Each NHL team’s top breakout candidate for the 2019-20 season

Arizona Coyotes – Vinnie Hinostroza

Vinnie Hinostroza has always been an analytics darling. He does a lot of things that don’t necessarily show up on the score sheet. Last season, the hard work Hinostroza has put in finally started getting results, as he finished with 39 points in 82 games. 29 of those points came at five-on-five.

Let’s look at why Hinostroza has been loved by the analytics community. Recently, the importance of zone entries and zone exits have been a big deal. It’s relatively uncharted water, but it shows how effective a player is at turning play up the ice and how effective they are in the neutral zone.

Visualization via @CJTDevil, Data via @ShutdownLine

As you can see, Hinostroza is in the 95th percentile in zone entries and 93rd percentile in zone entry success rate. He’s well above average in zone exits and zone exit success rate as well. Hinostroza’s passes are also very efficient, as they tend to generate scoring chances. He’s also a strong contributor as far as shots on goal.

With a healthy team, the Coyotes should be able to provide Hinostroza with better linemates. This should help increase his production. Hinostroza, according to Evolving Hockey, has the third-highest WAR (0.9) on the Coyotes last season. He’s an effective player who has finally figured out how to turn the great things he does into positive results.