Kiefer Sherwood wants to ensure Canucks’ penalty kill is a smashing success once again

A year ago at this time, the idea of Kiefer Sherwood as a National Hockey League penalty killer was merely a concept. Rick Tocchet saw the traits the feisty forward possessed – speed, grit, determination, fearlessness – and figured Sherwood might have what it takes to be successful while shorthanded. So the former head coach decided to give Sherwood a shot. 

By season’s end, the 30-year-old Columbus, OH native was seventh on the team in total shorthanded ice time and was the third most-used forward in that role behind only Pius Suter and Teddy Blueger. He was also one of four Canucks to score a shorthanded goal – the first in his NHL career. 

For Sherwood, it meant a lot of on-the-job learning and trial by fire while facing some of the top players in the league on opposing power plays. But it quickly became a role he embraced.

“I’ve learned to love it,” Sherwood said after the second day of training camp in Penticton. “ I think a lot of guys are power play guys growing up, but with my path and trying to scratch and claw, I’ve realized it’s an extension of the way I play and the identity and value I need to bring each and every night. I’ve learned to love it. Obviously, I love stirring it up a little bit, getting under guys’ skin, frustrating them and shutting them down.”

Five of the team’s top 10 forwards by shorthanded ice time from last season are no longer on the roster. So opportunity is knocking for all kinds of candidates to step up. Teddy Blueger, Drew O’Connor, and Conor Garland will all be used to kill penalties, and Sherwood hopes it’s an area he can find more ways to contribute. 

“It’s definitely part of my role and identity and that’s something that I will always cherish,” he explained. “I always want to be a PK guy. You have to help the team any way you can, but I always value the PK side of things. I want to let the top guys do their thing, so if I can free up a little time and space, hopefully our top guys can go about their business. I want to continue to grow my PK game and am definitely looking forward to working that side of things.”

Sherwood generated plenty of buzz last season by leading the National Hockey League with 462 hits. And being physical will always be part of his hockey DNA, but the penalty kill isn’t the time or place to be drawn out of position looking to finish checks. It’s far more refined and technical than that. It’s about reading opponents and reacting – and the ones that do it best have a knack for anticipating where the puck is going and figuring out a way to stay a step ahead of the power play. 

“The margins are so small and if you give a guy like Connor (McDavid) or Nate (MacKinnon) any extra half second, they’re going to make you pay,” Sherwood said.  “You only have four guys, so you have to be playing a step ahead because you’re a man short. We found a way last year to excel and we want it to be a staple for us this year.”

As a team, the Canucks finished third in the NHL, killing 82.6% of their shorthanded situations. They were even better statistically on home ice where they successfully fended off 84.5% of the times when they were down a man. By raw numbers, only Tampa Bay surrendered fewer power play goals than the Canucks last season. 

With a change behind the bench and with new faces being asked to shoulder more of the load, the Canucks will be challenged to deliver the same sort of penalty killing they did last season. But Sherwood is confident that the concepts will remain in place since Adam Foote was in charge of the PK last season. 

“The margin of error is so tight in this league, you play 82 games and you see how close it is at the end,” he said. “Special teams are such an important part of every game. If the other team has a power play, you know you have to do a job. So penalty killing is part of the equation that we need to move forward and be successful. We want to hit the ground running and that means firing on all cylinders and the PK is a big part of that. You look at regular season – and playoffs – and special teams are always going to play a big part of games and who wins. So I definitely want to continue to grow my awareness and impact on the PK.”

The Canucks have yet to work on special teams through two days of training camp, so there has been no indication of what the new coaching staff is considering when it comes to forward duos who may be deployed once the regular season begins on October 9th. And there is certainly going to be some experimentation in the preseason, which begins on Sunday in Seattle.

But when the Canucks begin playing for keeps on October 9th, bank on Kiefer Sherwood being a big part of the club’s plans on the penalty kill. He showed over the course of last season that he was a quick study on the PK and now he wants to apply that knowledge and take on a bigger role in what will surely be a key area for the hockey team. And this year he’s armed with experience that he can’t wait to apply.