The Left Wing Lock

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Nick Jensen is one of several up and coming blueliners hoping to establish themselves during the NHL exhibition season. The former WCHA defensive player of the year isn’t mentioned as much as other prospects such as Alexey Marchenko, Ryan Sproul and Xavier Ouellet, but that is mostly due to his season being limited to 45 games after shoulder surgery.

“I feel really good,” Jensen said. “The shoulder is healthy and I can’t even tell there was an injury after the surgery and rehab. Everything is really good and I am feeling strong and healthy.”

The injury, which occurred as a result of a fight with Tyler Bertuzzi during the 2013 Development Camp, set Jensen’s transition to professional hockey back by several months. The 24 year-old eventually made his AHL debut in December playing sparingly. By the end of the season he had established himself as regular paired mostly with Ouellet or Adam Almquist. Jensen also dressed in 10 playoff games for the Griffins this spring.

“It was a good learning experience starting out,” Jensen said. “I didn’t get in [the lineup] until December, but after that it was a good experience. Coach Blashill did a good job showing me the ropes and how to be professional hockey player.”

In four seasons at St. Cloud University, Jensen produced his fair share of offense and was ranked fourth in WCHA scoring among defenseman his last two seasons with 32 and 31 points respectively. In his first professional season, the 6-foot-1, 193 defenseman was  held to just 9 points – all assists in 45 games with Grand Rapids. While offense isn’t especially critical for a defensive defenseman, the swift skating Jensen has been working to improve areas of his games that should help his offensive output this year.

“One of the things I have been told to work on is making sure I can see the ice and think the game at a fast pace,” Jensen said. “I need to play smart and control the puck more. I think having a little better vision out there along with my skating, which has always been strong, will help my offensive numbers.”

Jensen, who is slated to play tonight against the Chicago Black Hawks, is hoping to impress the Detroit brass during the preseason. The Red Wings already have seven NHL defenseman under contract, but the door is open for a younger defenseman to take a roster spot from a veteran.

“I think not only me, but all the young guys mindset here is to play in the NHL,”he said. “No one wants to be in the AHL over the NHL and that is definitely my mindset. I want to play in the NHL and I am going to do everything I can to get there.”

The Rogers, Minnesota native will not only need to outplay one of Detroit’s seven NHL defenseman, but also other prospects like Ouellet, Sproul, and Marchenko who have already seen at least one game of NHL action last year. The addition of Swedish standout Mattias Backman this season only adds to the steep competition facing Jensen.

“It’s good to see a lot of depth in the program,” Jensen said. “Having more talent obviously keeps the competition at a high level and it pushes me to give 110 percent every shift. I am just trying my hardest to be a good pro player and hopefully get a chance in Detroit one day.”