Defenseman 1 vs 1 situations

[CanuckBeSerious]

Hi,

I've been thinking of ways to evaluate a defenseman's worth. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I feel that that the purest defensive play is defending one on one with an opposing player (confrontation).

Here are some outcomes out of a confrontation :

• The attacking player gets a shot
• The attacking player makes a pass
• The attacking players gets past the defenseman, either with speed or with a deke
• The defending player poke-checks the puck away
• The defending player steals the puck away from the attacking player (takeaway)
• The attacking player is forced to dump the puck
• The attacking player is forced to fall back, either with the puck himself or by passing the puck backwards

I would like to hear your opinions on this method of evaluating a defenseman. Of course, the quality of the attacking forward would have to be taken in consideration, but this is another story.

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[ottawa]

What about blocking a shot or pass attempt?

 

[kaner13]

Hi,

I've been thinking of ways to evaluate a defenseman's worth. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I feel that that the purest defensive play is defending one on one with an opposing player (confrontation).

Here are some outcomes out of a confrontation :

• The attacking player gets a shot
• The attacking player makes a pass
• The attacking players gets past the defenseman, either with speed or with a deke
• The defending player poke-checks the puck away
• The defending player steals the puck away from the attacking player (takeaway)
• The attacking player is forced to dump the puck
• The attacking player is forced to fall back, either with the puck himself or by passing the puck backwards

I would like to hear your opinions on this method of evaluating a defenseman. Of course, the quality of the attacking forward would have to be taken in consideration, but this is another story.

I am assuming this is a 1 on 1 happening in the offensive zone, with nobody left in between them and the goalie.

This would be my order from best defensive play to worst defensive play:

1. The defending player steals the puck away from the attacking player (takeaway)

2. The defending player poke-checks the puck away

3. The attacking player is forced to dump the puck

4. The attacking player is forced to fall back, either with the puck himself or by passing the puck backwards

5. The attacking player makes a pass

6. The attacking player gets a shot

7. The attacking players gets past the defenseman, either with speed or with a deke

For me, 5 and 6 are very close and it really depends on who the players are and where the shots are coming from.

I do believe every single play in hockey depends on context and nothing happens in a vacuum, therefore it is really tough to accurately rank these types of situations. Either way, a fun exercise.