Blackhawks prospect defenseman Alex Vlasic has never played like most 6-6 defensemen.
His athleticism has, for a long time, developed faster than his physicality. He’s an “elite skater for his size,” in the words of his Boston University coach, and he can contribute some offensively. He has always appreciated his massive frame more for its long reach than for its brute size.
That’s all great, because it makes him more than a one-dimensional defensive defenseman. The 20-year-old Wilmette native is instead a well-rounded weapon who could fill a number of roles at the pro level.
But in order to make it to the pro level, Vlasic needed to start using that height and size more to his advantage. And this year, his junior year, he has.
“When he came out of the [U.S. National Development] Program [in 2019], he was not that physical, to be honest,” BU coach Albie O’Connell said. “We were trying to get him to really engage at the net-front, engage off faceoffs. He was always talented, but some of it was strength, some of it was time, some of it was failure...and he’s really come a long way.
“He has played with a lot more ‘oomph’ to him. He’s starting to figure out how to use his body well, and he has become really tough to deal with for any opponent. He’s arguably one of the best defensemen in our league.”
The Hawks’ 2019 second-round pick — one of many promising defensemen in their system, but boasting one of the highest upsides of all of them — has become the Terriers’ No. 1 defenseman, helping spark their second-half turnaround this season alongside Hawks prospect goalie Drew Commesso.
Vlasic’s weight has gradually increased over the years, from 199 pounds at the draft to 215 pounds last summer, before settling in around 212 pounds in-season. O’Connell estimated his ideal eventual weight might be as high as 225 to 230 pounds.
“He’s got the body that he can carry that weight and still keep up [being] really athletic on his feet,” O’Connell said.
There’s more to strength than just weight, however, and Vlasic points to two momentous games this season which proved that to him — and exemplified his growth in the strength category.
The first was a 6-4 loss to Cornell on Nov. 27.
“I was more used to using my stick and my reach to end plays, with getting my stick in lanes and breaking up pucks,” Vlasic said. “But Cornell had some bigger, stronger forwards and you couldn’t really do that; you had to play more physically and use your body. That’s what [my coaches] saw — they didn’t think I was closing fast enough — and they told me to trust my skating ability and my size and my reach.
“Ever since then, I haven’t looked back. I’ve started to play more physically and with every game that goes by, I gain more and more confidence.”
Vlasic then talked over the holidays to his two primary Hawks contacts — mindset performance manager Vinny Malts and assistant general manager of player development Mark Eaton — about his plan to play more physically. The Hawks were on board.
The second momentous game was a 7-1 win over Arizona State on Jan. 7, during which he added 15 penalty minutes to his stats and learned a unique lesson.
“I got kicked out because I hit this guy,” he said. “I didn’t mean to, but obviously it was from behind — a bad play. But I didn’t think I’d be able to hit him as fast and as hard as I did. I took that as [a sign that], ‘Hey, I can go into the corner against anybody and win any battle.’
“[I’m now] using my strength almost just to manhandle guys at this level. It’s eye-opening to me how much stronger I actually am than I thought I was.”
In addition to his physical maturation, Vlasic has learned a lot about the habits and style he’ll need to succeed in the NHL from longtime former Devils forward Jay Pandolfo, who joined BU this season as an associate head coach.
“He talked about closing earlier in the corners, just taking those few hard strides to end plays,” Vlasic said. “And another thing everyone has been able to learn from him is knowing that mistakes are going to happen — even the best players make mistakes — but it’s just about how you respond to that and what you’re going to do to fix it.”
Vlasic has now tallied eight points and 50 blocks in 31 appearances. BU, which fell to 4-9-2 with that Cornell loss but has gone 14-2-1 since, has only two regular-season games left before the conference tournament. They’re currently on the bubble for the 16-team NCAA tournament.
With the season’s end so near, Vlasic said he’s focusing on enjoying time with his teammates — and trying to bring home a trophy or two — and hasn’t decided yet whether he’ll turn pro this summer (or even for the final month of the NHL and AHL seasons).
When he does sign with the Hawks, he’ll join a crowded pool of defensemen that he’ll need to leapfrog in the pecking order. But at his current rate of development, that seems very doable, if not likely.
“Getting him in the second round is a credit to the [Hawks’] scouting staff, because he looks like a first-round pick all day,” O’Connell said. “The sky is the limit for him. I don’t want to say he’s a unicorn, but he’s very different than a lot of other guys.”
