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Wendell Young Talks Hyka, Bischoff, Wong, Kolesar & Other Vegas Prospects |
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Sheng Peng
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Recently, I caught up with Wolves GM Wendell Young, and we talked about some of the Vegas prospects playing in Chicago. Predictably, he's high on Tomas Hyka, who was just named to the AHL All-Star team. His sleeper is Jake Bischoff, who plays top-pairing minutes next to veteran Jason Garrison. Bischoff is also first choice on the PK, and according to Young, plays about 23 minutes a night. This is all the more impressive considering that Bischoff is an AHL rookie. He also has positive things to say about Tyler Wong, Tobias Lindberg, Keegan Kolesar, and T.J. Tynan.
I also asked him about Reid Duke, who's currently rehabbing a shoulder injury in Las Vegas. Young said that he hopes Duke makes his Wolves debut in late February.
Jake Bischoff
He needs more experience. He's got to get a stronger.
If he has a great summer, he's going to be right there.
You can see the progression. Certain guys you look at, you know they're going to play in the NHL. He's the guy after every game that we don't talk about because he did everything right. Bisch just does his job.
If you look at his college numbers, he put up like 30 points. As time goes on, he's going to put up more points too.
He does all the outlet passes. He puts it where the guy can take the pass. Some guys just put it in an area. He gives it to the guy. If you can make that outlet pass down here, you can do it up top. You're going to be up there for a long time.
Handles the puck well.
He can be a top-four guy. I see him very much like Vince Dunn.
Dunn had a really good offensive last year for us, but I don't think Bisch is that far off from being like that. Bisch was more consistent than Dunn at times last year.
He's going to get a chance to play in the NHL, and he's going to end up staying.
Tomas Hyka
With Hyka, it's all about speed. He's got great hands, good vision. But his biggest asset is his speed.
He's strong on his skates. Just gliding and then he can take off and separate himself from other players. His speed is NHL-caliber.
Because of his speed, he can be a top-six in the NHL. Remember the camp that Hyka had. It wasn't one game, it as every night.
I saw in development camp, this guy who would fly around the ice. But I wasn't so sure he would go in the tough areas. But he does that.
Tyler Wong
He's done a great job [on the PK]. He's fit in there [well].
He's a smart hockey player. Hard worker.
He scored a lot of points in juniors, but on the same token, you have to be able to play on the defensive side of the puck. He's been put in defensive positions, penalty killing, fourth line. We tried him on some top lines, but it didn't work out right away.
It's there for Tyler. Just a matter of time. He does get scoring chances, they're just not going in.
The two biggest things for him, he's got to get a little bit of speed. A little more size.
It's a huge step going from juniors to the AHL. It's an awakening for a lot of players.
The players who come in as 19 or 20-year-olds and do really well [in the AHL], they're special. It takes an adjustment period, you're playing against men every night. In juniors, some times, you're playing against 16, 17-year-olds. And now you're playing against guys who have played in the NHL or will. They're men.
He's got to get his speed up to the AHL.
He's maybe a top-nine guy in the NHL.
Keegan Kolesar
When you see him, he looks like a running back. Big, thick guy. I think he needs to lean up a little bit. It goes back to speed. He needs to get half a step.
When he plays, he gets in on the puck. He's a heavy body, goes to the net. He's out there to hit guys. But he can shoot the puck really hard. He's got to release the puck quicker.
He's on the right progression. Had a setback with the injury.
Another guy, important summer. After your first year pro, that summer is huge. Now you've realized what you need. It's your fault if you don't address it.
Tobias Lindberg
He's a big body.
He looks like he lumbers at times when he skates, but he's not. And when he wants to turn on the jets, he can skate.
When he first came here, we thought he was standing around too much, trying to slow the game down, holding the puck, watching what's going on instead of just taking off. He's really bought in.
He plays with a bit of an edge now too.
I think he can do a fourth-line job in the NHL. Some guys, they do third or fourth line in the AHL, but that's where they'll also be in the NHL.
Fourth line, shutdown. He's big, he can handle the puck.
T.J. Tynan
He's been one of our best players, the last month and a half. He's really stepped his game up. Just works so hard every night. He's another guy who can go up and give some games in the NHL.
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