The Province
December 31, 2002
By BEN KUZMA

Bryan Allen's game is steadily improving but the blossoming Vancouver Canucks defenceman knows his limitations. Especially with Ed Jovanovski sidelined four to six weeks with a fractured left heel.

"No, I don't think I'm going to try and replace him," Allen, 22, chuckled Monday after learning of Jovanovski's plight. "I'll just try to play my game and contribute in some way.

"But I think I can play more minutes and contribute. I'm ready for a permanent job in the NHL."

That's a mouthful for Allen. With just 19 NHL appearances in the previous two seasons, the fourth overall selection in the 1998 entry draft has been slow to ripen.

He's been dogged by knee, foot and shoulder surgeries after making the Canucks roster at age 18 before failing to come to contract terms.

Now perseverance is finally paying off for the Kingston, Ont., native who has already appeared in 14 games this season.

When Mattias Ohlund suffered a left knee sprain on Dec. 15, Allen hit stride in a pairing with Brent Sopel. And now that Jovanovski is sidelined, there's an opportunity for Allen to build on the plus-1 rating and six shots he managed in Ohlund's absence.

"When you get in a few games in a row, you get more comfortable," reasoned Allen, whose decisions with the puck and without it are better. "I think it's just my overall balance in my defensive zone, playing guys 1-on-1, and my positional play that have improved.

"I'm moving my feet better and playing better down low. Defensive coverage is something I've been working on and I feel a little bit better with that."

Lateral movement has been the biggest competitive obstacle for the 6-foot-4, 220-pound Allen, a defensive defenceman by trade.

And with 18 first-round picks from the draft class of '98 currently playing in the NHL, there's pressure on him to prove worthy of his high selection.

"He's still a young kid," cautioned Canucks winger Todd Bertuzzi, who was the 23rd overall selection in the '93 draft. "Playing defence is different. It's kind of like being a quarterback and trying to figure out where everyone else is and where to go in situations.

"He works hard and deserves to be out there."

Ohlund knows what Allen is enduring. Ohlund was the 13th overall pick in the '94 draft, and though he finished second to Sergei Samsonov in Calder Trophy voting, it took years to hone his overall game.

"It takes time to feel comfortable body-wise because he's quite big and heavy but in good shape," Ohlund said of Allen. "He's realizing that he can play in this league and he has a lot of confidence right now."

Canucks head coach Marc Crawford believes just practising against elite NHL players has made Allen better. So has paying his dues in the AHL and making the most when opportunity arrives.

"He makes a good pass, makes good decisions and he's developing nicely," said Crawford.

Canucks winger Trevor Letowski, always looking for a breakout pass that will spring him loose, likes what he's seeing in Allen.

"He's spinning off guys and making that pass through the middle," said Letowski. "Maybe before, he'd go for the safer play."



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