This Edmonton Oilers prospect is being asked to model his game after Zach Hyman.
This Edmonton Oilers prospect is being asked to model his game after Zach Hyman.
EDMONTON -- Developing prospects has never been the Edmonton Oilers strong suite.
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For a majority of the past 10 years the organization has done well with their first round picks - with a few minor misses. It's one thing to have a nearly NHL-ready prospect hop straight into the hardest league in the world, its another thing to develop a player to be an impactful NHLer.
That is one piece of the puzzle they are trying to rectify within the organization at large.
Colin Chaulk is presently trying to get one prospect to play more like Zach Hyman for the Bakersfield Condors. Those are massive skates to fill, but what exactly does a Hyman archetype look like - and what does it mean to play more like him?
For starters, Hyman goes to the net. Every play involving Hyman typically ends with him being around the net in one way or another. Hyman has scored 52 goals so far this year, 42 of them have come within a six foot radius in front of the goal line.
Hyman also plays significant minutes on the power play. Before the coaching change he did see some time on the penalty kill, but not substantial enough to say that he is good at it. However, he has the tools to be excellent on the penalty kill.
Today on the Jason Gregor Show, Chaulk spent some time talking about a couple of the Oilers top prospects with the Condors. One of the thing he talked about was Dylan Holloway emulating his game after Hyman.
"We are trying to get him to go to the net more and be more like Zach Hyman around the net. He has been on the PK [penalty kill] and the PP [power play] and is up to 20 minutes a night. He has played his best hockey down here on the wing."
Hyman being the end goal for Holloway is still a great result for a first round draft pick. Time will tell what kind of ceiling Holloway truly has.
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