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Examining the goods: Jan Rutta

September 24, 2017, 11:10 AM ET [612 Comments]
John Jaeckel
Chicago Blackhawks Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT



"He has a great shot, using a very quick release, exceptional vision (illustrated by a career high in assists this past season) and the ability to find the open areas of the ice. A big-bodied defender who can move around the ice well, Rutta has all the tools to make a quick transition to the North American style of play."
—Dobber's Prospects

"Owns good size for the National Hockey League game, plus a wealth of offensive production at lower levels to fall back on. Can be an asset on the power play due to a great point shot. Still needs to work on his defensive-zone coverage, as well as utilize his big frame more to his advantage, in order to maximize output at the highest level. Must adjust to North America."
—The Hockey News Forecaster


I got the opportunity to see Rutta in game action last week in Columbus. The very first thing that jumped out to me was his effortless and powerful skating, combined with good size. Rutta certainly looks the part of an NHL defenseman. He seems aware and responsible.

In certain (important) regards, he is a lot like countryman Michal Kempny. They play opposite sides, and Kempny is a more dynamic style of player (which is both good and bad at this point), but both possess NHL quality physical attributes and raw skills—and both are going through varying degrees of an acclimation to the speed of the NHL combined with a smaller North American ice sheet—not to mention Joel Quenneville's, ahem, 'rigorous' systemic demands on his defensemen.

Watching Rutta with the puck on his blade, you see a certain tentativeness right now, which is causing him to shoot or pass into defenders, a hesitant and flawed decision-making process. The same thing Kempny went through last year.

It's not that the Hawks' Wild and Crrr-razy Guys aren't particularly bright, it's just that the adjustment from the KHL or the Czech Pro Leagues to the NHL is fairly significant, especially for a defenseman.

Kempny still has his "moments," but to my eye, he has minimized his mistakes—and sometimes with a defenseman, not being noticeable is a very good thing. With Kempny, the big issue was about getting caught too far up ice and/or out of position vertically. That might not be the issue with Rutta—with whom it appears to be more a case of making quick instinctive decisions with the puck on his blade.

Kempny's adjustment has taken a full year. Rutta's might, or might not.

Which leads to the next question: does Rutta make the Hawks out of camp? The Hawks still have, by latest count, 13 defensemen on the NHL roster. That will no doubt change.

The issue with the Hawk defense at present is this: the only certainties are Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook (both of whom look very good so far this preseason), Connor Murphy and perhaps Kempny.

After that, it's a crap shoot, and most of the "options" are linked by a common denominator of inexperience. Hawk fans always seem to default to "play the kids." Quenneville always defaults to experience—especially on the blueline. And so it goes, year after year.

There is probably no firm timetable for Michal Rozsival's return to game action—as though that should provide anyone with a level of reassurance. But literally, after Rozsival, there is no one on the depth chart who offers any significant NHL experience beyond camp PTO Cody Franson.

Rozsival and Franson both, by the way, play Rutta's right side. Then again, Rutta is 26 (like Kempny) and has a wealth of European pro experience.

My hunch is Rutta, not unlike Alex DeBrincat, Laurent Dauphin and John Hayden, is one of those "young" players (in terms of North American pro experience) who is probably at best on the bubble in terms of making the Hawks out of camp, but if sent down to Rockford, will be back at some point this year.

All for now,


JJ
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