TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — Dennis Gilbert is a 12 months out of school and 4 years out of highschool.
But in a manner, he’s nonetheless going to promenade.
“Coach [Derek] King always says, ‘Dance with the girl you came with,’ ” Gilbert stated. “So I play to my strengths.”
When the Blackhawks chosen the then-Notre Dame blue-liner No. 91 total in 2015, they’d a dire lack of defensive depth of their system. That has modified dramatically within the 4 years since — from Adam Boqvist to Nicolas Beaudin, Ian Mitchell to now Alex Vlasic, the listing goes on and on.
Gilbert doesn’t boast the identical playmaking means or sky-high upside as any of them, however he’s nonetheless steadily, quietly, progressing towards a future as a strong, reliable NHL defenseman.
“Those guys are all really good players, really skilled players, and they bring a lot to the table,” he stated after the Hawks’ loss to the Maple Leafs on Saturday.
“My thing is, I’m a different player than those guys. I try to be a complement to them offensively, and then defensively try to help them out, carry more of the load that way.”
Gilbert describes himself as a “different player” than the Blackhawks’ different defensive prospects.Todd Reicher/Rockford IceHogs
Through two video games this weekend within the Traverse City prospects match, Gilbert has served because the Hawks’ group captain and logged huge minutes alongside Boqvist on the highest pair.
To the devoted followers who’ve braved the dysfunctional Wi-Fi and considerably distant location to attend, he actually hasn’t been noticeable. He hasn’t scored, he hasn’t made any huge hits and he hasn’t completed something notably memorable.
Those issues, nevertheless, won’t ever be Gilbert’s calling playing cards. What he has constantly completed is canopy for Boqvist’s turnovers, keep in place and handle the again finish.
Fans may not discover all of it, however King, who coached Gilbert via his 62-game debut season with Rockford final 12 months, actually does.
“From the last time he was here last year, to now, it’s night and day. He’s really made some great strides,” King stated. “He’s going to be a good NHL-er at one point of his career. Not sure when it’s going to be, but he will play in the NHL, I think. He’s just got to keep growing, keep getting better.”
Technically, Gilbert already was an NHL-er for a day, making his Hawks debut in April in a win over the eventual Cup-champion Blues.
That style of the tempo, depth and ambiance of the highest degree fueled him via the offseason, aiming to construct in 2019-20 off a 2018-19 marketing campaign that improved because it went.
Nine of his 14 factors with the IceHogs got here after Feb. 7, and his defensive dependability — as aforementioned, a robust swimsuit to start with — grew in tune. He grew to become a self-described “hard to play against” defenseman.
That has held true once more in Michigan this week.
“I know it’s a process for me and I’ve got to keep getting better in all the little facets of my game, but I’m excited,” Gilbert stated. “[I’ve] worked extra hard this summer, harder than I ever have, to put myself in a good position.”