Defenseman Nic Hague hopes to stay in Golden Knights lineup

TORONTO — Nic Hague shuttled between the Golden Knights and their minor-league affiliate in Chicago on three occasions last month.

He went back down again Wednesday, though it remains to be seen how long the rookie defenseman will be gone.

Hague and center Nicolas Roy were reassigned to the American Hockey League in a move that’s most likely salary cap related. The Knights face the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday.

“It’s kind of crazy, a lot travel. But if that’s what it takes, that’s what it takes,” Hague said following Tuesday’s morning skate in Columbus, Ohio. “Obviously every time you get the call up, it’s a good day, and every time I come up here, I want to try to stick and show that I can be here and prove that I belong.”

Hague replaced veteran defenseman Deryk Engelland in Tuesday’s 2-1 victory at Columbus, and whenever Hague is recalled, coach Gerard Gallant must decide whether the 20-year-old played his way into the lineup permanently.

Gallant had been reluctant to scratch 37-year-old Engelland, one of the team’s three assistant captains and top penalty killers, despite his lowly puck possession statistics.

Through 15 games, Engelland had the worst 5-on-5 shot attempts percentage among the team’s defenseman at 43.8 percent.

But after Engelland’s glaring turnover led to the first goal in Saturday’s 4-3 overtime defeat to Winnipeg, Gallant couldn’t hold out any longer and shuffled the deck to open the four-game road trip.

Hague joined right defenseman Shea Theodore on the third pair against Columbus, while Nick Holden and Jon Merrill were reunited as the second pair.

“I think every time I step on the ice it’s a day to get better and that includes games, practices or whatever it may be,” Hague said. “Being around these guys, I try to be a sponge and learn a lot, try to take it all in and do everything I can to try to improve my game. I want to be here. I want to learn and get better and I want to stick. I want to play.”

The Knights shielded Hague from danger as much as possible, and he played a career-low 12:02 in 17 shifts, all at 5-on-5. The drawback was Theodore, one of the team’s top defensemen, also saw his ice time shaved and logged a season-low 18:05.

But Hague finished with a 64.3 shot attempts percentage at 5-on-5 and appeared to mesh well with a puck mover such as Theodore.

Hague’s shining moment came midway through the third period when he used his 6-foot-6-inch frame to strip Blue Jackets leading scorer Pierre-Luc Dubois of the puck on a 2-on-1.

“He read the play real good, and then with that long reach, people don’t expect that,” Gallant said. “He puts it out there, and he’s got a real good stick for big man. He played real solid.”

Hague has made nine appearances for the Knights with two assists and is projected to be a mainstay in the lineup for the next several years.

Whether Tuesday was the beginning of the end for Engelland remains to be seen.

“I do video and watch stuff, and I feel like I’m gaining a little bit more confidence maybe in terms of the offensive side of the game,” Hague said. “I felt like the first couple games I was maybe a little hesitant to show that side because I wanted to make sure that I was worrying about the defensive end.

“But as I play more, I’m going to get a little bit more confident. Obviously you don’t want to get away from the defensive side of the game, but I want to be able to show that offensive side of my game, too, because I feel like that’s a big part.”

What milestone?

Knights right wing Mark Stone appeared in his 400th career NHL game Tuesday and was greeted in the locker room with a congratulatory handshake from general manager Kelly McCrimmon.

Stone also received a game puck to commemorate the occasion, though he admitted after the game he had no idea he reached that milestone.

More Golden Knights: Follow at reviewjournal.com/GoldenKnights and @HockeyinVegas on Twitter.

Contact David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on Twitter.