence on the Blackhawks’ young defense, with Rinzel making a permanent jump, and his projected linemate. Vlasic will be able to cover his offensive weaknesses while showcasing the elite defensive skills that secured his NHL spot and the recent contract extension. Perhaps Vlasic could even represent America at the Olympics come February.