Staff Report Cards: Joakim Nordstrom

A 6'1" department store that played for the Chicago Blackhawks

		All situations							5 on 5 on-ice							EV					5 on 5
	GP	G	A	P	TOI/60	S/60	Sh%	PenD	CF%	CF% rel	GF%	GF% rel	Sh%	Sv%	PDO	ZS%	ZS% rel	EVTOI%	PPTOI%	SHTOI%	QoC TOI%	QoT TOI%
Regular Season	16	1	2	3	11.4	8.3	3.80%	0	50.40%	-6.20%	41.70%	-12.50%	6.00%	91.60%	97.5	29.60%	-28.90%	20.10%	1.50%	27.50%	28.60%	26.60%
Playoffs	7	0	0	0	8.3	6.1	0.00%	0	36.50%	-13.40%	0.00%	-66.70%	0.00%	87.50%	87.5	34.10%	-24.20%	16.80%	0.50%	0.00%	28.60%	28.50%

The apple of Quenneville’s eye, Joakim Nordstrom caught the coach’s attention in training camp with good defensive instincts and consistent hard-nosed effort. The Swede surprised many by making the big club after camp ended, though his first stint in the show would be short lived.

Regular Season

Nordstrom’s cup of coffee in Chicago lasted 8 games before getting sent down only to return for 2 more in early December. He looked a lot like a kid that hadn’t played at the NHL level before. He can skate, but didn’t look as good on the boards as he did in the preseason. He got pushed around and despite his dogged work ethic he couldn’t overcome a lack of size and strength. His wheels, scrappiness, and contact heavy play made him a pest on the forecheck, but it wasn't enough. Still, he was able to skate a little over 10 minutes a game, had an above water Corsi, and was regularly out there with the penalty kill unit.

In Rockford, his game really fleshed out. He managed 17 goals (3rd on the squad) in 58 appearances. He filled out a bit by eating at Rockford’s favorite Mexican restaurant, and returned to the Blackhawks when Patrick Kane got hurt. He ate up some minutes while looking like a better player.

Playoffs

Nordstrom dressed for the entire Minnesota Wild series, though he had a difficult time handling the Minny forwards. The Blackhawks could never really find a match up to suit him as they tried him against Haula, Coyle, McCormick,et al.

He never made an impact and his TOI nosedived in the final three games. In the game 6 overtime clincher, he played 6:57 almost 5.5 minutes less than the next lowest Blackhawk.

Future Considerations

Nordy is going to be in the mix with a few other guys for those bottom six roles. He’s got a lot of things going for him heading into camp this year. He is definitely a Quenneville guy, he continually improved over the course of the year, he’s shown he can take a draw yet can still play a wing, and he’s cheap.

However, it’s difficult to see where he slots in. You figure Shaw-Bickell as the 3rd and Kruger-Smith patrolling the 4th leaves you two spots and a healthy scratch between Regin, Nordstrom, Morin, Mashinter (gag me), and Versteeg (if he is still in town). Is he better than any of those guys? Not likely. Still, this is a guy that Q has swooned over so anything is possible. He probably rotates in as Q searches for someone to gel with Kruger and Smith. If he can prove to be effective on the penalty kill it might go a long way into cracking the roster.