CALGARY, Alberta – Trevor van Riemsdyk made the Blackhawks’ roster right out of the 2014 training camp and was on the United Center ice in June after helping the Blackhawks clinch the Stanley Cup against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Still, when this season began, van Riemsdyk almost felt like he was starting over again. Two injuries – including a fractured patella on which he had surgery one year ago – cost him the rest of the Blackhawks’ regular season and most of the playoffs. So this past September, van Riemsdyk approached camp and this season like it was brand new.
“My mindset was I still had to prove everything again, show I was healthy and ready to play the way I started last year off,” van Riemsdyk said following Thursday’s practice. “The injuries were unfortunate but [I just had] that mindset, regardless of whether I was hurt or not, that I wanted to come in and prove to them what I could do – and if they wanted to give me more responsibility, whatever role they wanted me to play, that I could do whatever they asked me.”
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Van Riemsdyk’s approach helped. The young defenseman has made great strides, has continued to gain trust and has earned more responsibility in what qualifies as his rookie season. Van Riemsdyk first took on more responsibility when Duncan Keith was sidelined with his knee injury/surgery. He’s held onto it thanks to steady play.
“We like how he’s evolved,” coach Joel Quenneville said. “We saw some nice upside in his game last year. The fact he made it right out of college is a huge hurdle he overcame. He has a great feel for the game, we like his position and poise, like his reads and awareness. And he has patience with the puck.”
“It’s all worked out where, at this stage, it’s been a nice first year for him winning a championship and now getting more responsibility,” Quenneville said. “We want to keep making him better and we want to keep looking for him to be better.”
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Between offseason changes and injuries earlier this season, the Blackhawks have dabbled with defensive pairs plenty. Van Riemsdyk played with Keith in the preseason, started the regular season with Trevor Daley, paired with Niklas Hjalmarsson when Keith was hurt and partnered with Brent Seabrook when Keith returned. But van Riemsdyk, speaking of his most recent defensive partners, said there hasn’t been much altering in his game.
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“Obviously they play a little bit of a different style but both really good defensemen. Both smart and responsible and where they need to be. So they make it pretty easy playing with them,” he said of Hjalmarsson and Seabrook. “They’re always talking to me letting me know where they are, and they make the game a lot easier for me.”
Van Riemsdyk approached this season like he was starting over. But he gained trust in his few games last season and built on that these past few months. Whether playing a few minutes or plenty of them, as he has the last few weeks, van Riemsdyk has been steady. That’s what the Blackhawks need.
“It’s all worked out where, at this stage, it’s been a nice first year for him winning a championship and now getting more responsibility,” Quenneville said. “We want to keep making him better and we want to keep looking for him to be better.”