Why Olli Maatta Is the Best Rookie Defenseman in the NHL

March 18th, 2014 by Franklin Steele Leave a reply »

Aside from goaltender, defenseman is the most nuanced position at the NHL level. That's not to say jumping into a No. 1 center role is a cakewalk, but your mistakes are generally amplified when you're doing a majority of your work in the defensive zone.

That's why this season's crop of rookie defensemen is so impressive. From Jacob Trouba of the Winnipeg Jets to Nashville Predators mainstay Seth Jones, the league has seen a surge of strong yet youthful defenders jump in and become impact players.

While the hypothetical race to be the best young blueliner is tight, no first-year defenseman has been more impressive than Olli Maatta.



The 22nd player taken in the 2012 draft, the Pittsburgh Penguins rookie didn't come into the season with as much hype as players like Torey Krug or even Hampus Lindholm. Maatta wasn't expected to make the team out of training camp.

The top two pairings were squared away, and the competition among Pittsburgh's young defensemen was tight. Simon Despres and Derrick Pouliot had the inside track to make the jump to the NHL, while Maatta was in camp for the experience.


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