The Blackhawks were hoping Henri Jokiharju would make the team out of training camp. He did.
Then they hoped he could solidify a spot as a Top 4 defenseman. He did.
The ultimate hope was that he would become a perfect complement for Duncan Keith on the top pairing. And he’s done just that, which is saying a lot because often times last season the two-time Norris Trophy winner would find himself caught out of position covering ground for his partner.
“He allows me to play my game,” Keith said. “With him, for 19 years old, he’s pretty poised, great skater, he’s good with the puck, makes smart plays, good defensively. He’s ahead of his age, that’s for sure. Defense isn’t an easy position to break into, and he’s doing it like a veteran. It’s impressive. I enjoy playing with him. He’s a really good player.”
There have been times where Jokiharju has looked like a rookie, which hasn't been a lot. But that’s to be expected as he gets used to the grind of an 82-game season, mentally and physically.
“A little ups and downs,” Jokiharju told NBC Sports Chicago when asked to assess his season so far. “Obviously just trying to feel as confident as I could. There are some days where you're a little bit more tired, back-to-back games, have to find some energy in those games. But I think it's gone pretty well so just gotta keep going."
Through 12 games this season he has seven points (all assists); five of them came in the first three games, so he's been limited to two assists over the past nine games.
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Yet, he leads all Blackhawks defensemen in even-strength ice time and coach Joel Quenneville hasn't been afraid to put him in any situation, including the penalty kill.
"He's been good," Quenneville said. "For a young kid, there's a lot to learn and absorb. The game is different than you're accustomed to, guys are bigger, stronger, smarter and I think he came in and had an excellent start. If you look at his last two games, he's played fine, getting back on track. He does a lot in the games as far as how he defends and I think that he handles the puck well and can only get better off of these levels."
Jokiharju is learning on the fly while drawing all the tough assignments, too.
On Sunday against the Edmonton Oilers, nobody on the Blackhawks logged more ice time against Connor McDavid at 5-on-5 than Jokiharju, who was out there for 13:22 of McDavid's 18:25 minutes, according to naturalstattrick.com. All the 2017 first-round pick did was limit the two-time Art Ross Trophy winner's line to only nine shot attempts for while generating 20 against his.
That's a testament to his confidence, and not getting caught up in the moment playing against some of the best hockey players in the world.
"I think all around, the players are so good," Jokiharju said. "They can hit you, everyone's got a great stick, they're really fast, stuff like that. But if you play against a superstar player, you have to treat them as just a player in the NHL. Obviously you see highlights of those players, but you can't respect those guys too much. You just want to play hard against them."
Despite making it look so easy early on, Jokiharju knows there's still a lot to learn. He wants to get stronger while also getting faster to keep up with the different types of players in the NHL.
And once he does get fully settled in, Chicago will really get a chance to see what kind of player he can become in the NHL.
"I think after Christmas I'll feel a little bit more comfortable," Jokiharju said. "It's always hard when you step into a new league, it doesn't matter where. Obviously the NHL is the biggest step in my life."