Defense is often underrated on score sheets, as well as on television screens, but ask anybody who plays hockey and they’ll tell you that in order to be successful, you build a team from your end of the rink out to the other. That’s what the Columbus Blue Jackets have been doing for years, and it’s something they scored big with when they signed Czech defenseman Jan Hejda. His play is in no small part contributing to Columbus’ success so far this season. The 31-year-old Hejda came to North America in 2006 and his impact on the NHL has been one of the most underrated impacts that can be measured.

Drafted in the fourth round by Buffalo in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, Hejda was one of the older players on the market. After being traded to the Edmonton Oilers, he made his NHL debut, and scored his first goal against the Los Angeles Kings. After the 2006-07 season, Hejda signed a one-year, $1 million contract with the Blue Jackets and became one of the most successful defensemen in Blue Jackets history, helping to lead the team into the playoffs for the first time ever and finishing with a better plus-minus than any other Columbus defenseman that had come before him.

In 210 career NHL games, Hejda has just four goals on his resume – two of which were game-winners. He has added 41 assists to his resume, and has a plus-46 number. He is also good for a number of blocked shots and body hits game in and game out. It also may only be because Hejda plays in a city like Columbus that his contributions on the ice have been so overlooked. But the next time your team faces the 6-foot-3, 209-pound defenseman, keep an eye out for him. He’ll be the one stopping your guy from getting to the net.

Defense should never be underrated. You’re not going to score any goals if you can’t get the puck out of your own end – worse, out of your own net. Jan Hejda’s value as a defenseman for the Columbus Blue Jackets cannot and should not be undervalued. The hard-hitting blue-liner provides a strong back end to any lineup and has been vital to the rise of the Blue Jackets in the last two years. With just a few more pieces, Columbus can emerge as one of the better teams in the NHL, and there’s no better piece to build around than Jan Hejda.