Anaheim Ducks top prospect Shea Theodore made his NHL debut Tuesday night in Calgary and was incredibly impressive.
With Cam Fowler sidelined due to a sprained knee, the Anaheim Ducks turned to their top defensive prospect to fill the void. Shea Theodore, the Ducks 2013 first round draft pick, made his NHL debut Tuesday night in Calgary and it soon become clear what the hype was all about.
From the opening whistle, it was apparent that Theodore was not nervous and that he was ready to play. His big game experience allowed this game to just be another test and Shea had all the answers.
At last year’s World Junior Championship, Theodore was asked to play on team Canadas “shut-down” pairing. Playing alongside Edmonton Oilers defensemen Darnell Nurse, Theodore showed an improved defensive game and led Canada to gold, shutting down opponents top lines such as team USA’s top line that featured Jack Eichel.
His strong play from that tournament has carried over to the professional level and he was excellent last night.
Theodore played 15:45 and took 21 shifts, 6 of which came in the third period. He finished with an even rating, took one shot and was credited with one blocked shot.
Theodore’s niche in juniors and in the AHL has been quarterbacking a power play and he played 1:24 with the man advantage last night, the Ducks had two power plays.
Theodore was a bit sheltered having a zone start percentage of 100%, but the Ducks controlled 66% of possession with him on the ice.
The stats are good and as Brian Hayward mentioned on last nights broadcast, you didn’t notice Shea much and that might be a good thing to say about a rookie defensemen.
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However, if you were paying close attention to Theodore, you did notice an incredible confidence that led to quick decisions. His first pass was excellent and he moved the puck quickly. Young defensemen often have the tendency to panic but Shea let his instincts kick in and he made the right play with the puck nearly every time he had it on his stick.
Shea had a number of passes that were almost jaw dropping once you realized he was the one who made the pass.
On two occasions a pass from within the Ducks defensive zone was put right on the stick of a Ducks forward at the Flames blue-line. I looked back to see who had made the pass assuming it was Lindholm, Vatanen or Manson, but it was Theodore.
You want a young defensemen like that to play with confidence, but Shea got greedy on one occasion. He had the puck next to Gibson and passed it to a forward skating directly in front of the Ducks net with a forechecking Flames forward separating them. Fortunately for Theodore, he executed the pass. He may want to limit these risky plays, but no harm was done last night.
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If you’ve followed Theodore’s early career, you know this is not surprising. He was the WHL’s top defensemen before becoming the Gulls best defensemen and last night showcased why. His offensive instincts and passing have never been in question, it’s always been the defensive part of his game that people said must be improved.
I don’t know about you, but I think he’s taken giant leaps to improve his defensive game. I didn’t see anything last night that you could consider a defensive weakness.
His positioning was good and like I mentioned early, you didn’t notice him much in the defensive end which is a good thing. The same unfortunately can’t be said for Kevin Bieksa who was caught out of position on more than one occasion and poorly chose to ice the puck with under a minute left in the game.
On another note, Clayton Stoner deserves a lot of credit. He and Theodore played over 11 minutes together at even strength last night and Stoner played well to make things easier for Shea. Stoner made quick decisions and did not leave Theodore with any tough passes to handle.
Say what you want about Clayton Stoner, but he was good last night and it allowed Theodore to succeed.
If you asked me to grade Theodore’s NHL debut, I would give him an…..
A+
He made perfect passes, got pucks to the net on the power play and did’t turn the puck over. How much more do you need from a rookie defensemen? Yes, he made a risky pass or two but he executed those plays and no harm was done and as long as that continues to be the case, he will continue to earn high grades from this guy.
The future is incredibly bright for Theodore. It is likely that he will be sent back to San Diego once the Ducks blue-line is healthy but I don’t think Shea is far away from being an everyday NHL’er.
If he continues to grow his game in the AHL it would not surprise me one bit if he beings the 2016-2017 season on the Ducks roster. Ducks fans should be excited about the future of the blue-line in Anaheim.
Stats via Hockeystats.ca & War-on-ice.com & NHL.com