Zach Werenski and Ivan Provorov are the latest to put cracks in the time-tested theory that defensemen need a long time to develop.
The 19-year-old rookies quickly followed the lead of Seth Jones and 2015 Calder Trophy winner Aaron Ekblad in adapting more quickly to the NHL than elite defensemen of previous generations. Werenski plays on the Columbus Blue Jackets’ top pairing alongside Jones and Provorov is already a No. 1 defenseman after making the Philadelphia Flyers out of training camp.
“In that position of defense, it’s the toughest to play and a lot is expected of them to step right into the top level of their game in their sport,” Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella said. Werenski “has a mental aptitude about him that he can handle a lot of things – not only physically but more importantly mentally. It’s really impressive to see such a young man be able to do that.”
Werenski and Provorov are in the Calder race for the top NHL rookie with forwards Auston Matthews and Patrik Laine, while Jakob Chychrun of the Arizona Coyotes is handling the NHL well at 18. Young 20-somethings like Rasmus Ristolainen of the Buffalo Sabres, Colton Parayko of the St. Louis Blues, John Klingberg of the Dallas Stars, Morgan Rielly of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Provorov teammate Shayne Gostisbehere also didn’t need much time to adjust to the North American pro game.
“You’re seeing a lot more young defensemen put in bigger roles,” Jones said. “Teams and organizations are going to be putting them (in) earlier so that they can see for themselves what it feels like at a young age so that when they do kind of develop, it’ll go a little quicker.”