by Stephen Meserve | AHL On The Beat
On March 16, Justin Hryckowian’s collegiate profession ended within the quarterfinals of the Hockey East convention event.
Lower than every week later, the Northeastern College ahead was pulling on a Victory-green-and-white Texas Stars sweater to start his skilled profession on the opposite facet of the nation, with a March 22 sport in San Diego.
The whirlwind week discovered the centerman thrust into an important position for the Stars nearly instantly. With accidents to key pivots equivalent to Oskar Bäck, Hryckowian was the lone middle on the workforce with subsequent to no skilled expertise to his identify.
“The chance was proper there for me,” mentioned Hryckowian. “I knew after I acquired there that there could be some good runway to only get my ft moist and be taught and adapt on the fly.”
Head coach Neil Graham has referred to as the Île Bizard, Quebec, native the workforce’s finest defensive ahead up to now this season, and praised his essential position within the playoff push for final yr’s workforce.
“He immediately stuffed a large void for our group down the center and performed a significant position for our group from day one,” Graham mentioned.
Hryckowian’s expertise final season has maybe acted as a springboard for his early rookie success. He’s marked off 4 objectives and 6 assists in his first seven video games, tying for the league scoring lead amongst rookies.
“I’m so glad I made a decision to go away college and go get that chance, get that have below my belt,” mentioned Hryckowian. “It simply made all the pieces a lot simpler this yr.”
Hryckowian’s biography, one thing doesn’t appear to match at first. He’s a Quebecer who went the high-school prep route into the junior United States Hockey League earlier than taking part in at Northeastern. He factors to his mother and father for that call.
“I used to be extra on the late bloomer facet of issues, and clearly my mother and father have been large into caring for your training and that a part of issues,” he mentioned. “I felt like school was the perfect of each worlds.”
It was a fortuitous determination as he began at Connecticut’s Salisbury Faculty and met his now-teammate Luke Krys. Their signings to Dallas have been introduced on the identical day.
“He was in all probability one of many first guys to achieve out after I determined to go to Salisbury,” Hryckowian mentioned. “He was my captain that yr, and we grew to become actually shut. Humorous sufficient, we ended up in the identical spot, and we’re residing collectively right here in Austin.”
Finally, the choice to hitch Dallas was not a tough one. The Stars, headed by two-time GM of the 12 months Jim Nill, have a popularity that precedes them. Hryckowian mentioned that everybody he handled was “firstclass” and that everybody he spoke with concerning the group agreed that they did issues the appropriate means.
“Each dialog was constructive,” he mentioned. “I actually respect the honesty from them and the way up-front they have been in the course of the course of.”
Moreover, he put big worth on being a part of a successful program. Because it says on the wall within the Texas locker room, “We Win Right here.”
Even with Dallas in win-now mode in hopes of a Stanley Cup, the AHL facet can also be stocked to succeed.
“Being a part of a program the place successful is predicted yearly… [that] is one thing I need to be round,” Hryckowian defined.
Hryckowian has been an enormous a part of this season’s Stars’ success early on, whilst he’s bounced round to some totally different linemates within the seven video games up to now.
“Justin is extraordinarily detailed in his preparation for each practices and video games,” famous Graham. “He understands the extent of dedication to being an excellent skilled, and he leads by instance. He is a superb prospect, and I imagine he’s solely going to get higher.”
The rookie has already gotten a style of what’s subsequent if he continues his success within the AHL: Dallas referred to as his quantity for a preseason sport this yr.
Requested about his early season success, Hryckowian deflects reward to his linemates but in addition acknowledges that the preparations he revamped the summer season and all through his total profession so far have put him ready to excel.
“I’m being put in loads of conditions to succeed, clearly,” he mentioned. “Confidence is all the pieces, and that’s earned by way of onerous work and preparation. It’s been nice for me to only construct all that up. I’m feeling actually good about it, actually having enjoyable doing what I do on daily basis.”
Stephen Meserve is the editor of 100 Diploma Hockey, which has lined the Texas Stars since their inaugural season.
