Dutchmen recruit Hynes excelling in second USHL season

by Ryan Fay

Guilderland native and former Albany Academy forward Tyler Hynes was supposed to make his debut with the Union men's hockey team this fall.

But the 19-year-old recruit opted to wait another year and play a second season with the United States Hockey League's Omaha Lancers, where he recorded 15 points (six goals, nine assists) in 53 games last season.

"I wasn't real happy with my performance last year," Hynes said. "My goal is to be the best player that I can when I get to Union. I didn't think I was ready this year, and I didn't want to wait a year or two at Union to get into the hang of things and get up to that speed."

Hynes

The decision to return to Omaha for a second season is paying off; his second season with the Lancers is proving to be a substantial improvement over his first.

Hynes is on pace to easily blow past his numbers from a season ago, as he has already accumulated nine points (four goals, five assists) in his first 11 games. Last year, he didn't collect his ninth point until February.

Hynes pointed to a change in his role as one key to his fast start this season.

"Last year, they had me as a real physical guy, more of a fourth-line, defensive-minded player," Hynes said. "This season, [first-year Lancers head coach Brian] Kaufman has given me more freedom offensively. He's put me with some more skilled players. I like to see myself as a little creative player, not uber-skilled, but skilled enough to be more than a fourth-line guy who's just going to lay the body. I got a little too into that role last year, and away from what got me there to that point."

Hynes also credited spending time over the summer at NHL skills coach Paul Vincent's development camp, something several other Union players have done in recent years.

"I did things there that I had never done before with my skating and especially my stick-handling," Hynes said. "Stick-handling is the biggest difference in my game. It has allowed me to create more time and space for myself. I've always had a pretty good shot, but last year I had trouble getting it off and trouble creating space. This year, I've added an extra step, which has helped me get around defenders instead of getting rubbed off into the boards. The game is a lot easier when you have a split-second more of space."

Kaufman, an assistant coach with the Lancers last season, added he sees another change in Hynes this year.

"He has a lot more confidence," Kaufman said. "Last year was a little bit of an adjustment for Tyler with a new league and a new surrounding. He knows he's ready to go now."

Despite the gains Hynes has made this season, Kaufman said there is still room for improvement before the forward makes his Union debut next fall.

"Just some of the details of the game, like making sure he's on the defensive side of pucks at all times," Kaufman said. "His compete level is great, but sometimes he's outside of the system. He runs around a little bit at times. He needs to continue to work on the mental side of the game."

When Hynes joins the Dutchmen, Kaufman said Union will be getting a player who can impact the game in a multitude of ways.

"He can be a great second or third line player," said Kaufman, who played Division I hockey at Miami (Ohio) from 2005-2009. "He'll play in front of the net on a power play, he's very good on the penalty kill, and he'll be a great energy guy. He'll finish checks, block shots, and do a lot of things not a lot of people are willing to do."

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