Bruce Boudreau has not been looking for great plays out of his replacement call-ups this season. When an inexperienced player attempts the extraordinary it often leads to turnovers, blown assignments and defensive breakdowns. In the NHL that is a lethal combination. So the Capitals’ head coach prefers seeing the smart plays even if crisp outlet passes or proper positioning are usually absent from the highlight packages.
Defenseman Sean Collins has given Boudreau exactly what he has needed and a little more.
Recommended Stories
The 23-year-old, one of 10 players Washington has recalled from the AHL’s Hershey Bears this season, hasn’t yet looked over his head through three games with the Caps. During his brief tenure in the NHL, Collins has displayed a knack for making crisp, tape-to-tape outlet passes and not getting caught out of position — two things inexperienced defensemen often have a hard time managing.
Such savvy is a surprise from a player who, before his recall, had a mere 28 American League games to his credit and had seen ice time in just 59 professional contests overall.
Despite that inexperience, the former Ohio State captain knows what it takes to be a solid defenseman at the game’s highest level.
“When you’re up here in the NHL and you come back to the bench you’ve got to make sure you’re on every shift,” said Collins, who skated 16 minutes, 48 seconds with just one turnover in the Capitals’ 3-1 win over Boston on Wednesday. “You can’t take a single shift off because you’ll get scored on.”
Caps forward Dave Steckel, who was a senior on the Buckeyes men’s hockey team when Collins was a freshman, is appreciative of the effort the blueliner brings to the table.
“He’s the same type of player he was then, just better,” said Steckel. “He is a solid defenseman, and he can get it up the ice if you need him to. He makes great passes out of his own zone, and you’d be shocked to catch him out of position.”
While Collins’ stay in the District may not last much longer as the Capitals injury situation improves, the young defenseman’s career has been set to an accelerated pace. Once an afterthought in a talent-rich pipeline of defensive prospects, the undrafted free-agent signee has firmly jammed his foot in the Caps’ door, proving he can handle himself at the NHL level.
“It’s great for my confidence,” said Collins. “You’re always wondering if you can play at (the NHL) level and what it’s like at (the NHL) level. It’s good to know that I can hang and play with these guys. It’s huge for my career.”
