Vegas Golden Knights Bring Back Tomas Hyka For 2018-19 Season
Tomas Hyka is back in the fold with the Vegas Golden Knights, and he’s ready to make a push in training camp.
A ton of players on the Vegas Golden Knights stepped up this season. Sure, William Karlsson, Alex Tuch, and Erik Haula have made giant steps in their developments. However, I’m talking about the unheralded players on this hockey club.
Ryan Carpenter was claimed off of waivers and has made a considerable impact since coming over from San Jose. Tomas Nosek is also having a great playoff run for the expansion franchise. William Carrier has left his stamp on this playoff run as well. Both Nosek and Carrier are free agents after this year, but another unsung Golden Knight is ready for Vegas next year.
On Thursday, The Vegas Golden Knights announced the re-signing of Tomas Hyka. The contract details have came in and it’s a two-way deal for one year worth $650,000. Golden Knights general manager George McPhee took no time to get this signing done.
For those that don’t remember Hyka, he almost made the team out of training camp to start the year after a strong preseason. Former Golden Knight Brendan Leipsic edged out the Mlada Boleslav, Czech Republic native for the final roster spot. However, Hyka did get his chance during the regular season, and he did a pretty good job.
In ten games played, the rookie scored one goal, two assists and three points with a +2 rating. The 25-year old scored his first NHL against the Vancouver Canucks on February 23rd at T-Mobile Arena. One of the feel-good moments of the entire season, if you ask me.
What this signing means is Hyka has a real chance to make the team out of camp once again. If he puts up a similar preseason like he did this year, he has a strong chance of cracking the lineup on opening night in 2018. But he still needs to grow his game in specific areas.
Hyka can fly on the ice as his speed it’s one of his strongest attributes. His ability to shoot the puck at will is one of his greatest talents as well. But like anyone, there are kinks to his game too.
He has shown that he does make mistakes in his own zone and he needs to clean that up. Hyka needs to bulk up during the offseason if he wants to make it in the NHL. His lack of size at 5’11 and 160 lbs is underwhelming for a player of his skill.
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All in all, a nice cheap signing by the Vegas Golden Knights. Another young player to challenge for a spot on the roster is always healthy. Even if he doesn’t make it on opening night, it’s useful having him around for depth and injury purposes.