Byfuglien 'big' part of Hawks' future
Dustin Byfuglien is big and imposing at 6-feet-3, 246 pounds, and he has a slap shot that was clocked at almost 99 mph at last season's American Hockey League all-star skills competition.
No wonder the Hawks see the 22-year-old Byfuglien as one of the keys to their future on defense.
The plan was to have Byfuglien with the Hawks from the start of the year, but a rib injury at training camp forced him to begin the season in Rockford.
Byfuglien was recalled Nov. 3, and in the last five games he has helped make a difference in 4 victories.
His strength is his offense and playing the point on the power play, but it's going to be Byfuglien's defensive play that determines how dependable he can be to the Hawks as an NHL defenseman.
"I think he's playing more percentage hockey and making better decisions with the puck," said Hawks assistant coach Mark Hardy, who oversees the defense. "We've tried to make him think about defense first, and so far he's been doing that. He's been making a great first pass out of his own end."
Byfuglien feels more comfortable than ever in the NHL. He played nine games with the Hawks last season and 25 in 2005-06, but it was evident by the mistakes in his own end that he wasn't ready for prime time just yet.
"I just feel like I should be here now, just ready," Byfuglien said. "I feel comfortable being around here and I just think it's time for the next step."
Byfuglien still doesn't play as big as his size, but the Hawks feel that part of his game is improving.
"He's being physical for us," Hardy said. "The other night against St. Louis he was very physical against Keith Tkachuk and drew a penalty. That's the way he has to play.
"He's going to get his chances on the power play to get points. If he continues to grow, he's going to be a big force for us down the way."
Byfuglien has very good offensive instincts. He had 16 goals and 44 points in 63 games at Norfolk last season.
Hawks coach Denis Savard said Byfuglien was brought up to help quarterback the power play from the point.
In Sunday's 3-2 victory over Detroit, Byfuglien made several heads-up plays, including winning a race to keep a puck in the attack zone that eventually turned into a goal by Jonathan Toews.
"I've got to learn to pick my spots a little bit better and not just be jumping up," Byfuglien said. "I think I've improved on that a lot and improved on my (defensive zone) coverage. It's just little things I've had to work on and I feel I'm still learning."
Byfuglien sees no reason why the Hawks' power play can't continue to be successful (ranked sixth in the league with 5 goals in the last four games).
"Especially when you've got guys like (Patrick) Kane and Toews and (Robert) Lang," Byfuglien said. "They all know what to do with the puck. You just need time to adapt to each other and learn what everyone does."