Defence comes before offence for Hinds
When Tyson Hinds was named to Canada’s World Juniors selection camp, a spot on the team’s final roster was far from a guarantee.
Now it seems unfathomable to not have in the lineup.
“From the start, when I came here, I was an underdog,” Hinds said. “[Now], I’m really confident.”
His value has been immense, to say the least. The Sherbrooke d-man has averaged 16:02 a night while his +9 rating is tied for the third best in the tournament and is the best among all blueliners. He played alongside Brandt Clarke in Canada’s first three games and in Canada’s New Year’s Eve win over Sweden, Hinds was paired with Seattle Thunderbirds d-man Kevin Korchinski.
The 19-year-old has also chipped in with a pair of goals, although he himself admits its an afterthought to his defensive duties.
“I don’t try to think too much,” Hinds said. “I join [the rush] when it’s time. I’m good defensively so I try to add a bit of offence in my game, but I’m concentrating more on my defence.”
A 🚀 off the stick of Tyson Hinds! #WorldJuniors pic.twitter.com/yfUIaIA5WD
— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) January 1, 2023
In fact, Hinds only has one less goal than his Phoenix teammate, Joshua Roy.
“I’m very happy for him,” Roy said. “He worked so hard during the regular season and now he earned a place on the team and now he’s here scoring goals.”
Goals aside, Hinds is thrilled to have his close friend alongside him. Roy was part of Canada’s 2022 gold-medal winning squad and Hinds admits the ability to lean on a close friend with experience made him much more comfortable.
“It’s really fun to have him here,” Hinds said. “He’s one of my best friends back home. From the very beginning when we came here together it was a stress relief to have a buddy with you that you can talk to on good days and bad days.”
Those bad days are few and far between. With the Phoenix, Hinds has nine goals, 28 points and a +22 rating in 27 games. Despite missing nine games this season, Hinds still ranks seventh in QMJHL scoring among blueliners, while his +/- places him fourth.
Yet, while his offence is certainly coming along, it’s still his defence that is the first point of discussion.
“He impresses me with how he plays one-on-one, how he takes ice away from the puck carrier,” said Sherbrooke head coach and Canada assistant coach Stephane Julien earlier this week. “I haven’t seen him beaten one-on-one very often, both in this tournament and back in Sherbrooke this season. He’s a true pro. Shift after shift, he works very hard. Day to day, he progresses so much.”
HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA – DECEMBER 28: Canada’s Tyson Hinds #4 and Joshua Roy #9 are smiles as they salute the crowd after an 11-2 Preliminary Round – Group A win against Germany at the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship at Scotiabank Centre on December 28, 2022 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. (Photo by Matt Zambonin/IIHF)
Canada suffered a shock defeat in its tournament opener against Czechia but have since steamrolled into the quarterfinals with Roy saying “we’ve made a statement to everyone in the tournament that the first game was just a mistake.”
Against Slovakia tonight, Hinds, who was a third-round pick by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2021 NHL Draft, will be tasked with shutting down fellow CHLers Filip Mesar (KIT) and Servac Petrovsky (OS), among others.
Canada beat Slovakia 6-1 in pre-tournament play, but with a semi-final berth at stake, there’s no room for complacency now.
“They’re a good team,” Hinds said. “We need to be prepared.”
