Ever-improving Oesterle proving to be quite a find for Blackhawks

In the early stages of this season, Blackhawks defensemen Jordan Oesterle and Cody Franson would often walk into the dressing room together after a practice or morning skate.

Most of their teammates were nowhere to be seen, having taken off their equipment and begun preparing for the rest of their day.

In late October, I approached them at their neighboring stalls and asked how difficult it was to stay positive as they sat out game after game after game.

"Definitely not easy," Franson said. "The hardest part is mentally. In some situations when you don't get talked to about things, it's tough to leave work at work. …

"But it hasn't been like that here. The coaches have been pretty good about being in our ear, letting us know what their thought process is and why we're not playing."

Shortly thereafter, Franson cracked the lineup, but Oesterle continued to sit.

And sit. And sit.

By early December, Oesterle had been a healthy scratch a whopping 25 times in the first 29 games, doing all the little things behind the scenes to be noticed by the coaching staff.

He finally caught his break - ironically enough - when Franson was injured on Dec. 8 against Buffalo. Oesterle was immediately paired with Duncan Keith and hasn't sat out since, playing 16 straight games while scoring 3 goals and dishing out 6 assists.

While Oesterle's first two months were enough to test anyone's mettle, it certainly could have been worse.

"Going through it with Frannie kind of calmed me down a bit," he said. "Maybe if I was by myself I would have read into more things than I should have. …

"He was a voice in my ear and (gave) me a little pick-me-up now and then whenever I needed it."

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After playing three seasons at Western Michigan, Oesterle spent three seasons in the Edmonton Oilers organization, mostly with their AHL affiliate. The Dearborn Heights, Michigan, product is a left-handed shot but played almost exclusively on his off-side because the Oilers were overloaded with lefties.

After last season ended, Oesterle was an unrestricted free agent and decided to sign a 2-year, $1.3 million deal with the Hawks because he knew there were openings on the back end.

He impressed enough in camp to stick around, and since entering the lineup on Dec. 10, has managed to stick to Keith like Krazy Glue. Oesterle said the future Hall of Famer is often in his ear on the bench between shifts.

"He's very influential with me right now," Oesterle said. "He shows me a lot of plays where I can help him out. … He's really helped grow my breakout game."

A perfect example came when Oesterle hit Patrick Kane with a perfect 80-foot pass that sprung the Hawks' superstar to an easy breakaway goal against Minnesota on Dec. 17.

"A great pass that was hard, it was flat, it was right on my tape," Kane said afterward.

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Jan Rutta leads all Blackhawks defensemen with 5 goals, but Oesterle is tied for second with 3 thanks to a hard shot that finds its way through holes easier than most. His first tally - believe it or not - came at Edmonton when his shot hit the crossbar and somersaulted in the air and onto Cam Talbot's backside.

"When I saw it hit the crossbar and saw it bounce back I was kind of shaking my head because I've had a couple of those," Oesterle said.

His consternation didn't last long, though, because as fate would have it, the puck tumbled off Talbot, onto the ice and over the goal line to give the Hawks a 3-1 lead in a game they would win 4-3 in OT.

"When I saw it bounce in I thought maybe Hartsy hit it," Oesterle said of teammate Ryan Hartman. "So I didn't get too excited, but when he said he didn't touch it then it was a full circle to score my first one against Edmonton in Edmonton."

After that, Oesterle's confidence soared. He scored in the next game at Calgary and again three games later at the United Center against the Oilers.

"I thought I was playing with a fair amount of confidence before that," Oesterle said. "But it was a sense of relief. You don't really have your first NHL goal weighing on you anymore."

Now he goes out, trusting in his shot, his breakout game, his defense - everything. He's also earned the trust of Quenneville, who is sending Oesterle out for 23-plus minutes a game against some of the best forwards in the game.

"He has an offensive mind (in) making plays and seeing plays," Quenneville said. "He's got a good shot, too. He finds a way to get that seam - and whether he's slapping it or snapping it - it has some pace to it.

"He thinks the game offensively and his defensive game may be a little underrated."

Even if it took a bit of time for it all to come around.

Ins and outs of Jordan Oesterle

A look at Jordan Oesterle's career and what has transpired this season with the Blackhawks:

• Played three seasons at Western Michigan University

• Signed with Edmonton Oilers as undrafted free agent in 2014

• Spendt most of next three seasons playing for Oilers' AHL team, but does get 25 games in the NHL

• Signed 2-year, $1.3 million deal with Blackhawks on July 1, 2017, the first day of free agency

• Sat as a healthy scratch in 25 of first 29 games

• Injury to Cody Franson gave Oesterle chance to play with Duncan Keith. Registered 2 assists and earned a plus-6 in first 4 games

• Scored first NHL goal at Edmonton on Dec. 29 in 4-3 OT victory

• Had 2 goals and 4 assists in next four games

• Has played 20-plus minutes in 12 straight games, with season high of 26:03 coming against Minnesota on Jan. 10

Season stats: 20 GP, 3 goals, 7 assists, +4, 20:52 TOI, 33 blocks