The Best Defenseman in Toronto

[Phil The Thrill]

Good read about Luke Schenn. I completely agree with everything he says.

MONTREAL -- Steps from the visitors’ dressing room at ScotiaBank Place in Ottawa, tucked close to the side of a passageway adorned by red walls, Luke Schenn seethed with frustration.

Sweat still dripping from his brow, Schenn unleashed a brutally honest account of what had transpired during a disheartening 3-0 loss to the Senators, the fifth time the Leafs had been shutout in the opening two months.

The moment was not without significance.

It’s still rather astonishing that the youngest player in the Maple Leafs dressing room is the 21-year-old Schenn. From a do-it, not say-it brand of leadership to a details obsessed work ethic to an itching desire to improve, Schenn is only just beginning what should prove to be a long-lasting and equally rewarding career.

Work Ethic

The final whistle at practice means little for the Saskatoon native. There is plenty more work still to come. Routinely the final player to leave the ice, Schenn’s ascendance this season should come as no surprise. “That’s something I’ve always taken pride in ever since I got here is try to work on little things,” he said.

“I enjoy being out there with the guys after practice, trying to work on extra little things. I don’t think it pays off right away, but I think if you continue to do it over time you’re going to see improvement.”

And he has.

Be it a few extra shots on goal with assistant coach Rob Zettler or a few extra drills at centre-ice with skating coach Graeme Townshend, Schenn’s drive to improve is all-encompassing.

“They’re not gonna force you to do it, you’ve gotta want to do it,” he stated.

Schenn is quick to pay credence to two of the driving forces in his development, a duo who are “always out there helping you work on extra little things”.

Rare does a practice go by in which Zettler and Schenn don’t converse for minutes on end. After an NHL career which spanned 569 games, the 42-year-old has become not only a coach to lean on, but a confidant, mentor and daily sounding board.

“He pulls you aside pretty much every day and gives you little things to work on or asks you what you thought of the game the night before,” Schenn explained. “Sometimes I go ask him if he can pass some pucks to me—kind of game situation for a D to D pass so you can work on shooting pucks like that.

“He’ll never shut you down. He’s always there right with you being the last guy off the ice with you.”

Like Zettler, Townshend has also worked closely with Schenn since his rookie season in Toronto. Schooled by the legendary Paul Vincent (now the Blackhawks skating coach), Townshend is an expert when it comes to the business of skating and he has found a faithful follower in Schenn. Sensing the drive of the Saskatchewan kid, Townshend sent Schenn home with an instruction video last summer, complete with visuals of the skating drills he had implemented during his first two seasons in Toronto.

Schenn was to watch and work with what he saw.

“He told me at the end of last year,” Schenn explained. “He said ‘I’m going to give you something…it’s up to you if you want to work on it.’

“We did these drills every day and everyone was always working on [them] and he said ‘Next year, you’re going to be leading these drills at the end of practice’."

At training camp in the fall, the difference was striking. It was apparent to Townshend that Schenn had not only done the work daily as he had envisioned, but maneuvered with such pain-staking detail that the changes in his skating were almost night and day. “It’s just little things,” Schenn said of the drills which focus on positioning, quick feet, fewer crossovers, and an active stick. “It doesn’t take long. It’s not like you’re going down the ice, sprinting down the ice for an hour straight, stuff like that.

“All of it helps."

Desire To Improve

Intent on becoming a more complete defenseman, Schenn—who becomes a restricted free agent following the season—points to the Rangers Marc Staal and the Predators Shea Weber as blueliners he admires and aspires to follows.

Asked which areas of his game require growth, Schenn doesn’t hesitate, rhyming off a laundry list of improvements.

“First of all moving the puck and being physical,” he explained, “[and] when other teams play you, them thinking that they’re going to have a tough night playing against you, being known for [being] one of the tougher D-men to play against … Also too, continue to work on shooting the puck and try to develop into more of an all-around player.”

Schenn is the only Leafs defenseman with a plus-rating this season (+3 entering Saturday’s action). His minutes continue to climb (22:32/game)—up to a career-high 28:23 against the Devils on Thursday—and he currently leads all NHL defensemen in hits and is the only player in the league with at least 150 hits and at least 100 blocked shots.

Leadership

In addition to his admirable drive and continuing improvement, it’s Schenn’s leadership which has truly cemented him as a cornerstone in Toronto.

The signs were there even as a rookie.

As an 18-year-old in only his eighth NHL game, Schenn rushed to the scene of a fallen teammate, squaring off with Senators tough guy Chris Neil after he nailed Matt Stajan with an iffy knee-on-knee hit. “It seems like every time I get hit, he jumps in,” Stajan said appreciatively, following the game.

Schenn’s words weren’t kind on that November evening in Ottawa this season, but they needed to be said.

“We’re getting shutout way too many times,” he steamed, “and it just comes down to competing harder.”

A few months later and the feelings haven’t changed.

“I just felt that everyone wasn’t doing enough and working hard and paying the price enough to do what it took and that’s what it’s all about,” he said. “You don’t have to have many skill guys, but you should have in my opinion one of the hardest working teams in the league.”

It was with a twist of both jest and praise that a former teammate routinely called him “Captain” at a time when many—including both Ron Wilson and Brian Burke—considered him the perfect long-term solution for a job then left vacant by one of the greats in Mats Sundin. While the honour of the captaincy has since fallen to a different figure in Dion Phaneuf, it matters not.

Luke Schenn is the best defenseman in Toronto.

-J.Siegel

Twitter.com/jonas640

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