2018 Player Report Card: Jamie Oleksiak

Name: Jamie Oleksiak

Position: Defenseman

Shoots: Left

Age: 25 (26 on 12/21/2018)

2017/2018 Stats: 68GP/5G/12A/17P

Career Resume:

Via hockeyDB

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As mentioned above, Jamie Oleksiak became a Pittsburgh Penguin on December 19, 2017 when he was traded from the Stars for a conditional fourth round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft. For whatever reason, Oleksiak never grew into the defenseman Dallas thought they were getting when they drafted him with the 14th pick in 2011.

This snippet below comes from Taylor Baird of Defending Big D:

Oleksiak played 140 games at the NHL level over six seasons, and in those he often failed many people’s eyeball test (the missed passes, missed positioning, mixed up coverages) and the statistics test (quite often posting the worst possession metrics of Stars players in each game). He was always on the cusp of an every day NHLer here, not doing enough to find and hold a spot in the lineup during that time (and Dallas had some U-G-L-Y ugly blueline mixes in seasons past) but never quite doing bad enough to be sent to the minors for more development.

Enter Sergei Gonchar a.k.a the Defenseman Whisperer.

Under Gonch, Oleksiak regained his confidence and it showed on the scoresheet.

Oleksiak’s contributions as a bottom-paring d-man proved to be a welcome sight for the Penguins. For a player of his stature and reputation, The Big Rig was allowed to shine in the offensive zone, even going as far as successfully joining the rush and pinching on more than one occasion.

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Season Splits And Miscellaneous Stats

From January onward (right after the trade to Pittsburgh), Oleksiak’s point totals and ice time grew as he settled in with his new club.

Oleksiak must consider Sunday as Funday when it comes to getting on the scoresheet.

All Images via Yahoo!

It’s also pretty crazy to see Oleksiak’s motor kept going on 0 and 1 day’s rest and some of his worst performances came when the team, theoretically, should be at their freshest.

Highlighting the home and road splits are becoming a common occurrence for these player report cards, but seeing how strikingly similar Oleksiak’s stats are in both circumstances is a nice sign of consistency.

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Quotes and Tweets

“He hits really hard. I don’t think he realizes how strong he is… I think for a big guy, he can skate and move the puck.” —Mike Sullivan

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Final Grades

Even Strength: B

He showed promise as the season progressed and was rewarded on the ice and in the stat sheet for his improving play. The Penguins likely see him as a solid 5/6 defenseman for the foreseeable future.

Special Teams: C

With one PPG to his name while in Pittsburgh, and given the role he's placed in, Oleksiak is never going to give you a ton of offensive firepower, but almost certainly will be relied upon in the penalty-killing department.

Durability: A

Oleksiak played in 47 games as a Penguin, but only 21 a member of the Stars, likely due in-and-out healthy scratches. With no real defensive depth behind him, Oleksiak’s presence in the lineup, even in the bottom pairing, is a welcome one for a team that seems to always be dealing with injuries on the blue line.

Playoffs: C

Oleksiak participated in his first ever NHL postseason with the Penguins and registered one point, a goal, in 12 games played. Not a whole lot to look at or dissect.

Overall Grade: B

FINAL WORD: With his contract status declaring him as a Restricted Free Agent this offseason, even with his offensive and defensive transformation, Oleksiak may be in line for a raise, but not one that would break the bank for the Penguins.

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