The Chicago Blackhawks have a lot of great young defenders in the organization. Some big names, such as Alex Vlasic, Kevin Korchinski and Artyom Levshunov, receive a lot of publicity.
One name people might want to start paying attention to 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. He now plays with them at the NHL level and doesn’t look out of place.
On Thursday night, Allan scored the first goal of his NHL career. He’s not a great offensive defender, but getting that first goal is always good. In his first 26 NHL games, Allan also has five points. He is not incapable of scoring or making plays, but his main objective is to defend the opponent.
“I hit the post and thought, I’ll never get that chance again.” Nolan Allan said about scoring his first NHL goal after hitting the post early in the game. “It was nice to get one today. It’s kind of weird how it works.”
After that comment, Allan confirmed that he had no family in the game, but was happy that someone had given him the puck. He didn’t know who did it for him, but he’s certainly grateful.
Allan also wasn’t sure what he planned to do with the drive. One thing was clear: he was in a very good mood and happy to talk about the game.
For Anders Sorensen, who dealt with Allan in Rockford, he needs to continue playing with him. Seth Jones will be back in the lineup and rightly so, but Allan shouldn’t be the one to go out. There’s no reason to bench him anytime soon.
Some people overrate offensive defensemen regardless of how they play defensively. Every team needs a couple of guys who aren’t afraid to frame their entire game around being an excellent closing player at the back.
Hawks fans may remember Nicklas Hjalmarsson, who was a key part of the team that won the Stanley Cup three times in six years. He didn’t score much, but the goals didn’t go into Chicago’s net when he was on the ice.
Allan is the subject of many comparisons to Hjalmarsson for that reason. Will it continue to have the success that the latter had? That remains to be seen, but the ceiling is similar.
Accepting and executing a role is important in hockey. Being a player who skates at a high level, blocks shots, always has a good stick, and is in the right position all the time is incredibly valuable.
Kyle Davidson has drafted some very talented young players and many of them have developed well in the system. It won’t be long before Allan is part of a great core at the position.
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