Young Penguins Defenseman Impressing Offensively In Elevated Role

Back on Feb. 9, the Pittsburgh Penguins took a chance on a young defenseman via a waiver claim.

And, so far, it seems to be paying off.

23-year-old Vladislav Kolyachonok took a while to get acclimated to the Penguins after he was claimed by Pittsburgh from the Utah Hockey Club. In fact – due to the 4 Nations Face-off break and the lack of practice time following the break – he didn’t even make it into the lineup until Mar. 4 in a 4-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche.

He made exactly three starts on the bottom pairing before impressing enough to earn top-pairing minutes with Kris Letang. And he hasn’t disappointed in his two-plus games, as the Penguins are 2-0 so far in those contests.

“I feel good playing with him,” Kolyachonok said. “He’s a great teammate. He helps me learn, and he’s a great leader and a great person. I think we’re getting on the same page. And it’s good to get the results.”

It’s not as if Kolychonok – drafted in the second round (52nd overall) by the Florida Panthers in 2019 – has been productive up to this point, as he just registered his first point as a Penguin during Saturday’s matchup against the New Jersey Devils. He is known as an offensive, puck-moving defenseman, and production will be expected at some point.

But the early returns are pretty good on the blueliner from Minsk, Belarus. 

Even if it’s a small sample size, Kolyachonok has the highest expected goals share of any Penguins’ player in the last five games at 54.09. He also has the second-highest high-danger chances for share of 50, which trails only forward Emil Bemstrom at 58.33.

In other words, Kolyachonok is doing a fair amount to drive offense right now on the top pairing, and this is alongside a veteran who is known for his offensive instincts. And the crazy thing is that Letang has actually been playing more of a shutdown role on that pairing because of Kolyachonok’s ability to aid the transition game, skate with the puck on his stick, and generate chances.

“I think he’s competing hard,” head coach Mike Sullivan said. “We’re trying to get him to simplify his game and defend well. The one thing we really like about him is that he’s a real good skater. He’s strong on pucks, his gaps are really good, he can close on people laterally really well, and he’s physical. He’s not shy. He’s willing to get into bodies.”

He does need to work on his risk assessment and some of the defensive details in his game, especially when the puck is on his stick in the defensive zone. But all in all, it’s been an impressive first few games from the young left-side defenseman. 

“There’s areas of his game, obviously, where we think he can improve and get better,” Sullivan said. “Just his decisions on when he joins the rush, his decisions on when he activates off the offensive blue line… he’s trying to simplify the game. We’re encouraging him to simplify the game with respect to his puck possession game.

“He’s a young player, and we’re excited about, potentially, where his game might go.”

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