Moose defencemen make oddly-intriguing pair

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This article was published 17/10/2018 (2779 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Tucker Poolman and Sami Niku could be the AHL’s odd couple on defence.

Poolman is the towering 25-year-old graduate of the University of North Dakota’s NHL prospect pipeline, while Niku is the average-sized 22-year-old Finn who tore up the AHL in his first season as a pro in North America.

Poolman is softspoken, reserved. Niku is more gregarious and fun-loving.

Poolman more closely fits the mould of a stay-at-home defenceman while Niku has a penchant for adventure and offence.

It’s not a coincidence that the two, believed to be the most NHL-ready blue-line prospects in the Winnipeg Jets organization, have been paired together to start the 2018-19 season.

“It’s not by default… we’ve been talking about that quite a bit,” said Moose head coach Pascal Vincent, following a gruelling workout at Bell MTS Iceplex Wednesday morning. “How are we going to support them? And we feel that they can help each other quite a bit.

“What we want to see in those two is to play the game they would play in the NHL. We play the same systems but it’s two different leagues. There’s a little more confusion in the American League. It’s faster in the NHL, it’s cleaner, passes are more often on the tape. A guy that is supposed to be open is open, so your options are different.”

So far, as the Moose have struggled while being outscored 19-6 and winning only once in four games to open the regular season, the Niku-Poolman partnership is not yet flourishing.

“I really like to play with Tuck,” said Niku, whose Moose host the San Antonio Rampage Friday night and Sunday afternoon at Bell MTS Place. “He’s right-handed, I’m left-handed. Actually I like to play on the right side, too. He’s really good in the defensive zone, he helps a lot because I need to be better there. He’s good on offence, too, so it’s a nice blend.”

Niku has registered two assists in four games but has an ugly minus-6 rating, though the stat is usually derided as a poor indicator of anything meaningful.

“Of course, it could be a lot better than minus-6 but I’m not worried about it yet,” said Niku, the AHL’s defenceman of the year in 2017-18. “It’s not that bad.”

Poolman understands the pairing is intended to bring together players with complementary skill sets.

“It’s been getting better,” said Poolman, who has one assist in four games. “We’re getting used to each other, learning things about each other and communication’s getting better and better.

“He’s a very smooth player and he’s got that high-end talent to make some high-end plays. So, sometimes I let him go do his thing and we’re feeling each other out and I’m excited about it.”

Is Niku an improviser? Well, it depends.

Vincent figures 80 per cent of the game is running routes. The other “20 per cent is go ahead, make your play.”

“We think by playing them together, it will help them get ready for the NHL again because they might be matched up with that type of player or themselves in the future,” said Vincent. “That might be a combination we see with the Jets in three years, who knows?

Could Niku’s early success make him impatient to make a permanent jump to the next level?

“There is a danger for sure,” said Vincent. “If he’s thinking that way, he has to take that away from his mind because one year does not make a career. He had a great season, still lots to work on. Being a defenceman is first being able to defend and that’s the one thing he needs to improve… His job this year is to prove that last year was not a fluke.”

Niku is confident that won’t happen. “I think I’m a better player than last year,” he said.

Poolman’s case looks a lot different.

He suited up for 24 games with the Jets and 17 with the Moose in 2017-18, spending a lot of development time watching games from the press box. Vincent said the plan is to feed Poolman plenty of minutes in all situations this winter.

“I mean, I try to stay pretty positive,” said Poolman. “It’s a little bit frustrating sitting there so close (to playing). At the same time, this year if the situation came up, I’d be playing more, feeling better on the ice and in better condition.”

Hopes for a mid-season call-up is not a notion he resists.

“It’s kinda the driver, I would say, for most guys is the idea of it,” said Poolman. “You have it in the back of your mind when you wake up in the morning and come to the rink, you have to be ready because you never know what’s going to happen.”

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @sawa14