Now settled in Dallas, Jani Hakanpää is hitting his stride

FRISCO, Texas --Much like the Stars, Jani Hakanpää is taking his game to the next level. The 6-foot-6, 220-pound defenseman won't dazzle you with an end-to-end rush or toe drag on an opposing player (not yet at least), but he's earned the trust of the coaching staff to play hard, heavy minutes on the penalty kill.

The task doesn't always make the highlight reel, but it's an integral part of the team's overall success. Hakanpää anchors the top PK unit and averages the second-most shorthanded minutes per game (2:02) among Stars defensemen (Esa Lindell leads with 2:51 SH TOI/GP).

It's all part of the process for the big Finn, who admits it took a little while to get acclimated to his new teammates and surroundings.\

"At the start, it took time to get used to everything," Hakanpää said after a recent practice. "Even though you want to get off to a good start right off the bat, it just takes a little time. Right now, I'm at a stage where I can just go out there and play the game. I don't have to think too much. Just go out and play. That helps a lot. It's always huge when you can read and react, and just trust your instincts."

Coach Rick Bowness compares him to a former Stars blueliner with imposing size.

"He's Big Rig on the right side," Bowness said. "That's what he is. He's like Jamie Oleksiak. He's big, physical and covers a lot of ground. He's really improved his play since Day 1. We didn't know much about him, honestly, when we got him. Then he missed training camp after playing just one game. He's gotten better every game. Now he's a huge part of our penalty kill. He's on our first unit. We trust him against anybody out there. He's really improved an awful lot in the couple of months since we've seen him."

He stepped in to play alongside Ryan Suter in Thursday's game against Columbus when John Klingberg was out with an illness. In Klingberg's absence, Hakanpää skated in a season-high 20:33 TOI and recorded his first-career multi-point performance in the NHL (two assists).

"It was good," Suter said of playing with Hakanpää. "He's a great skater. He's a big, strong guy. Great guy. He's always in a good mood and he works hard. He's just a lot of fun to be around."

It's true. Though Hakanpää has a piercing gaze when locked in, he also has one of the biggest smiles on the team. He could be a freight train one second and a gentle giant the next.

Hakanpaa says it's important for the team to stay focused on the task at hand, but it's equally important to see the bigger picture.
"We've just got to keep pushing here," he said. "That's all it is. We all realize we have to work hard and work together every day. We have to keep doing that. Just try to keep pushing each other to get better. That's the biggest key.
"At the same time, you have to always remember to have fun. You see guys working hard out there, so you give them a little tap and a little smile, and that gets everybody going."
He's developed a close friendship with the fellow Finns on the team, which includes Lindell, Miro Heiskanen, Roope Hintz and Joel Kiviranta. You'll be hard-pressed to find them separated for very long. They even live in the same complex.
"We're in Uptown," he said. "Close to the arena. Most of the Finns live in the same building. It was an easy choice. It's nice when we're on the road because my wife has helping hands with the little one."
The Finns also make it a point to look out for one another.
"It's nice to have so many here," Hakanpaa said. "It's a really tight group. Just getting to know them throughout my time here, it's been great. It's one of those things where if you're having a bad day, or if one of us is having a bad day, the other ones are trying to cheer him up. Just trying to support each other out here and making sure everybody is having a good time. That's the biggest positive out of it. Been really fun."
The 20-game mark seems to be a good barometer on where a team is at, and the Stars find themselves with a 12-7-2 record. They're riding a six-game winning streak, have won eight of their past nine overall and seven in a row on home ice.
For Hakanpaa and the Stars, maybe a little bit of time is all they needed.
"It's been pretty good," he said of his time in Dallas. "All of it. It always takes a little bit of time with new surroundings and new teammates. It's been pretty good here. We've been having a lot of fun. The family likes it here. I like it here. It's a great group of guys."
Don't miss your chance to see the Stars conclude their homestand on Monday against the Arizona Coyotes at 7:30 p.m. Get your tickets now!
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Kyle Shohara is the Digital Manager for DallasStars.com and writes about the Stars/NHL. Follow him on Twitter @kyleshohara.