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Vegas Development Camp: Chatting w/ Glass, Zhukov, Hyka, Wong, Nichol |
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Sheng Peng
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Vegas's inaugural development camp opened this afternoon with a fascinating cross-section of players -- from all 12 of their 2017 Draft picks to top prospect Alex Tuch to reclamation project Tomas Hyka.
With so many stories to chase, it was hard to narrow things down. But here were some of my favorites: Will Tyler Wong play for Team China in 2022? Where will Maksim Zhukov play next year? How has Hyka's game evolved since he was drafted by Los Angeles in 2012? Also, Golden Knights Director of Player Development Wil Nichol gives us a fantastic example about why development camp is important and Cody Glass talks about how hot it is outside.
Tyler Wong
HockeyBuzz: Last year, you took part in Toronto's development camp. Can you talk about that experience and what you took from it?
Tyler Wong: It was awesome to be able to go there. To have my eyes opened to the world of pro hockey a little bit. The next level of conditioning. How you get treated as a professional. To push me a little bit harder last summer, in my training this year as well, to prepare myself to be a pro.
HB: Have the Kunlun Red Star or Team China contacted you about playing for them?
TW: I don't think I can comment on that.
(HockeyBuzz note: In preparation for Beijing 2022, China is trying to build a competitive men's ice hockey squad with North American players of Chinese descent. Wong's grandparents are from the Beijing area.
Wong has time, if that's the course he chooses, as IIHF by-laws stipulate a player must play in a country for two years before he or she is able to represent that national team. Next year, the Beijing-based Kunlun Red Star will have at least seven players of Chinese descent on their roster: Zach Yuen, Brandon Yip, Brandon Wong, Mikael Tam, Cory Kane, Ethan Werek, and Greg Squires.)
Maksim Zhukov
HockeyBuzz: Last year, you chose to leave Russia as a teenager to play in the US for the USHL's Green Bay Gamblers. Can you talk about how difficult that adjustment was?
Maksim Zhukov: First thing, it was a different language. It was hard to speak English for me. But right now, I think I speak very well.
Different rink. And smaller rink. Faster game. More shots. It different, but I like it.
HB: How did you pick up English?
MZ: Teammates. My billet family. Books.
HB: What's your favorite book?
MZ: It's a Russian book. Metro 2033. It's fantasy. It's about the Moscow subway.
HB: How about an English book you like?
MZ: One book written in English [that I enjoyed] is biography of Alexander Ovechkin. My billet family bought it for me.
HB: Who are some goalies you model your game after?
MZ: I like Sergei Bobrovsky a lot. I try to play like him. I like Braden Holtby.
HB: How about when you were growing up?
MZ: Nabokov. Evgeny Nabokov.
HB: Where will you play next year?
MZ: Next year? Probably Green Bay again, one more year. And then we'll see what's going on.
HB: I'm sure the KHL is knocking, asking about your availability.
MZ: Maybe the NHL [first]? (laughs)
HB: But Green Bay next year?
MZ: Yeah.
Tomas Hyka
HockeyBuzz: In the Czech League, your production has been trending up over the last three years. How has your game grown in that time?
Tomas Hyka: It's been a good few years for me. I've grown up a lot. The coach gave me a lot of opportunity.
Most of it is, I'm pretty calm right now. I don't run around everywhere. Like I used to in juniors. More calm in front of the net. Waiting for the best chance.
Obviously, the skating is the best part of my hockey.
(HB note: In 2014-15, Hyka scored 10 points in 22 games for BK Mlada Boleslav. Last year, the 24-year-old rang up 38 points in 48 contests)
HB: This isn't your first development camp -- you've attended Kings and Flyers camps. You impressed in Philadelphia a couple years ago. Can you talk about what you gained from these camps?
TH: It helped me a lot of to see the guys, how they play, how they work. The hockey in Europe is so much different than here. There's, let's say, fancy hockey in Europe. It helped me a lot [to learn] to go straight to the net. Just shoot. Stay in front of the net.
HB: In your experience, who was a particularly memorable NHL development camp coach?
TH: Laviolette in Philly. He helped me a lot.
He's a good coach. He gave me a lot of opportunity.
HB: You were drafted by the Kings. But things didn't really work out with the Los Angeles organization. Why?
TH: I got back to Europe [in 2014], I went to Sweden.
I had a pretty good start in the CHL. I got injured afterwards. So it didn't really work out.
I decided to go to the Czech league. Re-start my career. I'm really happy it worked out. I'm really looking forward to take the opportunity here and just battle.
(HB note: Hyka starred for the QMJHL's Gatineau Olympiques when LA drafted him in the sixth round in 2012. Two years later, he elected to play in the SHL, and after a middling performance, the Kings chose not to sign him. He then went back home to re-build his career.)
Wil Nichol
HockeyBuzz: I think fans are sometimes curious about why development camp is crucial. We know it's important, but why specifically? So can you discuss examples from the past where a player has really taken off because of development camp or a player really picked something up at camp?
Wil Nichol: From a free agent standpoint, I can tell you that when George and I were in Washington together, we had Nate Schmidt as an invitee to our development camp when he was at the University of Minnesota. So he got an idea of what it was like, on and off the ice, and he ended up signing with us.
From a free agent standpoint, it's very valuable for us as an organization to get to know the kid. And for them to get to know us. That can be helpful in terms of a recruiting tool.
And with all the kids, it's a chance for them to understand what it means to be a Golden Knight. And I can't stress that enough because we're creating a culture from the ground level.
It's important that right away -- like even this morning -- before we went out on the ice, first thing we did is we got out in the community. We fed the homeless. Because the community is going to be a big thing for us. It's very important to us. They need to know that right away. That's who we are. That's our fabric. That's part of our culture.
Off the ice, on top of that, how to train, how to eat. On the ice, if it's skating or skill work, whatever it is, give them that feedback, help them with it.
HB: What did you guys see with Nate that first time?
WN: We saw an NHL player. We had him for that week. We were like, that's a kid we want to sign to an NHL contract. Maybe there's a kid out here right now in that same circumstance?
There were other teams that wanted him. We were in a recruiting battle, if you will. That happens a lot in free agency. But I think the fact that he had spent time with George and I and the staff in Washington -- I think that helped.
Cody Glass
HockeyBuzz: Is the weather here better than Winnipeg?
Cody Glass: I think the winter might be a little warmer than Vegas. It's nice to get away from the winter in Winnipeg. But I love Winnipeg. Born and raised there. But being in a place like Vegas, it's unbelievable.
HB: What's one thing that's stood out about camp today compared to other hockey camps you've attended in the past?
CG: Just being in Las Vegas. You never thought it'd be a hockey city. But the fans and everything coming out, it's just been unbelievable. You can really tell it's a hockey city.
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