Defensemen are playing more aggressively.
One area that Sorensen was very vocal about improving upon from the start was implementing the defensemen more in the team's offense.
Sorensen has a strong track record as of late with developing young defensemen in the AHL, and he has the opportunity to coach some of those players at the NHL level.
The Blackhawks were not finding much offense at all prior to the coaching change, but the chances have been coming much more frequently since this change to their offensive scheme.
In Sorensen's first game with the Blackhawks, the team's two goals came from defensemen being more active in the offensive zone.
and we're all tied up at 2-2😮💨 pic.twitter.com/tJI5x3Fqdl
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 18, 2024
The recent call-up of Kevin Korchinski has also been a pleasant addition to the back end, after the former seventh-overall pick spent some time with the IceHogs to start the season.
Korchinski's recent play has shown that his development in Rockford has been paying off as he looks much more poised and acclimated to professional play. The confidence that Sorensen has shown in the young defender has yielded strong results at both ends of the ice.
Alex Vlasic has also continued to emerge as the team's top defender under Sorensen. The 23-year old has been becoming much more of a two-way threat as he already tied his point totals from last season.
Vlasic's 16 points in 32 games currently ties his total from last season, which he totaled in 76 games.