Could Alex Vlasic become the Blackhawks‘ version of Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin in the future?
It took Anders Sorensen and Rod Brind’Amour — the two teams’ coaches — each a moment to think over the proposition Monday, but then it clicked in their brains, too. They both see the likeness.
“It’s a great comparison,” Sorensen said. “[They’re] similar body types [with] similar range.”
Said Brind’Amour: “Like Slavin is for us, [Vlasic is] underrated a little bit. [He] doesn’t get talked about as much because of the other guys that they have on their team. But the value of the player is probably as good as any.”
Perhaps it is possible — on the extreme best-case end of the bell curve — that Vlasic could develop into a superstar defenseman like Nashville’s Roman Josi or Tampa’s Victor Hedman. But that’s unlikely to the point of being almost unrealistic.
Vlasic developing into someone like Slavin, who has steadily anchored a balanced, stout Carolina defense for a decade now, might represent a more plausible — yet still excellent — outcome.
They’ve never played together or even met, although Vlasic, 23, does know Slavin’s younger brother, former Hawks depth forward Josiah Slavin. But there’s a chance the two could finally be teammates on Team USA in the 2026 Winter Olympics.
“He’s somebody that I’ve always looked up to and seen how good he can be just by playing a simple game,” Vlasic said.
Slavin returned the compliments.
“He’s a really good skater,” Slavin said. “He might have a little more offense than I do, from what I can tell.”
Vlasic and Slavin actually both have exactly 17 points in 47 games so far this season. And Slavin has been a decent secondary playmaker throughout his career, setting a career high of 38 assists in 2021-22.
In recent years, the Hurricanes typically have paired him with a more offensive defenseman, such as Brent Burns. The Hawks will probably do that with Vlasic, too, if Kevin Korchinski or Artyom Levshunov develops as expected into a top-pairing weapon.
Both Slavin and Vlasic specialize in the defensive zone. Vlasic (6-6, 217 pounds) is bigger than Slavin (6-3, 207), although neither is particularly physical. They instead rely on their long reaches to break up plays.
Slavin has arguably revolutionized stick-based defending in the NHL. Vlasic is following in his footsteps there, with similarly agile skating and smart positioning.
Last season, Slavin ranked second among NHL defensemen with 71 takeaways while Vlasic ranked fourth with 60. This season, Slavin leads the league with 39 and Vlasic ranks eighth with 30. Unsuspecting opposing forwards with several feet of separation often find themselves suddenly dispossessed by perfectly timed and placed poke-checks.
What’s most remarkable, however, is how rarely each commits penalties despite using his stick so actively. Slavin is by far the NHL’s least-penalized defenseman over the last six seasons. Vlasic had just one penalty in his first 36 games this season before getting whistled three times in the last 11 games.
The biggest difference between the players is in what they do after breaking up plays and regaining possession in their own end. Vlasic excels at breakout passes to move the puck in transition. According to All Three Zones, he’s tied for eighth in the NHL this season in defensive-zone exits. Slavin instead sticks to Brind’Amour’s system and focuses more on low-risk clearances.
In the years ahead, Vlasic still has to prove he can match Slavin’s consistency and ability to contribute to team success. But he’s on a promising track. And for the Hawks, building a strong defense around a Slavin-esque cornerstone wouldn’t be too difficult.
More physicality
Although Vlasic’s stick usage is the foundation of his defensive excellence, the Hawks have recently encouraged him to work on being more physical, too.
“I need to start finishing through the body and throwing my weight around,” Vlasic said. “I definitely am not trying to throw big open-ice hits or anything like that. … I’m learning how to play the body but, at the same time, have my stick in a position where I’m not compromising [its] ability.”
“It’s tough sometimes. In order to throw a hit, you kind of have to change your angle and your body position, which sometimes eliminates the ability for you to get the puck with your stick. I’ve got to learn different times when it’s more beneficial for me to either try to get the puck or focus on the body.”
After being credited with only 28 hits in his first 43 games this season, Vlasic has recorded 11 hits in his last four games. The Hawks as a team have seemingly been more physical ever since hard-nosed rookie forward Colton Dach arrived.
“[Alex is] a big, strong guy,” Sorensen said. “[We’re] not looking for him to run around, but when he’s in those battles, [he needs] to be firmer and be more aggressive.”
Sorensen isn’t worried about Vlasic having to choose between defending with his stick or with physicality, either.
“You can do both,” he added. “If your angle and your stick is good, you usually end up arriving through [the opposing player’s] hands and then through their body. Doing those things usually go hand-in-hand.”