BOSTON -- The Chicago Blackhawks are a team largely divided into younger and older players.
Their current roster consists of 10 players who are 29 and older and nine players who are 23 and younger. Then, there are the few players in between. The Blackhawks' goalies are 24 and 26, and Louis Crevier, the seventh defenseman, is 24.
Finally, there's Alex Vlasic, also 24. He's unique in that he's the only Blackhawks' draft pick between 2013 and 2019 still in the organization. He's sort of a veteran in that he made his NHL debut four seasons ago, but he's still a ways away in age from the older vets.
"It's cool for me to be able to be in the middle," said Vlasic, a 6-foot-6, 217-pound defenseman. "I have the older guys to hang out with and look up to. I have the younger guys to hang out with and then also set a good example for them. I feel like I've found myself in a really fun spot to kind of play for this team."
Where Vlasic fits within the Blackhawks on and off the ice has been an evolution over the last few years. Off the ice, he's closely watched the veterans and taken note of how they carry themselves. He's trying to embrace more of a leadership role this season.
"Obviously, there's going to be a transition point sometime soon between the leadership group we have now and the young guys coming up," Vlasic said. "I just want to make sure I'm soaking up all the information I can from them and learning what to do and how I can help the team any way possible, too."
On the ice, he's been given more and more responsibility as he's proven to be a reliable NHL shutdown defenseman. He's expected to be on the top pairing this season and be one of the primary defensemen on the penalty kill. He's also elevated how he's looked at around the league after playing for the U.S. at the World Championship in the spring and being invited to the U.S. Olympic orientation camp this summer.
Jeff Blashill knew of Vlasic before taking the Blackhawks' coaching job, but he came to appreciate Vlasic even more as he watched him throughout training camp. Not having Vlasic in the Blackhawks' lineup for Tuesday's season opener due to an injury impacted the team's performance.
"He's a guy I would've liked to have in last night's game," Blashill said after practice Wednesday. "Everybody misses guys for sure, but he's a key guy for us. I thought through camp, until he got hurt, he had had a great camp. Particularly just watching him in practice, I thought he was really good in breakouts. He's just a really, really good player.
"And I know he's not old," Blashill continued, "but in our D-corps, he is. I also think he plays a very mature game. There's not a lot of peaks and valleys in his game. That is definitely a steadying presence, and we'll welcome him back."
Vlasic is expected to return for Thursday’s game against the Boston Bruins. He was paired with Sam Rinzel during Thursday’s practice at TD Garden. Vlasic and Rinzel were a consistent pairing late last season.
Vlasic described Rinzel as “super gifted with the puck” and talked about his skating and confidence. Where Vlasic believes he can complement Rinzel is by focusing on the defensive side of the position. Last season, Vlasic felt he strayed from his strengths at times in an attempt to be more impactful offensively.
“I think there’s a fine line I have to find between taking unnecessary risks and chances,” Vlasic said. “Obviously playing with Rinzel, he’s very good offensively; maybe there’s more room for me to be that steady defensive guy, contribute where I can.”
The other lesson Vlasic learned last season was that he had to be smarter about self-care and taking recovery more seriously. He saw his game go up and down last season and thought his energy levels had something to do with it.
Vlasic enjoys researching and learning new things, and one of the areas he looked into this offseason was how to better manage his energy. He found recommendations about napping and began implementing them into his routine over the summer.
“I don’t love napping,” he said. “But if it’s going to be something that makes me feel better, play better, I think it’s something I have to learn to do. Throughout the summer, I started a little bit more, just little 30-minute naps. I start with that and see where that takes me.”
For Connor Murphy, who is 32 and entering his ninth season with the Blackhawks, it’s been rewarding for him to see Vlasic develop in all those different ways. He and Vlasic spent a lot of time together this past offseason, with both making Chicago their year-round home. Murphy thought it was impressive Vlasic had grown into a person who has become likable by the younger and older players. And on the ice, Murphy thought Vlasic had already surpassed everyone’s expectations.
“It’s just fun seeing guys grow and become such good players,” Murphy said. “Seeing them even breaking through what they were seen as being. When they drafted him (in the second round in 2019), I’m sure they didn’t see him being a guy who could be in contention for the Olympics, but here he is. It’s cool seeing guys break down those barriers and continue to grow and push past expectations for themselves or anyone else. It’s rewarding to see guys you’re pulling for having lots of success.”