BLOG: Hyman a 'massive addition' to Oilers

EDMONTON, AB - Zach Hyman needs no formal introduction.
Not at informal skates, at least.
The free agent acquisition greeted his team at Tuesday's on-ice session from Rogers Place in the most fitting way possible: crashing the crease and wiping out goaltender Mike Smith.
Thankfully, the collision caused no harm as the two shared a laugh but the power move did provide a glimpse into the intensity Hyman applies on the ice, serving as a season pre-cursor to his teammates.
"You just see how hard he works. He wins battles, gets pucks off the wall. He's got a lot more skill than people give him credit for. He's just a great player and whoever gets to play with him will work well," Captain Connor McDavid, fielding the media in-person from the Oilers Hall of Fame Room, said.

"He's a hard guy to play against," Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who faced Hyman and the Maple Leafs nine times last season,
told Inside Sports Host Reid Wilkins
. "He's going to be great for our team. He plays with that grit, that competitiveness and that determination that helps out a team so much."
Hyman and Edmonton's other off-season forward acquisitions, Warren Foegele and Derek Ryan, are expected to elevate the pace and poise of the offence. Their presence was palpable in the few captain's skates that have been arranged.
"The additions we made are older voices. Guys that have played around, played in big scenarios and big games. We've definitely added some speed up front and some tenacity," McDavid said.
But the arrival of Hyman, his relentlessness and work ethic could make the ultimate impact.
"He's a massive addition for us."