You could easily make the case that the best defenseman currently playing for the Detroit Red Wings was an afterthought at the start of the season.
With his steady play, occasional offensive forays and all around contributions at both ends of the rink, Nick Jensen has certainly established his presence among the Detroit rearguard.
Perhaps the best thing you can say in terms of a compliment regarding Jensen is that when he’s playing the game without the puck, he rarely notice him.
That certainly hasn’t been the case where veteran defenders like Danny DeKeyser, Niklas Kronwall and Mike Green are concerned. They are frequently noticed of late, an awareness that is generally followed by cringing.
Detroit coach Jeff Blashill thinks Jensen has done what all players seek to do - when opportunity knocked, he pounced and made a spot on the team his own.
“For him, honestly it’s just been getting a chance to have the opportunities,” Blashill said. “Sometimes it comes down to opportunity.”
In his fourth pro season, the six-foot, 195-pound Jensen was placed on waivers and sent back to AHL Grand Rapids at the start of the season. Any NHL team could have grabbed him for the waiver price at the time, but no one jumped at the chance.
“Nick’s been a great competitor, he’s defended well with his feet,” Blashill said of Jensen, who has posted 3-6-9 totals and an even rating through 34 NHL games. “He’s not the prototypical NHL player from a size standpoint, so you have to wait for your opportunity and he’s waited and waited and when he got it, he was ready to jump through the window.
“So I think it’s more about opportunity than execution. When he got the opportunity he executed.”
His patience rewarded, Jensen is the first to admit he used his time in the minors wisely, honing his game to the point where when his chance came, he would do his utmost to capitalize.
“I think the biggest thing has been my defensive ability, like breaking the pucks out,” Jensen said of the strength of his game. “I think they’re really using my feet and vision to get the pucks up to the forwards and break the puck up and get the forwards on offense.
“That’s the easiest way to play the game, when you’re playing in the O zone. The faster you get the puck out of the D zone the easier the game is and I think that’s what I’ve developed the most at through four years I’ve been with this organization.”
Watching Jensen make the most of his chance encouraged Robbie Russo when the rookie defenseman got the call from Grand Rapids last week.
“It gives me a lot of confidence watching him,” Russo said. “He’s a good player, skates fast. Nice guy, too.”
A nice guy who is finally finishing on top.
“It’s just something you got to experience,” Jensen said of the NHL game. “There’s more to the game, too, than just speed. These guys are older, they’re bigger and they’re faster. It’s all of the above, so there’s a lot of factors that are getting thrown at you at once.
It can be a little bit overwhelming.”
Follow me on Twitter @asktheduffer
Detroit Red Wings Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»