Luke Schenn focused on beefing up Arizona Coyotes' blue line

One of the first impressions defenseman Luke Schenn made in his Coyotes debut Monday was scoring on the power play.

After accepting a pass from winger Max Domi in the first period of Monday’s preseason opener, Schenn wound up from the point and fired. The puck caromed off a pair of Kings before slipping behind goalie Peter Budaj.

Despite the successful execution, Schenn is unlikely to be in the mix for power-play ice time in the regular season.

“He knows what his role is,” coach Dave Tippett said.

And that’s to be a tough defender who protects the Coyotes’ end of the ice.

“My role is taking care of the defensive side of things first and being physical and just moving the puck quick, trying to get it into the forwards’ hands as soon as possible,” Schenn said. “I’m never going to be a guy that’s thinking offense first, but you can create offense by getting shots through and just moving the puck quick. Of course, there’s room to develop in every area of your game, but there’s no question I also know what my strengths are.”

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Being a gritty defenseman has been Schenn’s calling card for much of his life.

He started on a backyard rink in Saskatchewan, playing with his younger brother Brayden – a center with the Flyers – before rising through the local ranks and the Western Hockey League.

When the 2008 NHL draft rolled around, Schenn was selected fifth overall by the Maple Leafs and was inserted into the lineup immediately as an 18-year-old.

But on the brink of his ninth season, the 26-year-old still feels he has more to prove.

“There’s no question when I did come into the league I thought I could get to a certain level,” Schenn said. “I still feel it’s in me, but I haven’t quite gotten there yet and I’m looking forward to getting there.”

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This is Schenn’s fourth stop in the NHL; after four seasons in Toronto, he was traded to Philadelphia – a cherished chance to play alongside his brother – and was most recently shipped to Los Angeles last season.

Opportunity and ice time have fluctuated along the way, adversity that has shaped Schenn’s journey and put him in a situation now with the Coyotes where his personal ambitions seem to mirror the team’s expectations.

“My goal would be to become one of the top reliable defensemen and to be able to be put out there in different situations of the game and just know the coach is relying on you to play minutes against other team’s top players,” Schenn said. “I’ve done it before, but just continue to work on it and do a good job at it.”

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With that potential in mind, it makes sense the Coyotes targeted Schenn in free agency and locked him up with a two-year, $2.5 million contract.

Arizona has given up the second-most goals since 2014-15 (511), a span in which the team has allowed 3.12 goals per game. A beefy presence such as Schenn along the boards and up the middle could help limit breakdowns.

“We want him to find his comfort zone and become a real hard defender for us,” said associate coach Jim Playfair, who oversees the blue line. “I think that’s one thing we lacked last year. At points in time (we were) being a little too easy to play against in the corners and around the front of our net. I just think he’s a real solid player. I think he has an identify that we can still work on a little bit and establish a little more meanness and a little more structure in his game.”

And while an offense spiked with youth has been circled as key to the Coyotes’ rebuild, a tighter defense is equally as important.

Ultimately, it’s what will enable those goals at the other end of the rink to matter.

“I’m looking forward to getting to work with teammates here and coaches and continuing to develop and try to contribute and be part of that puzzle to be one of the core guys,” Schenn said. “It’s a real good, up-and-coming team. They’ve got a lot of young, skilled players with a good mix of some older guys. You just want to fit in and be a part of everything.”

Ice chips

• Forwards Max Domi, Brad Richardson and Brendan Perlini did not practice Tuesday. Domi was at the dentist, while Richardson and Perlini rested after suffering minor bumps and bruises in Monday’s game.
• Defenseman Jalen Smereck has been released from training camp. The Coyotes are off on Wednesday, but Tippett expects a few more cuts to happen.
• Defenseman Alex Goligoski skated Tuesday but did not play Monday after leaving to be with his wife, Amanda, who gave birth to a boy, Roman.

Preseason action

The Coyotes captured their second win of the preseason by holding off the Ducks 2-1 on Tuesday in Anaheim.

Center Chris Mueller put the Coyotes up 1-0 only 52 seconds into the second, but the Ducks tied it at 8:09 with a goal from center Antoine Laganiere.

Winger Henrik Samuelsson pushed the Coyotes ahead at 8:50 of the third with his second goal of the preseason.

Goalie Justin Peters made 10 saves on 11 shots, while Adin Hill stopped all 16 shots he faced.

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Reach the reporter at sarah.mclellan@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8276. Follow her at twitter.com/azc_mclellan.