First Shift 🏒
It’s been quite a week for Justin Hryckowian.
The free agent forward who played at Northeastern University and worked his way up through the Stars’ AHL affiliate was front and center on Thursday when Dallas beat Edmonton 7-2 in a nationally televised game. Hryckowian was sticking up for teammate Arttu Hyry when he found himself in a scrum with three-time MVP Connor McDavid at the end of the second period.
The interaction was innocent enough, but the Oilers didn’t take kindly to anyone messing with their captain, so they harassed Hryckowian for the remainder of the game. At one point, the 25-year-old winger addressed the Oilers bench with some sharp words and a gestured stick point, and that made all the social media.
So, is it pretty cool that everyone knows how to pronounce your name, now, Justin?
“It’s been kind of a lot right now,” he said with a smile. “I’m just trying to stay in the moment and play my game.”
That’s what he was doing when this whole thing blew up, and that does bring him some comfort. Hyry accidentally shot a puck that hit Leon Draisaitl as time expired and that made McDavid mad.
“Connor was sticking up for his guy and Ritzy was sticking up for his guy, so I liked it,” said Stars coach Glen Gulutzan.
The coach also liked the fact the moment was true to Hryckowian’s career. The native of L'Ile-Bizard, Quebec is listed at 5-11, 198, so he has had to work his way up. He played three years at Northeastern and became a pretty good offensive player. When he signed with the Stars and jumped into Cedar Park, he found a way to tally 60 points (22 goals, 38 assists) in 67 games and earned the AHL Rookie of the Year. He was even better in the playoffs with 18 points (9 goals, 9 assists) in 14 games and that led him right to the Dallas Stars training camp in the fall.
A tight salary cap forced Dallas to part with Mason Marchment, Mikael Granlund and Evgenii Dadonov over the summer, and that opened the door for a player like Hryckowian. He impressed the new coaching staff and has been claiming ice time ever since.
“If there’s one guy that’s all business all of the time, it’s him,” Gulutzan said. “His routine hasn’t changed, it’s the same thing every day. It’s a very regimented pregame ritual and that’s how guys like him will themselves into the league and he’s not going to chance that.”
Still, the spotlight has been a challenge. The internet artists took one of the photos of him confronting the Oilers bench and turned it into a virtual portrait. Hryckowian worries his teammates might place a real one in his locker at some point. And his phone, well that has been working overtime. All of his friends from Quebec, from Boston, from Cedar Park are voicing their approval.
His mom was in town for the game and Hryckowian said it was a nice moment.
“It’s awesome for everyone,” he said. “Me and my family, we’re just trying to soak the moment in.”
Because if anyone knows that the Stars still have a lot of work to do, it’s Justin Hryckowian.
“It’s good for him,” Gulutzan said. “He’s focused, he’s not going to go buy a Lamborghini.”
But he is going to try to help the Stars win. Through 66 games, he has 23 points (10 goals, 13 assists) and has been a “Swiss Army knife” for Gulutzan, fitting into a lot of different roles.
“He’s at the center of a lot of the physicality,” said teammate Robertson. “You kind of see how his growth through the season, he's embracing what he's doing. Not just doing that (physical) stuff, but the little stuff, faceoffs, PK, even scoring and providing a little bite. It's a big piece for us as a team."
And as the league gets to know him, he understands the job will get tougher. But he seems to be ready for that.
“I just want to show up and help this team win,” he said. “That was a big game on national TV. It’s probably done by now…hopefully.”
