Scott Powers, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Rundblad finding comfort level with Hawks

CHICAGO -- David Rundblad believed in himself as an NHL defenseman. Chicago Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman had faith in Rundblad, too.

Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville needed to see some proof.

Rundblad has started giving Quenneville just that in the past week, skating well enough for Quenneville to play him in three consecutive games for the first time since the Blackhawks acquired him last season. Runbdblad had a season-high 14:51 of ice time in their last game.

“I liked his progress,” Quenneville said after practice on Saturday. “I think with the puck he’s making good decisions with it. I think his gap’s been better. I think positionally he’s been good. He’s been aware. That pair [with Trevor van Riemsdyk] has been really steady for us. I think he’s progressed.”

Bowman had been attracted by Rundblad’s skill set for a while before he was able to convince the Arizona Coyotes to deal him for a second-round pick last season. Bowman and Quenneville said in the offseason the 24-year-old Rundblad would get more of an opportunity after just playing in five games for the Blackhawks last season.

“One thing we talked about with David, we’ve been asked about this before, I think he came into a tough situation a year ago,” Bowman said on a recent Blackhawks’ podcast. “It was a new team, a new system, a new style of play. I remember saying at the time we need to be patient with him and give him a chance to experience a training camp, start fresh with everyone, really understand what it is the coaches want from him.

“As a coach, you certainly want the player to be someone who you can trust to play defense. So, there was learning how we play. Every team's style is a little bit different. He’s still learning the way. He’s hasn’t played a lot of hockey in the last couple seasons. I think for him and the coaches, it’s just try to get some confidence and some comfort. At that point, you can see the talent come through.”

Rundblad struggled to show that through the first month of the season because he was playing sparingly. He played fewer than nine minutes in each of the first four games and was also often rotating with Michal Rozsival.

That began to change for Rundblad against the Winnipeg Jets on Nov. 2. He was more confident with the puck and began feeling more comfortable on the ice. Quenneville rewarded him with 13:52 of ice time.

Rundblad has since built off that. He had his first two assists of the season against the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday. He played nearly 15 minutes against the Washington Capitals on Friday. He’s been a plus-31 Corsi over the last three games.

“I don’t know if I was waiting for it,” said Rundblad, a 2009 first-round draft pick of the St. Louis Blues. “It’s more that I had to play a good game to keep playing. I think that’s what I did. It’s a lot of fun to be out there.

“Just being more comfortable on the ice too. I feel like I can handle everything on the ice and makes me more confident. I can be up there in the offense, too, and get some more shots and everything. Of course, I think that has a lot to do with my confidence.”

Rundblad’s approach was to control what he could. He had to fight not worrying about how many minutes he would get or whether he would even play. He was a healthy scratch for seven games before his current on-ice streak.

“Of course, it’s tough to not know,” Rundblad said. “It is what it is. As I said before, there’s not much I can do about it. I just got to go out there and play my best every game, every time I get a chance to play.

“I don’t know [if Quenneville is more confident in me.] I hope so. I’ve been playing a little bit more. .. It’s a good feeling. It makes me more confident. It makes everything a little bit easier on the ice if you get to play more and more consistent. It’s a good feeling.”

Bowman never had a doubt Rundblad would eventually begin to shine.

“The talent is evident,” Bowman said. “He’s a gifted player. He’s got great offensive instincts. He can make plays. He can handle the puck, pass the puck. He can score goals and set up plays. That’s never been a question. It’s just finding that part of that of his game and allowing it to come out.”

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