Aaron Ekblad tries to find rookie consistency as a sophomore

LOS ANGELES – Willie Mitchell has kicked Aaron Ekblad out of his home.

The veteran defenseman no longer saw a need to house the 19-year-old second-year pro for another season. The teachings of the 38-year-old blueliner stuck – to the point where Ekblad could live on his own without Mitchell, guiding him through NHL life.

This is probably because early in his career it became apparent Ekblad plays, talks and looks well above his years.

“I feel mature. I feel anxious and excited to get on the ice every day. I feel confident in myself,” Ekblad said.

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Despite the fact that Ekblad came into the NHL as a near finished product – and had tremendous success as a rookie – he faces his toughest challenge this year.

There are no more helping hands with him. There’s less guidance for him on his game. He needs to learn about life in the NHL on his own – not through the eyes of a veteran. And he also must live up to large expectations he created with a near flawless rookie season.

“He’s tough on himself and expects a lot out of himself, more than anything you don’t want to get on that guy too much,” Mitchell said. “You want to let him put his own pressure on himself and figure that out in the second year … maybe talk about don’t try too much, just settle in and do your own thing.”

That’s hard when you’ve already been anointed one of the next great Canadian defensemen. The Panthers took a calculated risk when they drafted Ekblad with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 Draft. He was the second-rated North American prospect according to Central Scouting Bureau and top-rated by Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News, but it was one year after Seth Jones dropped from the likely No. 1 pick to No. 4 with the Nashville Predators.

The belief was that defensemen take longer to develop and are less valuable for their teams than a star scoring winger or elite center. The last blueliner to win the Hart Trophy was Chris Pronger in 2000.

Still, the Panthers went with Ekblad who turned into a consistent force for them during the entire 2014-15 season.

He averaged 21:49 of ice-time per-game and had 39 points in 81 games played. He was two points shy of tying Bobby Orr for most by an 18-year-old defenseman and won the Calder Trophy as the NHL's top rookie.

Ekblad isn’t a flashy talent. He uses his tools to try to play the same way every night.

“It’s all about being reliable and giving your team a chance to win every night,” Ekblad said. “It’s not about making unbelievable highlight-reel plays every night. It’s about being good enough to give your team a chance to win and not being a liability. You want to go out every night and make the right plays and make simple plays and plays that aren’t a liability.”

This season, Ekblad has given up some of the flare in his game to work on his defense. The offense hasn’t been there with three points in his first 14 games and he’s playing more than two minutes less per-game, which he says isn’t a major deal. He thinks he and partner Brian Campbell have improved in their own end.

“Things have just been a little bit slower in the sense of scoring goals and getting points and things like that, but I feel like my defensive game has come a long way,” Ekblad said. “Me and Soup as a pairing have gotten better defensively as a pairing – I think. Our offense is a little slow right now, but hopefully it’ll come along at some point.”

Those who know Ekblad understand the weight of the entire team can’t be heaped on his shoulders. Even though he looks old, he’s still the equivalent age of a college sophomore.

“A 19-year-old is not going to lead your team," Mitchell said.

Also, his numbers are somewhat indicative of the slumping Panthers. Without Florida’s seven-goal outburst in their first game of the season, the Panthers would be averaging 2.31 goals per-game.

“I think he’s the same player,” Mitchell said. “I think he hasn’t been as flashy, so to speak, on offensive side but that’s a product of our team not a product of him. We haven’t scored a lot of goals.”

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Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @joshuacooper

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