Jokiharju quickly earned trust of Sabres' coaching staff

Henri Jokiharju laid out a lofty objective upon being acquired by the Buffalo Sabres last July.

"I hope that I can play a whole season next year in Buffalo," the 20-year-old defenseman said in his introductory conference call with the Buffalo media.

In that sense, Jokiharju's first season with the Sabres was a mission accomplished. He appeared in all 69 games despite the team's crowded defense corps. No other defenseman under age 21 accomplished that feat this season (Vancouver's Quinn Hughes missed one game).

"Of course, I was happy that I was able and had a chance to play every game," Jokiharju said. "That was kind of one of my goals and I think that was big for me so I could play every game and gain trust that the coach could put me out there."

It's true that Jokiharju quickly earned the trust of coach Ralph Krueger and his staff. By mid-October, he was encouraged by Sabres brass to look for places to live in Buffalo. In December, he was trusted to take the ice for defensive-zone draws in the final seconds of consecutive one-goal victories over St. Louis and Nashville.

The latter situation saw Jokiharju make an aggressive play to poke the puck away from Predators forward Matt Duchene and clear it from the zone, effectively ending the game.

"He's just somebody, with the puck, who's managing it as well as anybody I've seen and that's one of the reasons his defensive game is responsible and passionate," Krueger said the following day. "I've said it before, I'll say it again, everybody in the Sabres family needs to be really excited about Henri's future."

All this speaks to a poise in Jokiharju's game that not only plays into his own success, but benefits those who play alongside him. Marco Scandella was among the first to laud Jokiharju's confident on-ice play when the two were paired together to start the season. Jake McCabe played with Jokiharju in the latter part of the year and felt an improvement in his own game.

"To be honest, he really elevated my play once we started," McCabe said. "… I thought we developed a pretty good chemistry and I thought that was my best stretch of the season. I can attribute that to him because of how steady he is and how good of a puck mover he is and how sound defensively."

Smooth breakouts are one facet of being a good defense partner, but Jokiharju said he also strives to use communication as an asset in his own zone.

"I like to talk all the time," he said. "On the ice, off the ice. Just try to figure out with my partner, whoever it is, how we can do things better. When I understand how he sees the game, then I start thinking about how I'm seeing the game.

"Just try and make the game easy because defense partners are a big part of the team. So, I feel it's so much easier when you talk with your partner and try and be open."

The presence of Jokiharju and fellow 20-year-old Rasmus Dahlin has veterans like McCabe excited about the future of the Buffalo defense corps. On paper, it's a talented young group with plenty of room to grow.

It's a responsibility Jokiharju does not take lightly heading into the long offseason.

"I feel it looks really good, but obviously only the time will show," he said. "I think all the young guys need to take big steps for the next couple years so we can bring the team back. I'll say it looks really good right now, obviously, at this moment. We're still young guys, but we need to take big steps."