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Why Zach Whitecloud’s Play Is the Golden Knights’ Silver Lining

With a deep roster, a wealth of playoff experience and the addition of a legitimate top-line center in Jack Eichel, expectations for the Vegas Golden Knights were sky-high ahead of the 2021-22 postseason.

But things haven’t gone according to plan. Only 10 games remain on the schedule, and the 39-29-4 Golden Knights…aren’t even in a wild-card position. There are plenty of reasons for this disappointing campaign. Mark Stone, Max Pacioretty, Reilly Smith, Alec Martinez and Nolan Patrick have missed significant time due to injury. Eichel (18 points in 24 games) hasn’t quite gotten up to speed following his much-discussed neck surgery. Alex Pietrangelo has felt compelled to do entirely too much, thereby compromising his three-zone solidity. The goaltending has been mediocre at best (20th in OISV%). Peter DeBoer’s coaching is a major concern.

While Murphy’s law has hit Vegas like a ton of bricks this year, there have been pleasant surprises as well. Nicolas Roy has embraced a larger role. Jonathan Marchessault is producing at his highest rate since the Golden Knights’ inaugural season. Most notably of all, Zach Whitecloud has cemented his top-four upside on the back end.

The coaching staff has fed him more minutes and tougher zone starts for the third consecutive season, and the 25-year-old is thriving as a reliable defensive presence. He doesn’t wow you with the puck on his stick, but his impact actually starts on the attack:

Whitecloud times his pinches well, either beating opponents to the puck outright or winning 50/50 battles thanks to his 6’2”, 208-pound build. Again, he doesn’t unlock defenses by himself. That’s not his job. He merely extends Vegas’ offensive shifts, which is essential on a Golden Knights squad that shines brightest when it comes at you in waves. At their best, they move the puck crisply, drive it toward the net and test your mettle through sheer volume. Even amid this forgettable season, Vegas ranks sixth in expected goals per 60 minutes and fourth in rebound shots.

This kitchen-sink approach is part and parcel of the team’s identity—and Whitecloud’s willingness to pinch and then let his more talented teammates take the wheel is a nice fit. Naturally, it’d be even more effective with the likes of Stone, Pacioretty and Smith in the lineup to capitalize on these extra touches.

Once the opposition does leave its zone, Whitecloud abides by two basic principles: Protect the blue line and protect the house. His gap control is superb, as he pushes up on his mark and places a considerable amount of faith in his angles and mobility:

His long reach also stands out here. Combined with his skating, he can disrupt opponents from a great distance or match their speed and funnel them into a dead end. He’s a strong kid too. If he corners you, odds are he’s separating you from the puck. This gives his partner time to retrieve it safely and head up the ice. Granted, Whitecloud does over-pursue at times, but his refusal to surrender clean zone entries is another key piece of Vegas’ pressure-based puzzle. The Golden Knights seemingly always have the biscuit.

The rest of the blue line has been sloppy this season, often jumping up at inopportune times in hopes of landing that one signature moment that can lead the team to victory. That tendency has frequently come back to bite them. Vegas’ defensemen would be better served staying on top of the puck, feeding the club’s forwards and allowing plays to develop organically.

That’s Whitecloud’s M.O. He plays within himself. The Golden Knights look like a well-oiled machine when he’s on the ice because all the parts are in the right place. They own 55.9% of the expected goals and 57.7% of the actual goals during his shifts. No other Vegas rearguard is even close to him in either metric.

You can’t keep opponents out of your zone for the entire game, of course. When DeBoer’s men are pressed up against the ropes, Whitecloud brings a healthy level of resistance:

The third-year pro guards the slot as though his life depends on it. He insists on claiming inside position on his assignment, allowing him to break up a fair few passes with his stick. However, he’ll hurl his body in front of shots when he feels outnumbered and must resort to a more desperate tack. Though it isn’t always pretty, his commitment to keeping the crease tidy is unfailing. He digs his heels in and battles at the point of attack.

There’s no denying Whitecloud’s work rate in the trenches—and it’s undeniably higher than that of his teammates. He concedes by far the fewest high-danger chances, high-danger goals and expected goals among Golden Knights defensemen. Of the 152 blueliners around the league who have logged at least 800 minutes at 5-on-5 this season, he ranks 11th in xGA60.

Now, a stop isn’t complete until you transition from defense to offense. This is where puck management comes into play. Whitecloud isn’t a one-man breakout by any stretch, but he makes smart, efficient and direct passes to get the ball rolling:

Quick and easy. There’s very little east-west action in his game. As a result, he seldom shoots himself in the foot.

That’s all Vegas really needs from him. That’s also probably why it felt comfortable signing him to a six-year extension in October. The Golden Knights trust him, and given his performance in 2021-22, you can’t blame them. Despite this letdown year for the team and increasingly difficult usage, Whitecloud is only getting better at locking forwards up.

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