With the Hockey Hall of Fame induction weekend set to kick off on Friday, you can bet a couple things will be flowing freely over the next few days in Toronto. One of them is nostalgia.
When the conversation is focused on Chris Chelios and Brendan Shanahan, no doubt people will reminisce about that 2002 Detroit team that practically requires its own wing in the Hall. Former Philadelphia Flyers coach Fred Shero was an innovator; Geraldine Heaney a trailblaizer of the women’s game. With Scott Niedermayer, talk could centre on how he, along with Chris Pronger and Francois Beauchemin, forged such a dominant blueline trio the year Anaheim won its only Cup in 2007.
Until recently, that would have been a bittersweet memory for Ducks fans. But with the emergence of three young gems on the back end, it’s easier than ever for Anaheim to move forward like a crisp outlet pass.
Cam Fowler, Hampus Lindholm and Sami Vatanen might not be anywhere near “Big 3” territory yet, but there’s a lot to like in that eclectic group.
Fowler is the best known, having cracked the NHL as a 19-year-old, racking up 40 points as a freshman in 2010–11. Drafted 12th overall the same year Niedermayer retired, the ultra-smooth American faced inevitable comparisons to the departing Ducks captain in his first couple seasons. And though his offensive production was there in year one, Fowler went a combined minus-53 over his first two seasons in the league. If he wanted to stop being compared to Niedermayer, mission accomplished.
Of course, defence is the position that typically requires the longest NHL apprenticeship and the six-foot-one Fowler is really rounding into form, playing his fourth season while still one month shy of his 22nd birthday. His plus-minus no longer looks like the temperature in Alaska and Fowler—who plays a ton in every situation and averages more ice time per game than any other player on the division-leading Ducks—is definitely in the conversation for Team USA’s Olympic Squad.
Lindholm may not yet be in the “ring” running for his Swedish club, but the 19-year-old is sure making an impression as an NHL rookie. Another in a seemingly endless line of understated, efficient D-men from his homeland, the six-foot-three Lindholm was taken sixth overall by the Ducks in 2012, one spot after the Toronto Maple Leafs nabbed Morgan Rielly. He potted his first NHL goal on Wednesday night versus the Phoenix Coyotes and while significant offensive numbers don’t figure to be his thing, smart, steady play for the next 15 years does.
If the Yank and Swede were supposed to be good, the surprise of the group is Finn Vatanen. An undersized fourth-rounder in the 2009 draft, the 22-year-old Vatanen captained his world junior squad in 2011 before jumping to the American Hockey League’s Norfolk Admirals last season. His impressive 45 points in 62 games ranked him second in team scoring and speaks to a shiftiness that immediately draws the eye. Though slowed by an upper-body injury right now, Vatanen’s vision and creativity allow him to push the play and figure to land him a ton of power-play time.
Of course, there’s a full circle element to what’s happening in Anaheim. After leaving the team as a free agent in 2009, Beauchemin returned to the Ducks thanks to a trade with Toronto in 2011 and has reverted right back to being a big contributor on a great team. He’s been paired with Lindholm for much of the season and the duo is a combined plus-26.
Niedermayer himself is also in the mix as a part-time assistant coach working in his area of expertise, defence. He’ll be speaking a lot about his own stellar career in the coming days, but if at any point he starts sounding like a proud poppa talking about the work he’s doing now with Anaheim’s next generation of D-men, just know the praise is justified.