Tyler Seguin starting to prove he can be a true No. 1 center

Ken Hitchcock challenged Tyler Seguin.

Back in April when he was re-introduced as the Dallas Stars head coach, Hitchcock introduced a new public mandate for the center.

Seguin was going to become a true No. 1 center in the Mike Modano mold. He would still get his points, but Seguin would become a winner. He would play in all situations and lofty expectations were established for the 25-year-old center.

Seguin started to deliver on that challenge in the Stars 3-1 win against the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday.

While the game will likely be remembered for Seguin’s first career fight and Gordie Howe Hat Trick, it was arguably the most well-rounded game of his career.

Even with a five-minute break in the penalty box for fighting, Seguin had 29 shifts for 20 minutes, 49 seconds of ice time. He killed penalties, took defensive zone draws, impacted the game offensively, and looked like a player that has already embraced Hitchcock’s system.

“Well this is what a number one center has to do. The big thing for me was that he did all of those things, but he did it against the other team’s best players. We had him matched on the best players, so he played against the other team’s best players and was a plus player in the game,” Hitchcock said. “He stood up and fought. He did everything we wanted him to do and the big thing for me was that he skated with the puck. He wanted the puck in the middle of the ice and he wanted to transport it, which is the next step for a one. That’s what a one or two has to do. They have to be able to carry the puck through the middle of the ice on exits and enters and he is starting to understand that.”

Penalty killing is a new realm for Seguin and he’s embraced the added opportunity to impact the game.

“I’ve thought about it a little in the past, but not that much about penalty killing. I’ve just never really been a guy looked at to penalty kill. I always thought in the back of my mind I’d be good at it,” Seguin said. “With more time out there I feel more confident. I’ve been doing it and coach has been really good with me, with extra video and learning everything. Obviously Jamie (Benn) is a good penalty killer, and he’s out there talking to me after every shift. I’m feeling comfortable out there.”

Seguin’s teammates have taken notice.

“He’s taken a bigger role on this team. He’s playing in different situation, he’s wearing a letter, he’s being a leader now,” Benn said. “It’s fun to see, he’s going to get better as the year goes on. I think for the most part it’s been fun PKing with him so far, just trying to get better.”

While the on-ice results are somewhat easy to quantify, off the ice Seguin has also made an impact. Given the “A” as an alternate captain, Seguin has become a more vocal leader in the locker room, and younger players have started to follow his example.

“He’s more vocal, he wants to take it upon himself. He’s an incredible player when players like that improve their leadership skills, it’s way easier to follow, because his work on the ice already leads, and it always has, so the fact he’s getting more vocal now and being more of a leader off the ice, it’s great for our team. The more leaders we can have on our team the better,” Stars forward Devin Shore said. “It’s awesome to see and we’re going to need him on and off the ice as we go along here.”