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Experienced O’Donnell ready to pitch in for Hawks

One of the more interesting pairings for the Blackhawks’ three-day scrimmage tournament that ended Monday was on defense, where Sean O’Donnell skated nearly every shift with Nick Leddy.

That’s soon-to-be 40-year-old O’Donnell, a veteran of 16 NHL seasons, and the 20-year-old Leddy, who has all of 46 games under his belt.

“Someone asked me the other day what my first year pro was,” O’Donnell said. “I said ’91. They asked (Leddy) when he was born and he said ’91. I think they were setting me up a little bit.”

O’Donnell was signed as a free agent, as was 38-year-old winger Andrew Brunette, to give the Hawks more veteran leadership in the dressing room that wasn’t there last season after vets such as John Madden and Brent Sopel left.

For years O’Donnell has been one of the more respected players in the league, using a style he calls more 1-on-1 than anything else.

“I’m not a real rah-rah guy who comes in and kicks over the trash cans,” O’Donnell said. “This is a young team, but they raised the Cup a little over a year ago so they know what to do. Obviously with a guy like Jonathan Toews as captain, I mean, he sets examples for everybody.”

As experienced as he is, O’Donnell has been around long enough to know he can’t push himself on his new teammates.

“Right now it’s just getting to know the guys and their personalities,” O’Donnell said. “I’m more to talk to guys 1-on-1 as opposed to getting up and making speeches in front of the whole group. It’s more of a feeling-out process. I kind of like to read the guys before I give my two cents.

“I think as cuts get made and the core of the team starts to come together, maybe I’ll impose on some of the stuff I’ve learned on those guys.”

Certainly one of the reasons O’Donnell was signed was to help influence young players such as Leddy.

“I don’t think O’D is going to be playing a ton, but at the same time I think he’s one of those guys that can help the young guys mature in their game and be comfortable in the defensive part of their game and being a good pro,” Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said.

“He has so much experience; it helps out so much,” Leddy said. “Being on the bench with him and playing with him, if I make a little mistake then he’ll kind of say something and he can help me along with all these years he has in the NHL.

“I’m going to try to learn as much as I can from him.”

Leddy said he doesn’t even think about O’Donnell being 20 years older than him.

“He’s just another guy in the locker room,” Leddy said.

O’Donnell sees great potential in Leddy, just as Hawks management does.

“He’s an exciting kid to watch,” O’Donnell said. “He’s got a set of skills I don’t have, so I’ve had to do other things to play this long: reading the play, anticipating the play, positioning of the stick. He’s got all the tools to be a great defenseman.”