McKenna: Explaining Kevin Shattenkirk’s resurgence with the Anaheim Ducks
By: Mike McKenna
Raise your hand if you thought Kevin Shattenkirk of the Anaheim Ducks would be tied for the lead among NHL defensemen in scoring one month into the 2021-22 season.
Is your hand up? Mine’s not. But here we are.
Shattenkirk is in the midst of a resurgent season with 11 points (3G, 8A) in 11 games. He’s currently riding a four-game assist streak and reminding people that he still has what it takes to be one of the game’s most effective puck-moving defensemen.
Last season didn’t go as planned for Shattenkirk. After winning the Stanley Cup in 2020 with the Tampa Bay Lightning, he inked a three-year contract with the Ducks worth $11.7 million dollars ($3.9 million AAV).
The expectation was that Shattenkirk would help revive a tired Ducks power play that finished 30th in the NHL during the 2019-20 season. That didn’t happen. Anaheim finished last season a notch lower at 31st league-wide, dead last.
There were health issues. A lingering knee ailment hampered a key part of Shattenkirk’s game – mobility. His power and explosiveness was missing. Shattenkirk underwent knee surgery this past summer and a proper recovery period followed. Now his body is back to the level necessary to perform.
Check out Shattenkirk’s footwork along the blue line leading up to Simon Benoit’s first NHL goal.
Shattenkirk’s shifty lateral movement ends up drawing two Buffalo players, leaving Benoit wide open.
It’s vintage Shattenkirk. But it’s also a piece of his game that didn’t look entirely comfortable last season due the knee injury he’d been battling through.
That mobility feeds into the success Shattenkirk and his Ducks teammates are having on the power play so far in the 2021-22 campaign. They currently sit fifth in the NHL, scoring at a rate of 26.3 percent with the man advantage.
Shattenkirk has been a huge part of it, piling up six power-play points in 11 games.
According to Shattenkirk, the Ducks are all on the same page and playing a much more direct game than last season. He credits former Calgary Flames head coach Geoff Ward – now assistant to Dallas Eakins in Anaheim – for changing the team’s mindset.
“He’s streamlined the power play,” Shattenkirk told Daily Faceoff. “Our meetings have been straight forward. We know if a team is doing X, Y or Z. And here’s the three plays that we expect to be open. When we have the man advantage, as long as we don’t get out-worked and we execute, it’ll work.”
Adam Henrique’s goal against the Vegas Golden Knights is a great example. Trevor Zegras makes a crafty play to the slot area and finds Shattenkirk in motion toward the net for a quick one-timer. It’s not a hard shot, but it’s a direct attack at the net. Henrique deflects the puck home for this third goal of the season.
So is Shattenkirk the guiding force of the Ducks’ resurgent power play, or is it the infusion of young talent into the lineup?
“If you ask (my teammates), they’d say I’m dictating,” Shattenkirk said. “I’d say the opposite. Last year towards the end of the season, we started to gain more chemistry as a team. Understanding how each guy plays on an individual level.
“And now playing with [Troy] Terry, [Trevor] Zegras – young guys with certain tendencies. It’s knowing who you’re out on the ice with. Everyone is playing together well within the system. When it’s time to make plays, individual talent steps out.”
There’s also a hidden layer to Shattenkirk’s game that has undergone a makeover – his equipment. This offseason, he updated his skates and sticks.
“I’m easy with equipment,” Shattenkirk said. “I like the stuff that I’ve always been using. But I was still hitting a Callaway Big Bertha driver when the new stuff could get me 30 extra yards. I was too stubborn to change.”
So Shattenkirk experimented. He’d always been a fan of the Supreme Line of Bauer skates, but when he tried the company’s new Hyperlite model, he found it to be extremely light and responsive. He felt more nimble on his edges.
Shattenkirk also changed his sticks.
“I’d been using the same Bauer stick for almost 15 years,” Shattenkirk said. “It was too heavy. I thought maybe I needed to go down in flex. So I talked with the Bauer rep and tried some lighter sticks, some different kick points. I feel like I have to do less with it.”
“The game is so fast that you don’t get a slap shot off anymore,” Shattenkirk said. “The ability to wrist them and get them off quickly is at forefront at the blue line. The changes have made me feel confident.”
Confidence is always a driving factor for any athlete. Shattenkirk is healthy. He’s got new wheels and lumber. His teammates are performing and the coaching staff has provided the road map to power-play success. And as of today, the Ducks are in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.