Nassen’s getting offensive

By Ryan McCracken on January 25, 2019.

rmccracken@medicinehatnews.com @MHNMcCracken

Linus Nassen is heating up.

The 20-year-old Medicine Hat Tigers defenceman has added a bit more offensive flair to his game in recent weeks will carry a career-high five-game point-streak into tonight’s contest against the Red Deer Rebels at the Enmax Centrium. While Nassen says he doesn’t pay too much attention to the statistics, it’s still nice to know his offensive mentality is paying off.

“Honestly I haven’t thought about it, but it’s always nice to get the points going,” said Nassen. “I’m trying to be a two-way defenceman this year. I’m trying to take Dave (Quenneville’s) role, kind of, not really. We need one defenceman trying to take that role and I think I’m doing pretty good so far.”

With five goals and 30 assists in 41 games this season, Nassen has already exceeded his production from last year while flipping a minus-11 rating into a plus-10. But the 6-foot, 180-pound blueliner is far more concerned about his team’s ailing power play —which has gone 0-for-14 over the past four games — than his own production.

“I think if we just get our power play going here — that’s important for the upcoming games this weekend, Red Deer is good team and Moose Jaw too,” said Nassen, a third-round Florida Panthers draft pick. “We’ve just got to get back on track there and hopefully we’ll be really good.”

The Tigers have been using a seven-defenceman approach in recent weeks, which assistant coach Ryan Smith says has taken some of the load off Nassen while allowing him to focus a bit more on the offensive side of his game.

“I think it’s a strength for us right now. We’ve got seven guys back there who dress every night and they’ve all got different roles. Linus is obviously an offensive guy. He’s gifted, he sees the ice well and he’s a smooth skater, so when we can get the puck in his hands in opportune times — power play, breakouts — he’s going to make good plays and good decisions,” said Smith. “It’s allowed other guys to play other roles, kill some penalties and take some minutes off him. I think spreading the minutes out among those seven has helped all seven of them, and in particular Linus has shown some offensive spark by having some extra energy for the minutes he’s not playing on the PK.”

Nassen has consistently been paired up with 18-year-old Cole Clayton for the past two months and the duo seem to be generating some significant chemistry on the back end — particularly in the offensive zone.

“He’s a tough D-man. He can play in both ends. I like the way he’s playing in the offensive zone,” said Nassen. “We’re trying to find each other, trying to play the puck between each other and I like that kind of hockey. It opens up spots and it opens up ice in the O-zone. I think we’ve been playing really good together so far.”

Nassen added his recent surge, along with his team’s three-game winning streak, have been made even more thrilling due to the staggeringly close Central Division standings.

Just two points separate the Edmonton Oil Kings, Red Deer Rebels, Lethbridge Hurricanes and Tigers approaching the final 20 games of the season, making every divisional matchup — like tonight’s tilt in Red Deer — a must-win game.

“It’s so much fun. That’s the most fun part of the whole year, playing when you know you need the points and you know the opponents need the points too,” said Nassen. “It’s good games every game. Every team is working hard and every team is trying.”

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