Jakob Chychrun is the youngest defenseman in the NHL.
But the the 18-year-old blue-liner isn't showing his inexperience with the Arizona Coyotes.
A one-time highly touted pick, the Coyotes maneuvered at last year's entry draft to select Chychrun, taking on Pavel Datsyuk's contract from the Detroit Red Wings for the right to pick the defenseman 16th overall.
The gamble has paid off for the Coyotes, who bet against the Florida native's let-down season with the OHL's Sarnia Sting and poor showing at the Under-18 Championships a year ago that led to his tumble down the draft rankings.
Chychrun was initially seen as a long-term project that would return to junior for the 2016-17 season, but instead he's stepped into the Coyotes' lineup, playing the left side behind Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Alex Goligoski.
Ever since Arizona dealt defenseman Michael Stone to the Calgary Flames, Chychrun has taken on an expanded role, with John Chayka noting the newly freed-up minutes on the blue line would provide Chychrun with added opportunity.
Arizona has played 10 games since Stone's departure, and the uptick in Chychrun's performance has been noteworthy:
| Date Range | GP | G | A | Pts | Pts/GP | TOI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| After Feb. 19 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 0.60 | 17:02 |
| Before Feb. 19 | 43 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 0.26 | 16:10 |
Chychrun was named the game's first star in Saturday's 5-4 win over the New Jersey Devils after recording a goal and two assists in the contest.
The young defenseman's play hasn't been lost on the Coyotes' coaching staff either.
"I think he took a major step this year and it wasn't a successful splash where you're going, 'Oh my God, if we can just get him back to that level then he's going to be a good player,'" Coyotes associate coach Jim Playfair, who's responsible for the team's defensemen, told Craig Morgan of Arizona Sports. "He's made excellent, step-by-step development.
"He understands when we look at details on videotape that it's not a beatdown, it's not 'here's where you're wrong;' it's 'here's our process and here's how you can be successful.' He enjoys sitting down to gather information because he believes in the process."
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