Better Know a Penguin: Brian Dumoulin

Brian Dumoulin doesn't contribute much in the way of offense, but he provides shutdown defense for the Penguins. Acquired in the Jordan Staal trade, the Hurricanes draft pick is a piece of the young defensive core that has the Penguins four games away from a Stanley Cup victory.

Dumoulin plays on the top pairing with Kris Letang, filling the void left by Paul Martin signing on with the Sharks. Those are big skates to fill, and while Dumoulin doesn't quite have the seasoning that the veteran Martin has, Penguins fans haven't had too much to complain about.

Name: Brian Dumoulin

Number/Position: #8 / Defender

Born: September, 26, 1991

Birthplace: Biddeford, ME, USA

Height: 6'4"

Weight: 211

Shoots: Left

Drafted: 2nd round (51st overall) by Carolina in 2009

Assets

Has great size, mobility and puck-moving qualities from the back end. Can also produce a fair amount of offense at lower levels. Also owns the ability to log a ton of minutes and play a shutdown role.

Flaws

Panics a bit under pressure and make mistakes with the puck on his stick. Could stand to become more of a physical presence in the NHL, so he needs to make better use of his 6-4 frame.

Career Potential

Big, mobile and minute-munching defenseman with a little upside.

(Assets, Flaws and Career Potential via The Hockey News player page)

Hero Chart

Team Possession Chart

(courtesy of war-on-ice.com)