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Hanley making the most of opportunity with Flames

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Calgary Flames blueliner Joel Hanley is savouring the opportunity of a lifetime as a regular, top-four defenceman in the NHL a decade after he first entered the league.

The undrafted Hanley, 33, is suiting up regularly for the Flames alongside veteran MacKenzie Weegar, who was considered for Canada’s 4 Nations Face-Off squad. The duo first played together in a Dec. 14 game against the Florida Panthers.

The two have quietly controlled shot shares and scoring chances when together while forming an effective second defence pairing behind Rasmus Andersson and Kevin Bahl. In nearly 110 minutes at five-on-five together, Weegar and Hanley have been on the ice for seven goals for and two goals against and a scoring chance rate of 63 per cent.

Hanley has become a regular, in part, due to Daniil Miromanov’s struggles and the Flames saying they want Weegar to play his stronger (right) side. While he doesn’t have any points so far this season, Hanley is providing steady, safe play and Weegar's numbers in areas like expected goals and scoring chance rate have improved with his new partner.

“He was up for Team Canada, so it’s a pretty special deal to play with somebody like that,” Hanley said of Weegar. “He’s been great off the ice, too.”

Weegar and head coach Ryan Huska both used the word "simple" to describe Hanley’s style of play.

“He’s a simple player to play with, but lots of positivity,” Weegar said. “He makes it easy for me to play with him. He makes the right play, moves the puck well…we have a good time playing with one another.”

“He keeps his game very simple,” Huska added. “He’s very predictable to play with. I think it makes MacKenzie’s job a little bit easier knowing Joel’s always where he should be.”

Hanley, from Keswick, Ont., began his pro career in 2014 with the Portland Pirates of the AHL after four seasons of college hockey at U Mass-Amherst. He bounced around between the AHL and ECHL, and had stints in the Montreal Canadiens and Arizona Coyotes organizations before finding a home with the Dallas Stars.

He spent parts of five seasons with the Stars before getting dealt to the Flames last season in the Chris Tanev trade.

Hanley has never played more than 44 games in an NHL season, and has typically been a sixth or seventh defenceman when he has gotten those opportunities. He allowed that he wasn’t sure he’d get the chance to prove himself at the NHL level. Hanley’s averaging more than 15 minutes per game for the first time in his career and is even killing penalties.

“When you come out [of college], you have high expectations,” he said. “Once my career started to develop, you try and get into a role that you can take and run with, whether that’s the sixth spot or seventh spot. I wasn’t able to play in those top-four minutes [earlier in my career]. Just to get an opportunity has been really cool. I don’t think I ever foresaw that.”

Despite starting the season in a fringe role, Hanley is a valued member of the Flames locker room. Nicknamed Nacho, teammates laud him for his positivity and how tough his job is as someone who started the season as a perpetual healthy scratch, has often had to come into the lineup with little notice, and is judged based off a small sample size.

Hanley has suited up for 14 games so far this season while sitting for 25, but has become a regular presence in the lineup as the season has gone along.

“You have to be a strong person to be able to be like Hanley,” Huska said. “You have to make sure that you show up every day and prove to people that you one, deserve to be there, and two, that people want to be around you.

“…He’s learned how to be one of the ultimate team guys by making sure he’s coming in every day and nobody would know whether he’s played 10 games or he had the best game of his life the night before. He is someone people want to be around.”

Hanley’s former head coach, Pete DeBoer, had the same thoughts last season.

“His ability to stay ready, to sit out for long periods, jump in and be up to game speed is something that, in my 16 years, I haven’t had someone that’s better at it than him,” DeBoer said.

Weegar said Hanley comes to the rink with a positive attitude, whether he's in the lineup or not, and encourages others.

“He’s just a quiet guy that’s always happy, always smiling,” he said. “He treats everybody with respect. I think that’s huge…if guys need a pick-me-up or positivity, he’s there.”

Hanley credited Chad Bohling, a former mental skills consultant in Dallas, for helping him adopt a team-first mindset.

“He just said it wouldn’t help me if I came in and didn’t try in practice and had a bad attitude,” he said. “Down the road, it’s going to help me.”

In Calgary, Hanley has those conversations with Rodd Sawatzky, a local pastor.

“Just helping me off the ice, so I can come here in a good mental spot,” Hanley said. “Meeting with someone like that once a week, being able to connect with something outside of hockey, it’s getting me in a good head space.”

While the Flames likely want a longer-term option opposite Weegar, teammates laud Hanley (a pending free agent) and his path as an undrafted free agent who’s getting his first real opportunity in a top-four role.

“Who doesn’t love a great underdog story, right?” Weegar said. “Just an easy-go-lucky guy. I’m happy that he’s getting the opportunity that he is.”