The Blackhawks have not enjoyed much puck possession over the past couple years for many reasons, but faceoffs are one of the biggest.
Last season, the Hawks finished 31st in the NHL with a 44.8% faceoff percentage. The season before, they finished 30th at 46.3%. And this season, they’ll likely finish in a similarly poor position.
In their season-opening losses to the Panthers and Bruins, they’ve won just 56 of 135 draws, equating to a 41.5% faceoff percentage.
The injury veteran center Jason Dickinson suffered Thursday, if it sidelines him for significant time, will put even more strain on the Hawks at the dot, considering Dickinson is their most experienced draw-taker.
It’s common for young players to struggle with faceoffs — the NHL learning curve is steeper there than anywhere else — but Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar, the Hawks’ top two centers, have struggled more than most.
Bedard won 38.9% of his draws as a rookie, 38.3% last season (despite springtime improvement) and a mere 18.2% (four out of 22) this week. Nazar won 44.6% as a rookie last season and 40.0% (12 out of 30) this week. The numbers are dire.
“Do Connor and Frankie and our crew need to get better on faceoffs? 100%,” coach Jeff Blashill said Thursday.
There was optimism about Bedard entering this season, since he won a respectable 47.1% of his draws after Jan. 27 last season and then increased his stick flex this summer. Stiffer sticks usually work better on faceoffs, and Dickinson said Thursday morning (before his injury) he believed that would indeed make a difference.
“Raising it and stiffening it, it’ll give you a different response when you’re pulling against a guy,” Dickinson said. “It definitely bends in a different way.”
Even against relatively weak competition in the preseason, though, Bedard won only 44.4% of his faceoffs and Nazar only 46.2% of his.
One preseason bright spot, however, was rookie Ryan Greene, whose faceoff acumen was lauded coming out of Boston University and has already translated relatively well to the NHL. He won 52.7% of his draws in five exhibition games, including a confidence-building six of 12 against one of his teenage idols, Blues forward Brayden Schenn.
Although Greene has won only five of 13 draws this week, he has looked comfortable and reliable overall in a larger-than-expected role. He’s someone the Hawks might lean on more moving forward.
“We’ve talked about things…to be more successful in this league, and he’s doing those things — mainly skating to battles and winning puck battles,” Blashill said. “If he does that, he’s a really good player. He’s smart; he’s strong on his skates; he’s got good skill; he’s good defensively; he’s pretty good on faceoffs generally. I’ve been really pleased with him.”
Said Dickinson: “Watching the way [Greene] rolls his stick and rolls his wrist, there’s little nuances in it that create that angle of the blade to allow the puck to flow somewhere. It’s natural for him.”
The Hawks are also counting on new assistant coach Michael Peca, who dominated the NHL faceoff game for a long time as a player, to help them improve.
“It’s nice having Peca for immediate questions,” Dickinson said. “In the middle of the game, I turn to Peca and I’m like, ‘What are you seeing? What am I doing that’s not working against him? Give me some tips, like angles.'”
For years, Hawks skills coach Yanick Perreault has overseen this area, but now he has company.
“The older centers in the league generally get a better benefit of the doubt from the linesmen,” Blashill said. “[It’s] just the reality of relationship-building throughout time. When you have young centers, they’re up against it, and they’ve got to find ways to win. So we’ll work with each guy individually.”