It's been a good year for the former Notre Dame captain.
With so much transition on the Columbus Blue Jackets blue line, defenseman Andrew Peeke has had the opportunity to carve out a bigger role in a career season.
The 2021-22 campaign has seen the 23-year-old set career highs in games played (43), assists (9), points (10), and even penalty minutes, which Peeke leads the team (30 PIM).
Cheer, cheer for old Notre Dame,Wake up the echoes cheering her name,Send a volley cheer on high,Shake down the thunder from the sky.What though the odds be great or smallOld Notre Dame will win over all,While her loyal sons are marchingOnward to victory. https://t.co/xk08E3jXZ8
— Notre Dame Hockey (@NDHockey) January 23, 2022
Peeke even led all players in last Sunday's game between the Blue Jackets and Montreal Canadiens with 27:57 ice time. A category you're accustomed to seeing Zach Werenski, though he wasn't close behind (25:30).
Guess who led #CBJ in ice time last night in Montreal?
— Mark Scheig (@markscheig) January 31, 2022
Bet you said Zach Werenski. Good guess. But wrong.
It was Andrew Peeke. He played a career-high 27:57. Part of reason was Jake Bean's injury and #CBJ playing 5D. But what a rise for Peeke here.
Speaking of PIMs and physicality, Peake hasn't been afraid to throw the body around, leading the team with 81 blocks and is second with 106 hits.
Andrew Peeke with a big block in a 4-2 game with under 4:00 left. He is willing to die for our sins and that must be appreciated. #CBJ
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) January 22, 2022
Before this season, how much fighting experience did Peeke have, and what was that experience like to engage with willing combatants?
"This season was my first one," Peeke said. "Kind of like anything, practice makes perfect. The way I play the game, it's going to be inevitable that it happens at some points. Just learn from each one and keep going."
When chatting with former NHL enforcer, and current Bally Sports color analyst, Jody Shelley a few years ago, I wanted to get his thoughts on what it's like to embrace the role of the enforcer, welcoming the realm of fighting on a nightly basis, and ultimately embracing that as his path into the NHL.
Peeke echoed a similar sentiment, expressing how the physical element can add a layer to his overall game.
"In general, I think it helps my game grow as an individual, and obviously, when you can add an edge or physical element in your game, it's important in this type of game," Peeke said. "It's a physical game, to begin with.
I think it helps me excel on the ice and I realize that there's an opportunity there for a player like that so I try to make the most of it and add that element to my game."
It's not all about fighting. It's about the physical edge and brand of hockey the Blue Jackets want to reflect within their game, and Peeke is doing that this season.
Below is Aaron Portzline's assessment from The Athletic (Blue Jackets’ second-quarter report card: Lower grades, and not a pretty picture for most players).
Andrew Peeke: B+
We keep coming back to this: Peeke was deemed unable to crack the Blue Jackets’ lineup last season, so he barely had any development as a young blue-liner. Now, he’s one of the bright stories on the club, a budding, physical defenseman who keeps taking more on his plate without issue. The real revelation has come recently, when Peeke moved up beside Werenski on the top pair and looked more than comfortable. He may never be a big offensive contributor, but he’ll bring shut-down size to the mix.
Telling stat: Peeke leads the Blue Jackets with 80 blocked shots and is tied (with Seth Jones) for 18th in the NHL. He’s also second on the club with 102 hits, good for 30th in the NHL.
First-quarter grade: B-
It is important to consider players like Peeke, and someone like Alexandre Texier as we've covered before, who have been able to flourish and become mainstays in the lineup this year after perhaps coming in with uncertainty as to whether they can stick.
And what that can mean for other players who fans might be quick to trade in their social media trade deadline proposals.
For all the talk about the Blue Jackets and their rebuild, where would this team be without Peeke who's earned an opportunity (Blue Jackets' defensive combos this season per Natural Stat Trick) to help out on the first defensive pairing alongside Werenski?
The charts and numbers below from Evolving-Hockey help illustrate Peeke's defensive presence this season. He might not be confused for an offensive defenseman, but the blue indicates his defensive value on the ice.
We knew the Blue Jackets' defensive corps would look different (more on the defensive musical chairs inside) with the departure of Seth Jones before the season, additions such as Adam Boqvist and Jake Bean, and other players stepping into new and increased roles.
It's been a little choppy here and there, and there's lots of good talent on the back end, but it's all the more a welcome sight seeing Peeke blossom in his first full NHL season, who is in the middle of his two-year $1.575 million deal signed before the season.
