The Ironmen, defenders deliver heavy hits, transition plays up ice, and play a pivotal role in special teams. Some are stay-at-home, defence-minded specialists, others create chances and see their names on the scorecards. Regardless, a solid D-man is crucial to any successful club.
Here's our picks of the Top 3 Defencemen of the 2022/23 Group Stage.
Mikko Lehtonen - ZSC Lions Zurich
The Finnish defenceman has been a rock for Swiss side ZSC Lions Zurich through the first stage of the competition, compiling one goal and six assists to go along with a +/- of 10. Mikko Lehtonen has been deployed in all situations and has logged heavy minutes because of it – out of six contests, the Finn led in TOI in three of them, and secured second in two others. Overall, his average TOI of 22:56 is good enough for ninth place league wide.
This is Lehtonen’s third CHL campaign and could be his most productive. In his last stint in 2017/18, the 182 cm, 89 kg blueliner recorded two goals and five assists through eight games. Among defencemen, the Finn is tied for second in assists with six, and his seven points are tied for third with Mountfield HK’s Jérémie Blain.
So far through six games, Lentonen’s point total paces all Zurich players and his six helpers lead the club in that category.
Niklas Hansson - EV Zug
27-year-old Niklas Hansson of EV Zug is considered to be an offensively skilled defenceman with very good hockey sense. After accruing two goals and six assists, his offensive upside is not in question. In fact, his all-around game has been a huge boon for the Swiss club that ended the Group Stage at the top of Group B, one point shy of a flawless 18.
Hansson is currently tied for first in points by a defenceman with Rögle Ängelholm’s William Wallinder, with his six assists placing him second among blueliners, and sixth league wide.
The Swedish D-man was dynamite against TPS Turku, notching two goals and two assists through two contests, but his best performance surfaced in Zug's game against Grizzlys Wolfsburg on Game Day 1 where Hansson assisted on four of Zug’s five goals.
Over the course of four CHL seasons, the Swede has suited up for 24 contests and has compiled three tallies and 18 helpers for 21 points.
Jérémie Blain - Mountfield HK
Standing at 190 cm, Mountfield HK’s Jérémie Blain is one of the taller defencemen in the league and uses his body to take away lanes and angles in the offensive zone. His +/- of 7 is ranked fifth among blueliners and is a good representation of his solid defensive instincts. Despite his size, however, the Canadian prefers to handle the puck rather than the body and is producing at a rate of 1.40 points per game, second behind Hansson’s 1.60.
Scoring-wise, Blain’s four tucks are first at the position and tie him for twelfth league-wide, among the likes of forwards including Sparta Prague’s leading scorer Michal Řepík and Wolfsburg’s Darren Archibald. The 30-year-old currently leads all Mountfield defencemen with seven points (4G, 3A) in five games played and is second in team scoring behind Kevin Klíma in his CHL debut.
In their Game Day 5 match-up against Eisbären Berlin, Blain had a career night, leading in four of six categories including points (3), goals (2), shots (6), and plus/minus (+3).
Don't forget to tune in later this week to find out who made our final Top 3 list and ultimately who made our Team of the Group Stage!