Colin Blackwell has been a Swiss Army Knife for the Stars. His ability to play on the second, third, or fourth line has helped the team through injuries. While he is a more petite guy, he impacts the Stars in many ways.
Let's start with the most fun topic. Breakaways. Playing primarily on the third and fourth line, Colin Blackwell has been terrific at burying breakaways. It seems that when he tries to deke, his attempts are not as good. However, when he relies on his shot, he puts it perfectly almost every time. It is exciting to wonder how many shootout rounds the Stars would go before running him out there. Truthfully, I think he is around the seventh-best option.
One of the things that stands out about Blackwell is that he can provide that scoring depth when the top players on the Stars' roster stall out. Take a look at the game in Vancouver when they went on Glenn Gulutzan's ex-teams road trip. That was a crucial goal that he scored, and it helped Dallas go on to win the game. Sometimes, the players on the third and fourth lines have to step up when the goal scoring stalls. Blackwell can get some good shots on net and convert some of them.
The Stars' forecheck has improved every week of the season. Colin has been a great example of this. The bottom six seem to be controlling the puck more than I have ever seen. Colin has been able to cycle the puck down low and up top, creating space for other players to get chances.
Defensively, Colin is like a dog playing fetch. He skates hard while pestering the opposition. This trait is especially evident on the penalty kill. As the season goes on, the penalty kill has been better. A healthy bottom six is one reason, but Colin continuing to fight for loose pucks is another. It is great to see Colin earning his role on the ice and playing every game.
For the role Blackwell is paid to play, he does a lot of things right. There are just a few things I would look for him to improve on. Passing as a bottom-six forward is a difficult task. You tend to play with different people almost every game, and you usually are not blowing by any defenseman. So, passing must be planned and crisp to make efficient changes. Colin can work on making the right decision with the puck in our own zone and neutral zone. However, he has been a solid piece for the Stars this season.