The Chicago Blackhawks have a lot of good young defensemen in the organization. Some big names, like Alex Vlasic, Kevin Korchinski, and Artyom Levshunov, are getting a lot of hype.
One name people may want to watch out for is Nolan Allan. The young defenseman was a first round pick by the Blackhawks (32nd overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft.
After some patience with his development, the Blackhawks are starting to see results. Now he’s playing with them at the NHL level and he doesn’t look out of place.
On Thursday night, Allan scored his first NHL goal. He’s not an attacking defender, but getting that first goal is always good. Through his first 26 NHL games, Allan also has five points. He can’t score goals or make plays but what he focuses on is defending the opponents.
“I hit the post and I told myself that I will never get that chance again.” Nolan Allan said on scoring his first NHL goal after hitting the post early in the game. “It was nice to get it today. It’s weird how that works.”
After that, Allan confirmed that he has no family in the game but he was happy that someone scored for him. He didn’t know who did that but he was really grateful.
Allan also wasn’t sure what he planned to do with the puck. One thing was clear, he was happy and excited to talk about the game.
For Anders Sorensen, who faced Allan in Rockford, he needs to keep playing him. Seth Jones will return to the lineup and rightly so but Allan should not be the one out. There is no reason to bench him anytime soon.
Some people overestimate offensive defensemen regardless of how they play on the defensive end. Every team needs a few guys who aren’t afraid to orchestrate their entire game by being the best cover player in the backfield.
Hawks fans may remember Nicklas Hjalmarsson who was a key part of the team that won the Stanley Cup three times in six years back in the day. He did not score many goals, but the goals were not blocked in the Chicago net when he was on top.
Allan draws many comparisons to Hjalmarsson for that reason. Will he continue to achieve the success that the latter achieved? That remains to be seen but the roof is the same.
Acceptance and role play are important in hockey. Being a player who skates well, blocks shots, always has a good stick, and always finds himself in the right place is incredibly important.
Kyle Davidson has drafted some talented young blue-liners and many of them have been developing well in the system. It won’t be long before Allan is part of the main core instead.
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