Jake McCabe quietly putting together a stellar start to his year
When you have rookies like Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart on your team, accompanied with anticipation for defenseman Zach Bogosian and the emergence of Ryan O'Reilly as a bonafide star, it's easy to have your hard work overlooked.
Meet Jake McCabe, a 2012 second-round draft pick who is developing quite nicely for the Buffalo Sabres.
McCabe, a former USA captain and World Junior champion and star Wisconsin Badger, has been nothing short of stellar within his first 15 games of the season. McCabe has two goals on the year already, but what is more impressive is how well he has been playing in his own zone.
The 22-year-old defenseman has been partnered primarily with Mark Pysyk, another young Sabres defenseman that is playing quite well, and Cody Franson, a late offseason signee who is proving to be worth every penny.
Now, with the apparent return of Bogosian, McCabe has found a new partner, as the two defensemen will likely work as the Sabres' second pairing. Bogosian, a 6-foot-3 powerhouse defenseman known for being responsible in his own zone, should work well with the more offensive-minded, but equally defensively responsible, McCabe.
Why has McCabe been so good? Because the offensive production was projected, but McCabe is playing much better than anticipated in his own defensive zone.
If we look at how well McCabe is playing in comparison to the rest of his fellow rookie defensemen, few stack up to how well McCabe is really playing.
There have been 12 rookie defensemen so far this season with at least 10 games played. Of those 12 defensemen, only Trevor Van Riemsdyk of the Chicago Blackhawks and Brett Pesce of the Carolina Hurricanes have been matched up against more difficult competition on a regular basis at even strength 5-v-5 than McCabe, according to War On Ice. And if we look at how many high-danger scoring chances and how many scoring chances each rookie defenseman is giving up per 60 minutes of their even strength 5-v-5 play, you quickly find a trend.
Rookie Defensemen's Amount of High-Danger Scoring Chances and Scoring Chances surrendered per 60 minutes of their even-strength 5-v-5 play (minimum 10 games)
| Player | High-Danger Scoring Chances Per 60 | Scoring Chances Per 60 |
| Jake McCabe | 7.48 | 17.71 |
| Colton Parayko | 7.58 | 22.10 |
| Brett Pesce | 7.86 | 20.73 |
| Joel Edmundson | 8.37 | 20.92 |
| Alexey Marchenko | 8.69 | 21.72 |
| Trevor Van Riemsdyk | 8.92 | 23.72 |
| Scott Harrington | 9.67 | 22.55 |
| Klas Dahlbeck | 10.05 | 26.03 |
| Ben Hutton | 10.83 | 28.79 |
| Noah Hanifin | 11.21 | 25.50 |
| Colin Miller | 11.28 | 25.00 |
| Viktor Svedberg | 11.80 | 27.28 |
McCabe is allowing the fewest scoring chances and high-danger scoring chances among his fellow rookie defensemen with at least 10 games played.
Why is that? Well, not only is he simply playing responsible defense, his head coach Dan Bylsma is certainly helping his cause by utilizing him brilliantly.
McCabe is starting in the offensive zone on 56.92 percent of his even strength 5-v-5 shift starts. That's more than every rookie defenseman on the list except for Scott Harrington of the Toronto Maple Leafs. But in relation to the rest of his team mates in Buffalo, McCabe is starting in the offensive zone 9.22 percent more than his average team mate. That's the highest among rookie defensemen with at least 10 games played.
That gives McCabe an automatic advantage in his defensive zone play. If he is starting the majority of his shifts in his offensive zone, there is less likely of a chance that high-danger scoring chances and scoring chances will be generated against him. Because, well, the puck isn't in his defensive zone at the start of the majority of his shifts.
That's okay, especially when you are grooming an offensive-minded defenseman. But how can McCabe be even better?
He could produce more offensively.
If McCabe is given these opportunities offensively, then he must score a bit more. And this is a player that is capable of chipping in occasionally offensively. In 57 games last season in the AHL with the Rochester Americans, McCabe recorded five goals and 24 assists.
But despite playing primarily in the offensive zone, McCabe has just 12 shots on goal so far this season at even strength 5-v-5. That's the fourth-lowest among rookie defensemen with at least 10 games.
That's not exactly an encouraging trend, but the important thing is that it can quite easily be fixed. He just needs to simply shoot the puck a bit more.
But what is certainly encouraging is that in the 15 game preview we've gotten from McCabe so far this season, he is performing quite well in his role. And now that he is playing with Bogosian, McCabe may be allowed to step up into the offensive zone a bit more. It's entirely likely that McCabe could progress in his overall offensive play relatively soon with this new partnership.
But one thing is for sure: The Sabres can throw McCabe's name into the mix of standout rookie players on their team.
Data from War On Ice
