Jets mull Poolman problem

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 08/12/2017 (2834 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Tucker Poolman’s rookie season hasn’t exactly gone as planned. Expected to take a big step forward on the ice, he’s instead become a fixture in the press box.

Poolman, 24, has dressed in just 10 games this season — three with the Winnipeg Jets, and seven with the Manitoba Moose.

Poolman opened many eyes when he made the big squad out of training camp, then saw limited NHL playing time before the organization decided to send him to the farm for more seasoning. And he looked to be off and running with the Moose, logging big minutes on the blue line for a couple of weeks until an injury to Toby Enstrom led to a recall to the Jets.

That was three weeks ago. Poolman hasn’t played since, a healthy scratch every game as the team’s seventh defenceman.

It certainly raises the question whether Poolman’s development might better be served by being returned to the Moose while a more experienced defenceman — hello, Julian Melchiori — takes his spot on the sidelines with the Jets. After all, Enstrom is expected to be out at least another five weeks.

Poolman can’t go two months between games, can he?

“We’d like him to get into as many pro games as we can. The concern of injury for our club, he is clearly the next guy in then. We’ll have to weigh that. There’ll come a watershed point here if we stay healthy here on our back end,” Jets head coach Paul Maurice said Friday following the team’s practice in Tampa Bay, Fla.

Poolman is a right-handed shot and has Jacob Trouba, Dustin Byfuglien and Tyler Myers ahead of him on the depth chart. Ben Chiarot has taken Enstrom’s spot on the left side, in addition to regulars Josh Morrissey and Dmitry Kulikov.

“He’s in a bit of a tough spot right now, and because of the righties we do have, we likely won’t let him sit there too much longer. Just get him into a game. It doesn’t have to be a 20-game run, just get into some games so he can be a little sharper if somebody goes down, he’s in,” Maurice said.

Poolman did play his off-side a bit during the pre-season and looked strong, but struggled in the one regular-season game where he got a look. As a result, lefty Chiarot has got the nod ahead of him barring an injury to one of the team’s right-shooting defencemen.

“We want to put a younger player in his natural position and give him a chance to move well, play well,” Maurice said.

Moose head coach Pascal Vincent said Friday he doesn’t believe Poolman’s current predicament will affect his development. Simply being in the NHL, regardless of the role, brings a wealth of valuable experience.

“Being around those guys, being part of the meetings, the grind of being on the road, seeing what it takes on a daily basis to be successful… That’s a part of the game you have to witness in order to understand. Yeah, he hasn’t been playing, but the development is there. He’s around the big boys,” Vincent said.

Jets assistant coaches Charlie Huddy and Jamie Kompon have been “skating him hard” to keep him fresh, Vincent said.

“There’s a bunch of details you need to learn to become a great professional hockey player, and that’s part of it. Yes, the on-ice is one part, and it’s a big part. But there’s also all those details around the game, the game within the game, that he’s learning right now,” Vincent said.

“I don’t see it as a problem at all. Even for him to be there and practise at the pace of the NHL, getting used to the language that they use. Again, the grind and the routine and getting ready every single day to perform. Seeing the big boys doing it on a regular basis. To me, it’s the mental skills as well. And he’s learning that part.”

If there’s a silver lining, it’s that Poolman has been allowed to ease into the pro game coming off double shoulder surgery in the off-season after finishing up his collegiate career with the University of North Dakota.

“He’s 100 per cent ready to roll,” Maurice said when asked if Poolman’s health is a reason for his limited activity.

Now it’s just a question of when — and where — the next opportunity will come.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.cajason.bell@freepress.mb.ca