Detroit Red Wings defenseman Filip Hronek has had quite the tenure with this organization. It’s not that it’s been full of craziness, but he has been all over the map in terms of performance. At times it has felt like he was going to be a top-pairing guy anchoring things. Other times it felt like he was a second-pairing offense-first defender. And, at times, it felt like a trade might be on the horizon.
For the Detroit Red Wings in 2022-23, it’s been terrific to see Hronek’s performance over the last two seasons. In 2021-22 things started to take off, and the offensive aspect of his game really started to shine through. He managed a career-high in points last season for the Red Wings while also finishing things as a minus-29 plus/minus rating.
In 2022-23 Hronek came out and picked up his offense once again. The 25-year-old defender continues to take strides in his offense, proving to be a significant benefit for the Red Wings. With Moritz Seider off to a slow start in the first half of his sophomore campaign, Hronek’s offensive tools shining through have been a bright spot.
Through the first 39 games Hronek played suited up for in 2022-23, he has seven goals and 22 assists for a total of 29 points. He already has a career-high in goals, being on pace for 14-15 goals if he keeps it up. In terms of projecting out Hronek’s points, he’s on pace for 60 or so. Again, pure estimation, but it would be a career-high for him and another year of tremendous growth.
Detroit Red Wings defenseman Filip Hronek continues to show growth.
Hronek has looked like a true offensive defenseman this year on the Red Wings blueline. He has three goals and nine assists for 12 total points on the power play, speaking to his ability to quarterback things. He’s been able to be a distributor near the top of the zone.
It’s not that Hronek has a booming shot or pin-point shooting accuracy, but he’s good at finding the open man or getting pucks on the net to create rebounds and scoring chances. It’s been good to see him helping manufacture offense for the Red Wings in 2022-23. Overall, it has led to him being on the ice for more goals and avoiding goals going into the Red Wings net.
As mentioned above, Hronek was a minus-29 in 2021-22 over 78 games played. But in 2022-23, Hronek has stayed on the positive side of things. He’s a plus-13 through his 39-game performance. The bottom line is that the Red Wings continue to see Hronek improve his offensive skills.
The Red Wings brought a better-supporting cast around Hronek, and it is paying off. Not that Hronek is the piece to build around, but the team’s off-season acquisitions have been pretty impressive to this point.
As the 2022-23 season continues on, the Red Wings should be more than happy with what Hronek is able to produce and look forward to him continuing to provide offense.