Zach Hyman never played major junior hockey, opting to go the junior A route, then four years of college at U of Michigan, but he’s an OHL owner now after he and his family bought the Brantford Bulldogs off Ottawa Senators’ owner Michael Andlauer.
The hefty price might be in the neighbourhood of $20 million.
“Always looking for things I’m passionate about and hockey is my life and my family’s life. Very excited to do something with them,” said the Edmonton Oilers winger, who is buying the major junior club in concert with his dad Stuart, with brother Spencer looking after the team on a day-to-day basis.
Currently, the Bulldogs play in a 2,952-seat facility in Wayne Gretzky’s hometown but there’s a new $140 million sports and entertainment facility in Brantford with a targeted opening of early 2028. There are reports the junior team, which was originally in Hamilton with current Ottawa GM Steve Staios as team president, will be signing a 15-year lease at the new complex which will have more than 5,000 seats.
Hyman took a different route to the NHL from many kids in Ontario, but he’s diving into the major junior realm.
“I never got drafted (by an OHL team),” said Hyman, who instead played junior A in Hamilton.
“When I was 16 I was forced to make an impossible decision (college or major junior) and I’m very excited with this generation of kids because the rules have changed.”
In the past, if kids played even an exhibition game of major junior they couldn’t play NCAA hockey. Now they can play years of major junior, then go to an NCAA school.
“Kids should have the option to do whatever they like in sport,” he said.
So is management down the NHL road for Hyman?
“I guess I’m kind of in it now,” he laughed.
“Nah, I’m just focusing on today (and the Oilers). I don’t think there’s a more fun job than being a professional hockey player. I consider it a hobby I get paid for,” he said.
So no day-to-day hands-on with the Bulldogs, then? Getting in the coach’s office (Jay McKee)?
“That’s what Zoom’s for, eh? No, I’m very fortunate to have an amazing family I love and my brother Spencer is taking this on full-time. No better person to guide him than my dad who’s been a staple in hockey since I was a kid. It’s in our blood,” said Hyman, of his real estate developer father who owns the junior A Markham Royals and is chairman of the OJHL. Spencer is president of hockey operations for the Royals.
Stuart once owned multiple teams in the youth hockey Greater Toronto Hockey League where Hyman, Paul Coffey, Quinn Hughes and scores of other NHLers once played.
The official press conference will be Wednesday afternoon in Brantford, with Hyman on Zoom (all clean-shaven) from Minnesota before the Oilers play the Wild.
“Just before the Connor McDavid (OHL) top prospects game in Brantford. Fitting,” said Hyman.
OHL franchises are a lot more expensive to buy than ones in the WHL. In November, the majority interest sale of the Tri-City Americans from Bob Tory and ex NHLers, Olaf Kolzig and Stu Barnes, to tech businessman Jon Sortland closed at $9 million. Tory, who was here for the Los Angeles Kings-Oilers game Monday (Kings’ head man Jim Hiller was Tory’s junior coach), is staying on as GM on a new five-year contract with a seven percent stake in the franchise.
Barnes is the Americans’ coach today and Kolzig works as a goalie/ player development coach for the Washington Capitals.
Hyman still under glass
Hyman continues to protect his busted nose with a full plexi shield, but he’s growing weary of it.
“I asked the doc today (Monday) if I could take it off. It’s getting crazy. But I got bumped by one of the kids today and it was pretty sore. Last thing I want is a setback. I’ve worn it for four weeks and six weeks is the mark where everything (nose) sets,” said Hyman, who took an Evan Bouchard’s ripper in the face Dec. 16.
The shield protects Hyman but it is bothersome.
“It’s so hot and stuffy,” he said. “I want to get it off pretty fast but if I got bumped (without it) I could break it again,” said Hyman, who has four goals in 12 games since he busted the nose Dec. 16.
He does have a bit of a blind spot wearing it, looking down.
“Yeah, like where did the puck go?” he said.
Kings coach takes punitive action for McDavid takedown
When Alex Laferriere grabbed McDavid’s left leg and threw him to the ice after a big 97 hit on the Los Angeles Kings third-line winger late in the second period and got a penalty, his coach Hiller wasn’t impressed.
Laferriere, even with his 13 goals and 26 points, never played again. Pretty harsh — some coaches would have stapled the winger to the bench for, say, the first five minutes of the third, and sent him back out to redeem himself after McDavid finished off a wonderful effort by Leon Draisaitl on the ensuing 4-on-4.
But Hiller, who had only dressed 11 forwards, played the third with 10.
“It was a really bad penalty even though it got evened up (Kasperi Kapanen rushed to McDavid’s defence and grabbed Laferriere around the neck). That was probably the moment in the game I liked the least,” said Hiller, knowing how dangerous the Oilers are on a 4-on-4 with 97 and 29.
McDavid had missed Laferriere with the big hit by the benches as the Kings’ player ducked under the challenge. “The game was a little bit boring out there at times. Just trying to get myself and our group going. Seemed to work,” said 97.
Skinner struggles
The Oilers making left-winger Jeff Skinner a healthy scratch against a major playoff-divisional rival Monday is certainly a big tell on how coach Kris Knoblauch views the forward who is like a brown shoe with a black tuxedo playing on the fourth line.
Kapanen can do it, so can Corey Perry, who adapted quite nicely from being a first-line player most of his career in Anaheim. Skinner? Not so much.
He’s played better the last few weeks but he’s sat for three of the last eight games. He very well could be back in the lineup in Minnesota unless Knoblauch decides to go with 11 and 7 again or 4C Derek Ryan, also a sitter against the Kings, but this is an uncomfortable fit at $3 million for one season. He’s averaging 12:36 a game when he plays, the lowest of his career.
Trading him? As we know he would have to waive his no-move clause (he’s never played in the post-season).
Clearly, a team like Utah could use him in their top 6 and they’ve got tons of cap space, but are they making the post-season? Iffy.
This ‘n that: The Oilers dressed seven D against the Kings, going with 11 forwards, rare stuff for coach Kris Knoblauch, but his defence coach Coffey only really played five because Josh Brown got 6:23 and Troy Stecher 6:54. The normal sixth D Ty Emberson had a very good game and played 17:06, the most ice-time in 19 games, going back to Nov. 30 in Colorado (19:56)… The refs may have missed an Adrian Kempe slew-foot on McDavid in the third; video seems to show it… McDavid hit the post empty-net with Darcy Kuemper on the bench. He has only 22 empty-netters in his 10 NHL seasons. Draisaitil has 14. By comparison, Mikko Rantanen, whom the Oilers will see Thursday in Colorado, has seven just this season and 28 in his career. The injured Kirill Kaprizov, who might be back for the Wild-Oilers game, has six empty-netters.
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