Lean Muscle (chicago)

Jujhar Khaira

Ian Mitchell

"Ian Mitchell turned in yet another defensively reliable game; what's been impressive is that he doesn't get wooed into venturing behind the net or into the corners as he knows his priority is to protect the crease."

A few posters on the message board, followers on Twitter, and contacts who privately messaged me had differing viewpoints on Mitchell's defensive play from Tuesday's game. Of course, getting alternate perspectives is always welcome to help me see things I may have missed.

To provide additional context to my comment on Mitchell, by all means he should head to the corner or behind the net if the situation requires him to given that a teammate isn't already there and/or a teammate will cover the crease to protect the house.

There was one play in particular that illustrated Mitchell's restraint from chasing pucks and instead parked his butt in the slot. On that play, a teammate was already following the puck carrier behind the net. Mitchell could have been magnetized by the puck but stayed home.

It was true that statistically Mitchell really didn't have a strong defensive game versus the Rangers as evidenced by his -4 rating. On each goal allowed that he was on the ice for, however, he wasn't at fault for any of them and was doing what he was supposed to be doing.

* On the 1st goal allowed, Mitchell tied up Ryan Strome at the top of the crease keeping him to the side of Marc-Andre Fleury so he wasn't screened.

* On the 2nd goal allowed, Mitchell originally checked Barclay Goodrow but gave him up to Erik Gustafsson before heading towards eventual goal scorer Kevin Rooney.

* On the 3rd goal allowed, Mitchell was covering Kaapo Kakko while Calvin de Haan was covering eventual goal scorer Artemi Panarin who put the puck into the empty net.

* On the 4th goal allowed, Mitchell was actually behind the net in a scrum with Ryan Reaves, Rooney, and Gustafsson before Goodrow went uncovered in the slot for the tap in.

So that 3rd goal scored by Rooney is the one where Mitchell could have done more on the play. On all other goals, Mitchell was where he was supposed to be as he played his part defensively and also battled behind the net when he was needed there to even out the numbers.

As he gains more pro experience, Mitchell has been refining his game to be more lean where less is more. It's not always about flexing all of his skills at once and that uneventful shifts based on simple and smart fundamentals can make a world of difference to be an impact player.

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Next Game @ Canadiens

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Roster Updates

Mike Hardman and Reese Johnson should rotate as the 13th forward while MacKenzie Entwistle will go through a conditioning stint in the AHL to get back up to game speed and shape before earning the chance to get recalled to the NHL in place of either Hardman or Johnson.

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IceHogs Game Summary

Starting Lineup

Altybarmakian - G Mitchell - Nylander Busdeker - Yetman - Teply Morrison - Barratt - Gicewicz Pour - Osipov

Watson - Beaudin Phillips - I Mitchell Stanton - Kalynuk Krys

Delia Morris

Scoring Recap

1st Goal (1-0): G Mitchell (I Mitchell, Delia) 2nd Goal (1-1): Sucese (Lizotte) 3rd Goal (1-2): Swaney (Turgeon, Hicketts) 4th Goal (1-3): Ottenbreit (Rau) 5th Goal (2-3): Busdeker (I Mitchell, Nylander) 6th Goal (3-3): Kalynuk (I Mitchell) Shootout (4-3): Altybarmakian

IceHogs: * Nylander (goal) * I Mitchell (miss) * Altybarmakian (goal)

Wild: * Cramarossa (goal) * Rossi (miss) * Swaney (miss)

SOG For/Against: 34/30 PP: 0-for-2 PK: 2-for-2

Game Notes

* Mitchell had a solid night at both ends of the ice racking up 3 assists and being the best defender for the IceHogs with tight gaps, play neutralization, and quick transitions.

* Kalynuk piled on the shots with 7 on the night and showed poise with his carries up ice and offensive zone possession; his productivity should improve as his confidence grows.

Highlights

Goal by Garrett Mitchell

See you on the boards!

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