Late bloomer making his mark

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This article was published 03/03/2017 (3354 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Joel Edmundson doesn’t overwhelm opponents with his offensive flair, but his size, speed and willingness to be a huge pain in the neck for rival forwards has become an effective combination for the 23-year-old St. Louis Blues defenceman.

Edmundson, in his first full season in the NHL after playing 67 games as a rookie in 2015-16, is enjoying a breakthrough campaign.

Entering Friday night’s action, the 6-4, 220-pound Brandon product had one goal and 13 points and is a plus-1 in 49 games so far in 2016-17, but he leads Blues blue-liners with 102 hits, his 48 penalty minutes are second on the club and he logs an average of 17 minutes and 22 seconds of ice time per game, good for fourth among the St. Louis defencemen.

He’s dedicated himself to his craft.

“It’s always a challenge but you go to the rink every day and you have to have an open mind,” said Edmundson prior to the Blues game against the Winnipeg Jets at the MTS Centre Friday night. “You watch video clips, you meet with the coaches a lot. You’ve just gotta be ready to learn every day and so far, it’s been a good process, and I’m looking forward to the future.”

A sixth-round pick of the Moose Jaw Warriors in the 2008 WHL Bantam Draft, reached hockey’s big time the old-fashioned way, paying his dues in junior and in the AHL before reaching the NHL last season.

“I was always the biggest guy out there but everyone always said I was too slow for the league — the next level, whatever that was,” said Edmundson, a second-round pick (46th overall) of the Blues in the 2011 NHL Draft. “Probably my second year in Moose Jaw I started picking up a bit. I added a little bit of offence and then I went to Kamloops in a trade and my offence definitely picked up when I went there…

“Making it (to the NHL) as a 22-year-old, I was pretty happy with that. I was a pretty late bloomer. I didn’t play in the WHL until I was 17. I spent 21/2 seasons in the WHL, and it’s been a quick few years. A short stint in the AHL — a year and a half.”

Early in his junior career, Edmundson took the criticism of his skating to heart.

“Back then, it was more technique and I’d go to Regina for a week at a time and skate there,” he said. “I was always open to learning and I knew I had to be a better skater if I wanted to make some money playing hockey.”

Edmundson signed a two-year, US$2.1-million contract extension in the off-season and has found his niche in St. Louis, paired with No. 1 defenceman Alex Pietrangelo to start the season and more recently, with up-and-coming star Colton Parayko. On Friday night, Blues head coach Mike Yeo teamed him with with the hulking Robert Bortuzzo.

‘It’s always a challenge but you go to the rink every day and you have to have an open mind’– St. Louis Blues defenceman Joel Ednundson

“I stick with my game — I defend my zone first and let them take care of the rushes or the offensive zone,” said Edmundson. “I sit back and let them do their thing.

“My style is definitely my No. 1 attribute. I know I’m not that offensive — I’m definitely working on it. If that comes around some day, I’ll definitely embrace it. Especially losing a guy like (Kevin) Shattenkirk (at the trade deadline). It would be nice to step up my offence a bit more just to fill his role.”

“His role doesn’t change because his role is defined by the player he is,” said Yeo. “What he is when he’s at his best is he’s a physical defenceman. A real solid defender. He has the ability to execute, the ability to make plays but more than anything else he’s a thorn in the opposition’s side in the way he defends.”

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @sawa14