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On the opening day of free company, the Vancouver Canucks signed Carson Soucy, Matt Irwin, and Ian Cole on defence and Teddy Blueger and Tristan Nielsen up entrance. For this version of Meet the New Canucks, we might be specializing in Blueger, formally of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Vegas Golden Knights.
Who is Teddy Blueger?
Now a veteran of 268 NHL video games, Blueger started his profession in Pittsburgh after being chosen in the second spherical (52nd total) of the 2012 Draft. Another graduate of the vaunted Shattuck St. Mary’s pipeline, he made his NHL debut in 2018-19 towards the Tampa Bay Lightning on Jan. 30, 2019, and promptly scored his first aim solely a few days later towards the Ottawa Senators. Shuttling between the American Hockey League’s (AHL) Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and the mother or father membership, he completed his rookie season with six targets and 10 factors in 28 video games.
Blueger grew to become a full-time NHLer in 2019-20 and has by no means seen the AHL since. Before being traded to the Golden Knights this previous season, he was a valued member of the Penguins’ bottom-six and penalty kill for components of 4 seasons accumulating 33 targets and 92 factors in 250 video games. He was praised just this past November by then-head coach Mike Sullivan on how vital he was to the lineup (particularly the penalty kill).
“He’s a real good player, a good two-way center iceman. He’s got an offensive dimension to his game, but he’s a real conscientious defensive center iceman. He’s good in the faceoff circle. He gets better every year in the faceoff circle, he just keeps improving there. He’s a real good penalty killer, he has great awareness away from the puck. And his offensive game, I think, is getting better and better with each game that he plays.”
Blueger has developed right into a high-energy third-line middle able to killing penalties, successful faceoffs (profession 49.1 %), and being bodily (329 profession hits). He can also present some offence – regardless that he has but to eclipse the nine-goal mark.
Blueger’s 2022-23 Season
Blueger started his fifth NHL season in Pittsburgh however was dealt at the 2023 Trade Deadline to the Golden Knights for a 2024 third-round decide and prospect Peter Diliberatore. Before becoming a member of Vegas for his or her Stanley Cup run, he had two targets and 10 factors in 45 video games, together with a plus/minus of minus-7 and a faceoff share (FO%) of fifty.1. With the Golden Knights, he noticed his common time on ice (ATOI) improve barely from 12:46 to 13:16 and his FO% improve to 56.1.
Related: Meet the New Canucks: Carson Soucy
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Despite being second on the Penguins in shorthanded time on ice per sport (SH TOI/GP) with 2:37, he barely noticed the penalty kill in Vegas logging solely 0:47 SH TOI/GP in the 18 video games he performed in the common season. He additionally solely performed six video games in the playoffs (two in the second spherical towards the Edmonton Oilers and 4 in the Western Conference Final towards the Dallas Stars). He acquired his identify on the Cup however didn’t go well with up for a sport in the Final giving approach to Michael Amadio in Game 1.
All in all, Blueger was a little bit of a footnote in the Golden Knights’ pursuit of the Cup. He did present a little bit of offence with a aim and two factors in the six video games, however finally he was not an enormous cause for his or her success.
Blueger’s Fit With the Canucks
Before the begin of free company, rumors swirled that the Canucks had been in quest of a third-line middle and some defencemen to spherical out their roster for the 2023-24 season (from ‘Canucks’ plans to improve the protection and what we’re listening to forward of free company’ The Athletic, 6/30/23). Blueger checks the field of the former as he has confirmed to be a stable two-way pivot since turning into a full-time NHLer in 2019-20. While the Golden Knights didn’t use his ability set fairly often, the Penguins appreciated his defensive sport, penalty-killing, and lunchpail mentality all through his time in the black and gold.
With the Canucks, Blueger might be anticipated to be the identical ahead that then-general supervisor (GM) Jim Rutherford after which director of European scouting/assistant GM acquired in the years they had been in Pittsburgh. Overall, he performed three seasons beneath Rutherford and 5 seasons beneath Allvin, in order that they almost definitely know the participant they’re getting.
Despite taking part in totally on the fourth line in Vegas, Blueger has the potential to develop into a constant third-line middle forward of Nils Aman. In the three seasons earlier than 2022-23, he averaged round quarter-hour of ice time with the Penguins and noticed common time on the penalty kill. In reality, he led all forwards with 402:58 (2:17 ATOI/GP) and even acquired three votes for the Selke Trophy in 2019-20. Clearly, he is aware of play stable defence and might deal with a great quantity of minutes on the penalty kill and at even power. He could not rating loads, however he’s precisely what the Canucks want of their backside six and a particular improve to the particular groups.
Canucks Entered Free Agency With Penalty Killing In Mind
The frequent theme working via all the additions the Canucks made on July 1 is penalty killing. All of Soucy, Cole, Irwin, and Blueger know kill penalties and have been good at it to date of their careers. They ought to considerably prop up a unit that completed lifeless final in the NHL in 2022-23 at an abysmal 71.6 % effectivity charge.
Click to learn all of The Hockey Writers’ 2023 NHL Free Agency protection
Blueger will most likely head up the first unit penalty kill alongside Elias Pettersson or JT Miller. However, if the teaching workers decides to maintain the dynamic shorthanded goal duo together, then he’ll lead the second unit with Aman, Ilya Mikheyev, or Dakota Joshua. Whatever the case, he might be what the Canucks thought they had been getting with Jason Dickinson after they acquired him from the Stars in 2021.
As for who Blueger will play with on the third line, his wingers might include a mixture of Vasily Podkolzin, Nils Hoglander, Tanner Pearson, Conor Garland, Phil Di Giuseppe, and even Anthony Beauvillier. Apart from the closing defence spot alongside Tyler Myers, Blueger’s linemates is likely to be the most intriguing battle to keep watch over in coaching camp this yr.
All stats had been taken from NHL.com and Elite Prospects.
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