Swedish forward Janmark off to solid start with Blackhawks
Every forward - from the high-end stars to the fourth-line grinder getting eight minutes a game - wants to score goals.
Whether they were scoring in youth hockey, juniors, the minors, on a frozen neighborhood pond or even in the basement, there's no bigger thrill than seeing the puck hit the back of the net.
It's a feeling Mattias Janmark felt 34 times during his first two NHL seasons with the Dallas Stars. But over time his role changed - as did the Stars' offensive philosophy.
So when the Swede hit the free-agent market last off-season he identified the Blackhawks as a team that might better utilize his offensive skills.
And that's exactly what has transpired.
Janmark, who scored just 12 times in his last 143 games in Dallas, already has 4 goals and 4 assists. He's skating on the top line with Patrick Kane, getting plenty of power-play time and proving to be quite the $2.25 million bargain.
"They play exactly how I wanted to play coming here," Janmark said. "That helped me to settle in."
Janmark's first goal was an empty-netter that iced the Hawks' 4-1 victory over Detroit on January 22.
He then scored in the next two games by:
• Tapping in a pass from Kane in a win over the Red Wings.
• Picking off a pass in the defensive zone, racing the other way and firing a shot past Nashville's Pekka Rinne.
"Seems like he's shown a lot more offensively than I initially knew about him," said Hawks D-man Connor Murphy. "That's been awesome to see that he's able to play all over the ice and contribute on both ends."
With the Hawks playing at Dallas on Sunday and Tuesday, it will obviously be an emotional few days for Janmark. He played four seasons with the Stars (missing one due to injury) and enjoyed a prolific playoff run last summer with Dallas reaching the Stanley Cup Final. The Stars fell to the Lightning in six games.
"It's been like home for the last five years," Janmark said. "So it's gonna be a lot of fun; get into that building and see some familiar faces. ...
"On the ice I'm sure it's gonna be weird that first faceoff maybe, to see the guys. But once the game gets going just looking forward to it."
Dallas went through four coaches during Janmark's time. He went from being a trusted offensive weapon to a bottom-six guy with far more defensive responsibilities.
So it was time for a change. And when Janmark looked around, he realized that Jeremy Colliton's system might just fit him to a T.
"We (the Hawks) have a really offensive mindset, but still want to be competitive and take care of the defense," Janmark said. "If I compare it a little to Dallas, our focus was always on the defense and we were prioritizing that and maybe our offense took a hit.
"(So) when we were trying to get the offense going ... sometimes our defense would take a hit. And then we just backed off of it and went back to playing defense.
"Here it's just the reverse. We really try to get the offense going and we try to find that balance with the defense."
With 2 more goals, Janmark would equal his total from each of the last two seasons. Considering he's getting nearly 18 minutes of ice time - easily a career high - he could easily to hit that number in the next week or two.
"We obviously had a good feel for him, (with Dallas) being in the same division," Colliton said. "It took a few games to get going, but he's so strong on the puck, wins battles, wins 50-50s.
"(And) he's got some skill. He can make plays. Feel he can help us in a lot of different spots. He's doing a good job for us."
Sure looks like the Hawks - and Janmark - both took a shot. And scored.
By the numbers
Mattias Janmark's career stats
Season GP G A Pts. TOI
2015-16 73 15 14 29 14:10
2017-18 81 19 15 34 16:56
2018-19 81 6 19 25 15:13
2019-20 62 6 15 21 14:37
2020-21 12 4 4 8 17:51
Totals 309 50 67 117 15:24
Note: First four seasons with Dallas; now with Blackhawks