Defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson has always been thought of a defensive-minded blue liner, but he has become more of a two-way threat this season.
The transformation might not be noticeable in his stat line as his total of 10 points in 44 games is not drastically different from the pace he set in past seasons, but he has been joining the rush more extensively and has generating more scoring chances. "The way I've played so far this season is my best hockey since I got here," said Hjalmarsson. "I'm more comfortable with the puck and making more plays," he said. "There's not much difference in the D-zone - I've been pretty solid in there the past couple of years - but I've been trying to do more things in the neutral zone and the offensive zone. Even though I don't put up big numbers, I've been trying to be more offensive."

A late goal by Anaheim defenseman Sheldon Souray gave the Chicago Blackhawks a 2-1 loss and a great deal of frustration Friday night.
"We didn't play good defense at all," Chicago defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson said. "I don't think we got pucks deep the way we wanted. And a little too many odd-man rushes. The way we played defense wasn't good enough." The Hawks fell to 25-5-3 on the season and 0-2-1 against the Ducks.

Niklas Hjalmarsson is leading the Chicago Blackhawks with 49 blocked shots.
The Hawks have three players in the top 21 in blocked shots in the NHL as Hjalmarsson is tied for fourth while Brent Seabrook is tied for eighth, one behind Hjalmarsson and Johnny Oduya is tied for 21st with 38. The play of the defense has been a major reason why Chicago is unbeaten in 19 straight regulation games and blocked shots by the blueliners really have helped the Blackhawks keep the shots on goal to a minimum.

The Chicago Blackhawks are second in the NHL at killing penalties.
The Blackhawks were terrible last season on the penalty kill as they were 27th, but the turnaround this season has been amazing as they have given up only one goal in 23 chances. Niklas Hjalmarsson leads the team in shorthanded minutes at 20:17 in six games. The special team is a big reason the Blackhawks are 6-0 in the early going.