Chiarot ready for blue-line battle

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This article was published 19/09/2017 (2915 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Winnipeg Jets have a shiny new toy that’s getting plenty of time and attention.

Much-heralded defenceman Tucker Poolman, signed to his first pro deal in the spring, is off to a solid start at training camp. He’s skating in a group with Jets regulars, paired with veteran Toby Enstrom, and got a taste of NHL action Monday night in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Minnesota Wild at Bell MTS Place.

The book on Poolman, listed at 6-3 and 210 pounds, was his mobility and physical play — and he’s wisely picked his spots to flash those traits in practices and the pre-season game against the Wild.

If he’s the Buzz Lightyear of camp, surely the part of Woody is being played by Ben Chiarot.

Chiarot, a veteran of 170 NHL games, isn’t skating in camp with most of his longtime teammates, but with members of the Manitoba Moose, Jets draft picks and players on tryouts.

Poolman and Logan Stanley, meanwhile, wear red jerseys in Group 1 — just like Dustin Byfuglien, Enstrom, Tyler Myers, Jacob Trouba, Josh Morrissey and newcomer Dmitry Kulikov.

Over the weekend, Jets head coach Paul Maurice cautioned about reading anything into the fact Chiarot and forward Marko Dano skate with players destined for the AHL, junior or outright release.

On Tuesday, he reiterated that sentiment and emphasized the importance of the veteran blue-liner, who dressed in 59 games last season, averaging 15 minutes, 19 seconds of ice time.

“Ben is a big, strong and actually quite a quick man for that (size). So closing the gap, being really hard to play against and the (penalty kill) has to be something he excels at. Blocking shots, controlling the six feet around his net very well. And simple, simple puck movement. That’s enough to make a living, and he can excel at that,” Maurice said.

For now, Chiarot is locked in at the seventh spot on the blue line and will likely begin the 2017-18 NHL season watching from the press box. The club’s history of injuries, however, suggests he’ll play at some point.

It’s the type of scenario Jets brass have been planning for — that draft-and-develop mentality — where talented youngsters inevitably begin to challenge the regulars for roster spots already at a premium.

Chiarot, one of Winnipeg’s better performers against Minnesota, said battling to stay in the lineup isn’t new.

“It’s been the same for me since I started pro,” Chiarot said Tuesday.

“I was never really given anything. I was always kind of a guy that had to climb the ladder and compete for my ice time and compete for my spot and my opportunities.

“It’s the same for me (this year). Show up no matter what my situation is and control what I can control. That’s what I do. Competing hard and playing my game is all I can do, so that’s what I do. I bring what I can.”

The 26-year-old Hamilton product has been with the organization since the very beginning. He was drafted in 2009 (fourth round, 120th overall) by the old regime and, when the franchise moved north, turned pro with the St. John’s IceCaps, the Jets’ AHL affiliate at the time.

He played parts of three years in the minors, but punched his ticket to the NHL during the 2014-15 campaign when the Jets’ blue line was ravaged by injuries. He played alongside Byfuglien for much of that time.

Since then, Chiarot, 6-3, 220 pounds, two years older than Poolman and comparable in stature, has carved out a career as a hard-working, reliable third-pairing D-man in Winnipeg. He earned a new two-year, US$2.8-million contract in late June.

Most observers expected Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff to go after a free-agent left-shooting defenceman on July 1. He did just that, signing Kulikov to a three-year contract worth nearly US$13 million.

Chiarot, who was married during the off-season and moved into a newly built home in the Waterloo, Ont., area, said when a new piece is added to the organization, it’s human nature to wonder where you slot in.

“It’d be hard not to notice the guys that they signed. But one of the things that I’ve always enjoyed about pro hockey is the competition. I guess that’s something that was engrained in me early on,” he said.

There will be nights when Chiarot is the odd man out, but needs to be prepared for the call of duty, Maurice said.

“That’s the NHL. That’s part of his job, getting comfortable with being uncomfortable. He’ll be in competition,” Maurice said. “We’re going to need him to play games, for sure. He’s going to be a really important part of what we do. Not all days in the NHL are easy or fun. On some of them, he’s going to have to come to the rink and he may not be in the lineup and he’s going to have to get his practise right. He’s going to have to drive himself in practice and stay ready and focused.”

jason.bell@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @WFPJasonBell