MAITLAND, FLA – Back in the day, hockey defensemen were expected to do two things: slam bodies around and prevent goals. That was until Bobby Orr and Paul Coffey came along and changed the game to where blueliners were expected to put up points.
Orlando defenseman Eric Baier (File photo courtesy of F. Medina & G. Bassing/Orlando Solar Bears)
The evolution of the position goes well beyond the stars of the NHL. In fact, the Orlando Solar Bears just happen to have one of the ECHL’s top scoring defensemen on their roster – Eric Baier.
“To me, he’s what I would call the modern day defenseman. I think the days of the 6’4″ defenseman who cross checks you and doesn’t move very well – I think that is dead at least in my style of game,” Solar Bears head coach Anthony Noreen said following a recent practice. “I saw a guy who we could get production out of, who would fit our system perfectly. I think if you watch our team right now, there’s no doubt that when Eric is on the ice, we’re a different team. We’re the type of team we want to be.”
Heading into this weekend’s home games against the Atlanta Gladiators, Baier sits atop the list of top scoring defenders. His five goals, fourteen assists and nineteen points have him one point ahead of Reading’s Adam Comrie and four points up on a couple of others.
The phenomenal statistics do not stop there. He is among the top three in the league in short-handed goals scored (2), power play points (8), assists (14) and plus/minus rating (plus-16). His plus-7 during the month of October earned Baier co-player of the month in that category.
On a personal level, Baier’s 19 points are just two away from his total from last season – 21 points garnered in 54 games played. His professional career high of 22 points, set in 2013-2014 in 56 games, is also within reach this weekend and Christmas is still three weeks away.
So why has Baier become a prolific scorer this season? According to the man himself, a number of factors have converged all at once, bringing out the offensive star he always knew was inside him.
“From the start of my career, I’ve kind of been waiting in the weeds for this kind of opportunity. From getting the ice time I’ve been getting, the power play opportunities which I haven’t really had consistently anyway. That’s a big part of it,” Baier said. “The biggest thing to me is – and it is going to sound cliche – giving credit to the other guys. It’s what they’re doing with the puck after we make a play. Whatever the pass is, wherever it happens to come off my stick. It’s what they do after that, whatever positioning we can get into for that opportunity to score. We’ve just been making some good plays and it ends up in the back of the other team’s net.”
A third – and maybe the key – factor according to both Baier and Noreen is the systems that the Solar Bears use. Based on the systems being utilized by the Toronto Maple Leafs (Orlando’s NHL affiliate), Noreen has included instructions for the defensemen to step up into the play whenever the opportunity presents itself.
Photo courtesy of F. Medina & G. Bassing/Orlando Solar Bears
“Our systems definitely play into my strength offensively where we are up in the play. That’s kind of our first thought – closing down the space between us and the opponent and jumping in on those offensive opportunities,” Baier said. “Taking advantage of that is big. Maybe a couple of years ago, even if it is five-on-five, the rookie nerves kind of thing have gone away and I’ve been able to settle the game down a lot for myself in my own head. Having those systems in place plays well to my skating strengths and my play-making ability.”
From the first time Noreen met Baier, he knew that the systems he was bringing in would be to his star defenseman’s liking.
“I think the biggest thing has been Eric’s buy-in [to the systems]. When I was explaining our system to him over the summer, he had an ear-to-ear smile on his face because I said listen you’re going to go, if it’s a penalty kill I want you up, if it’s five-on-five I want you up there,” Noreen said. “The way I like to describe it to our defensemen is you want your forwards to come back and backcheck and help you out defensively [so] you better get up the ice and help them out offensively when they need your help. For Eric, I think he’s kind of taken it and run with it.”
Even with his new found offensive prowess, Baier said that he always thinks first and foremost about doing his job in the defensive end of the ice. Keeping the proper balance between the two ends of the ice, he said, comes with experience and learning how the pro game is played.
“I feel like there’s a big difference no matter where you come from, be it college or juniors, there’s a big change of game play, of game style, how the game is played overall,” he said. “For me having played at the American League (AHL) level and in the ECHL for a number of years, being able to have that experience and kind of knowing the exact feel of plays that are going on – understanding them almost before they happen – in my mind I’m always defensive first. When I take care of the defensive zone, I know that I’m going to get offensive opportunities. In a way they play off of each other where I know that as long as I take care of our defensive end and don’t get scored on, [if I] play it the right way I’ll be able to take advantage of playing offensively.”
True to his unassuming – and defensive-minded – nature, Baier said he had never given much thought to how far he could take his scoring talents. He said that there are more important goals that he wants to achieve with points being a result of hitting those marks.
“For me, it’s just playing consistently. It’s been a big thing for me this year and over the last however many years, is just finding a way to play as consistent as possible,” Baier said. “Whatever situation I get into, whatever role the team wants me to,play in, I want to play as consistent as I can in that role. Nothing changes for me as we go forward. If I don’t get points, whatever happens, if I go minus, it doesn’t matter as long as we win. That’s the first thing in the back of my head. Me getting those points is just a part of our team trying to win.”
Contact the author at don.money@prohockeynews.com
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