Photo Courtesy: Emma Robertson
By: M.J. Baird
Oct. 7 2016, Quinnipiac men’s ice hockey sophomore Luke Shiplo was listed as a forward on the line chart for Quinnipiac’s game against Northeastern. It was the first time in his career as a Bobcat that Shiplo, a natural defenseman, would play forward.
“It was a little difficult,” Shiplo said. “I’ve never really played (forward) before. I like it so far, and it’s been fun.”
Typically, a hockey player remains with only one position once he or she reaches a certain skill level and age. The reason? Improvement requires dedication to the position in order to be successful at it.
Shiplo was recruited to play Division I hockey as a defenseman. However, after appearing in only 13 games and recording six points in his freshman campaign, head coach Rand Pecknold and the rest of the Quinnipiac coaching staff had other plans.
“We have eight legit defensemen. We are really deep (on defense) and we want Luke running the power play,” Pecknold said. “We are thin at forward, and sometimes you just have to get your best players on the ice.”
In order to ensure the Ontario native a spot in the lineup, the transition to forward was a necessity. Although some may protest about changing positions so drastically, Shiplo has taken it with ease.
“He hasn’t said a word about whether he wants to play forward or defense or anything,” associate head coach Bill Riga said. “He just does what we ask him to do and he works hard every day.”
Facilitating the man advantage is no small task, especially for the national runner-ups, who converted on 27.49 percent of its power plays just a season ago. Shiplo, however, returns to a defenseman while the Bobcats skate on the power play. Riga says he has the upmost confidence in Shiplo while skating a man up.
“He does a good job of throwing some false information at people,” Riga said, “He can fake shots, and look other ways then dish pucks off which can mislead defenders.”
And that is just what Shiplo did in the Dartmouth-Harvard weekend series when he picked up his first goal of the season for the Bobcats. A slight hesitation and head fake sent a Harvard skater to his knees while Shiplo calmly skated into the slot and fired the puck past the Crimson goaltender, notching the eventual game-winning goal.
Alternating between learning a new forward position yet having to remain on the blue line with the man advantage sounds demanding. Mastering two entirely different skills well enough to perform at the division one level is challenging. But Shiplo says that the transition isn’t too difficult.
“The power play is kind of like its own little section so it’s not bad,” Shiplo said. “Going back and forth is getting easier because I’m doing it more.”
However, it’s well known that the power play is not the only aspect of hockey, and in order to get time on ice, players need to be versatile. It’s not easy to be flexible after only a couple weeks at a new position, but Riga thinks Shiplo is taking strides in the right direction.
“It’s a process,” Riga said. “It is almost like learning a whole new life. Our forwards and (defense) have very different responsibilities.”
Although many aspects of hockey are similar no matter what position, there are still technical differences. From winger to center, and more generally forward to defense, the players roles vary.
“Getting pucks out (of the zone) along the wall is one of the things I’ve been working on,” Shiplo said.
As much as Shiplo can work on improvements himself, coaches are coaches for a reason. Collectively, the staff helps Shiplo adjust to the new role so that he can be as effective as possible in the forward position.
“We do take a little time to sit down with him and go over some details that are a little different from offense to defense, Riga said. “He has been responsible (in the role).”
Shiplo went from not dressing on a regular basis to seeing an almost-regular shift count every game. He went from sitting back on the blue line trying to keep pucks out of the Quinnipiac net, to fore-checking and cycling offensively in an attempt to score goals.
Working in tight spaces below the goal line and being heavily involved offensively is the role Shiplo can expect moving forward, a work in progress.
“Seeing the ice in a different perspective is big,” Shiplo said. “As a d-man you see the whole ice, but as a forward guys are always on you, so it’s more limited.”
Although Shiplo is in an atypical role now as only a sophomore, Riga sees him as a prominent figure on the power play in years to come.
“As a junior and a senior I think he is going to be on (on the power play) all the time,” Riga said.
Sometimes all it takes is consistent playing time for someone to break out with talent. Shiplo has already appeared in 11 games this season, two shy of the number he appeared in all of last season combined. At the rate he is going, Shiplo is on track to be an every-day fourth line forward for the Quinnipiac Bobcats.
