Although his professional career is just getting started, Toronto forward Zach Hyman already has a pretty good fallback plan for life after hockey. As Amalie Benjamin of NHL.com writes, Hyman spends some of his time away from the rink writing children’s books. He already has published two while a third is expected to be available in early 2017 and a fourth is already in the works.
While his hockey career is at the forefront right now, Hyman realizes his writing will ultimately last longer than his playing days and he’s appreciative of being able to do both:
“Writing is going to last longer than hockey. You can’t play hockey forever, but [you] definitely can write forever. Just enjoying it; it’s amazing. I get to live the life of a hockey player and also have writing. It’s pretty special. I’m really lucky.”
This is Hyman’s first full NHL season and he has made the most of it so far. While he has just nine points in 27 games, he has earned the trust of the coaching staff, particularly on the penalty kill as he leads all Toronto forwards in shorthanded ice time per game.
More from the Atlantic:
- When it comes to providing their goalies with offensive support, the Detroit Red Wings have fared much differently in front of Petr Mrazek than they have in front of Jimmy Howard, notes MLive’s Ansar Khan. Detroit has provided Mrazek with 2.88 goals per game in support but in front of Howard, that number drops by more than half to a paltry 1.27. As a result, despite a stellar 1.68 GAA and .945 SV%, Howard has won just five of his 12 starts so far this season.
- Florida winger Jonathan Marchessault returned to practice Monday after missing the last four games with a lower body injury, reports George Richards of the Miami Herald. The 25 year old has been a revelation so far with the Panthers, picking up 19 points (10-9-19) in 25 games. He skated with Nick Bjugstad and Colton Sceviour, a line that the team envisioned putting together when they signed Marchessault and Sceviour back on July 1st. He will be a game-time decision tonight against Minnesota.
- Sabres blueliner Cody Franson is enjoying the extra ice time he’s received as a result of Buffalo’s injuries on their back end, writes Bill Hoppe of the Orleans Times Herald. Franson has had higher workloads with other teams than he has received with the Sabres and noted he’s more comfortable when he plays 18+ minutes per game as doing so allows him to play with more confidence. As a pending UFA, it’s also an added bonus that he has been able to play more to showcase himself to potential suitors for next season if the Sabres don’t bring him back.