Two seasons of professional hockey can bring many learning opportunities for a young player, and Chase Stillman is ready to take a big step in his game and grow his skills to be an effective player for the Canucks’ organization.
Stillman was traded to the Vancouver Canucks on July 13th and landed in Vancouver just one day later, as he will be the best man at his brother’s wedding in Whistler. The 22-year-old forward was drafted in the first round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft by the New Jersey Devils and has now been traded twice since being selected 29th overall.
After a strong debut in the AHL, where he scored 14 goals in 54 games as a 20-year-old, last season was a difficult one for Stillman. His Utica Comets began the season with a 13-game losing streak and had a coaching change that made it difficult for Stillman to find his footing as he was starting to feel comfortable in the AHL.
Skating and keeping up with the pace have never been an issue for the sure-footed Stillman, but he did believe that the jump from junior to pro required some improvements in his quick decision-making. When he was traded to Pittsburgh and joined Wilkes-Barre, he found his confidence skyrocketed, and he was back to playing well with a fresh start.
He is now looking to grow within the Canucks’ organization, and having a relationship with both Adam Foote and Manny Malhotra gives Stillman a leg up for the beginning of his tenure with the organization.
Stillman attended summer skates with Malhotra when both were in Toronto last summer, and one of the players who helped him navigate his first two seasons of pro hockey was Adam Foote’s son, Nolan.
“I’m excited to start talking to Vancouver’s staff and management a lot more and just listen to them and hear what they have to say,” said Stillman. “They picked me up for a reason, so I want to get talking to them and honestly, ask, ‘What do I have to do? And what do you need me to do to be impactful here and play?’ That’s something I’m excited for, because whatever they ask me to do, I feel like I’m capable of doing it.”
When he is playing his best, Stillman uses his high-end skating and physicality to create havoc on a shift-by-shift basis. The forward loves to throw hits and be disruptive on forechecks. He is at his best when he is leaning on his strengths and can see his game growing more offence once he feels comfortable in his role.
“I feel like one of the key elements of my game is my skating. If I’m going to break into the league, it’s going to be as a checker. I feel like I can do it against some top lines with some extra practice. But I am confident my ability to be able to skate with anybody, to shut down the opposition and then go the opposite way and be able to produce offence as well.”
Stillman calls himself a physical player who plays hard and always finishes through on his checks. He believes playing that style elevated his game and speeds up the pace of a shift. He wants to be a water bug-style player who builds on his foundation of being an energy guy.
When he is playing to his peak, Stillman is getting a lot of puck touches below the goal line and working well in a cycle. From there, the goal is to funnel pucks to the net and create havoc in the opposition’s crease.