Atkinson's consistency shining through

What a difference a month makes.
Through seven games in October, Cam Atkinson had two goals and two secondary assists to his name.
But come November, Atkinson's scoring production exploded. In 14 games, he put up 16 points (sx goals, 10 assists). With the primary assist on Boone Jenner's game-winning goal Thursday in Colorado, Atkinson cemented his spot as the points leader for the Blue Jackets.

But this shouldn't come as a surprise; the year-over-year consistency in Atkinson's game hinted that a breakout was coming.
"I think he started off slow, but has slowly found his game," head coach John Tortorella said. "It's not always about the points. It's all the other things he's doing. He is a really important part of our team, and I think his game is getting better and better."
Using data from Corsica.hockey, we can see by measuring Atkinson year-over-year on points and shot-based metrics, that there is little variation in his production. Below are Atkinson's points per 60 minutes of ice time, primary points per 60 minutes of ice time, shot attempts per game, and expected goals per 60 minutes of ice time plotted in a bar graph.
Each color represents a different season, and each of the four variables is fairly self-consistent from year to year.

Atkinson also continued to show an improvement in 5-on-5 team-generated shot attempts per 60 minutes of ice time when he was on the ice year-over-year as we can see in the chart below, again using data from Corsica.hockey:

Consistency is the name of the game, and so even when Atkinson's points weren't coming this season, it was a fair guess to think the winger would pick up his scoring soon.
"It's a long season," Atkinson said. "Sometimes you're going to get a lot of opportunities and not score and you're not going to be playing great. And then there's going to be times when it's vice versa. You just have to stick with the process - there are so many games. You can't get too hard on yourself. As long as you're getting opportunities that's all you can ask for."
Atkinson knew he was getting scoring chances and took that as a sign he was doing something right. He stayed focused on the rule of never getting too high and never getting too low.
"Consistency is what makes players stick around in this league," Atkinson said. "It's what good players are based upon. You can have one good year, but if you can do it on a consistent basis…that's what makes you a great player. I'm just trying to do whatever I can to help the team win and be more of a two-way player instead of a one-dimensional."
And that's something Tortorella is counting on. Atkinson's line, which includes Brandon Dubinsky and Boone Jenner, is one that the head coach usually calls upon to create momentum. In particular, Dubinsky and Atkinson have been on the ice more than any other forwards when the team is protecting a lead.
Atkinson is also playing against the top lines of opposing teams while taking on the challenge of starting shifts in all areas of the ice. The visual below from hockeyviz.com shows shift starts during 5-on-5 play this season for all Blue Jackets players; the X-axis shows a count of offensive zone starts per 100 shifts, and the Y-axis shows a count of defensive zone starts.
No other forward is getting more defensive-zone starts than Atkinson, and, according to Corsica.hockey, he has the highest percentage of defensive zone starts among all Columbus players (38.96%).

"The way Cam plays and the areas that he plays in, I have a tremendous amount of respect for him," Tortorella said. "In some of those areas, you need to have the mental strength to handle those situations."
And it's not just all physical areas of the ice where Atkinson is playing; it's all situations. Since Tortorella's arrival, according to NHL.com, Atkinson has seen his power play time increase to an average of 2:22 per game over the past two seasons. Similarly, his time on the penalty kill has risen to an average of 1:41 per game in the same time period.
Atkinson is making the most of it, too - as part of his hot November, he became the only Blue Jacket this year to score a goal in 5-on-5 play, on the power play, on the penalty kill and in overtime.

"When I'm put out in all situations it keeps my head in the game. It keeps my legs going," Atkinson said. "I have to give a lot of credit to the coaching staff for trusting me. I get jacked up knowing that I get put out in those situations to help the team win, I love it. I wouldn't want it any other way.
"Once you gain that confidence and trust of a coach, he expects you to do it on a regular basis and I feel like I have. I'm excited we're on a team that is having a lot of fun winning games, and that's what's more important."