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Wings' Jensen willing to bide his time |
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Now wasn’t Nick Jensen’s time, but he remains confident that his time will arrive.
Called up from AHL Grand Rapids by the Detroit Red Wings, the defenseman was returned to the minor leagues without seeing game action, though his mere arrival to the big time was enough to encourage Jensen that he is on the right path.
“I’ve been in professional hockey, this is my third year, so finally getting the call is exciting, no matter what happens, if I play or not,” Jensen said. “It was an exciting time just to be up (with Detroit) and experience everything these guys go through on a daily basis.”
Rich in defensive prospects, albeit none of them likely to become top pairing defenders, the Wings have already seen the steady, reliable Alexey Marchenko make the NHL grade for good, and have witnessed glimpses of what Xavier Ouellet brings to the table.
The 6-1, 195-pound Jensen would appear the next in line to get an audition with the big club. The Wings will need to make up their mind on Jensen before season’s end because starting with the 2016-17 campaign, he’ll need to clear NHL waivers to be sent to the minor leagues, so Jensen knows that all eyes are on him.
“Yeah, absolutely, they’re always watching,” Jensen said. “It’s kind of always your mindset, doesn’t matter if it’s your first year or if it’s your third year, if you’re going through waivers next year or not, you always want to give them a good look, show them what you can do.
“Even the young guys are doing that. It just so happens that this is my third year. I’m trying to show them that I am ready to make the next step and hopefully I can keep improving.”
Every one of them wants to be in the NHL – some probably already think they should be in the NHL – but Jensen, 25, is of the opinion that his AHL time is proving to be nothing but beneficial to him.
“I think being down there has been good for my development,” Jensen said. “Coming from college right in, always when you’re going to the next level it’s a little bit of an eye-opener, a little bit of an adjustment year by year.
“I think I’ve improved the most on playing solid and consistently on defense and being able to break the puck out and move the puck to the forwards, because that’s the main job of the defensemen. And then just the bonus of being able to play offensively when you got the chance to.”
With NHL games so tight, Jensen understands that he’ll be required to earn the trust of the coaching staff before he’ll be permitted to skate a regular shift in the show.
“That’s the No. 1 focus, playing solid defensively and moving the puck up to the forwards,” Jensen said. “If you can’t do that, you can’t really play defense.
“We’ve always been told in this association that offense is just a bonus. You’ve got to be able to do those little things.
“It’s like a requirement almost for a defenseman to play in the AHL and especially in the NHL.”
Larkin Ballot
Detroit rookie forward Dylan Larkin, the club’s lone selection to this season’s NHL All-Star Game, is one of three players who can be voted into the breakaway challenge portion of Saturday’s skills competition via internet ballot.
Larkin is up against Brandon Saad of the Columbus Blue Jackets and Matt Duchene of the Colorado Avalanche.
To vote for Larkin, go to Twitter and retweet #NHLBreakawayLarkin.
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Detroit Red Wings Blogger • 
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