Lumberjacks Veteran David Hymovitch off to a Great Start with His Specialty: Setting Teammates up to Score
October 6, 2022 – United States Hockey League (USHL) – Muskegon Lumberjacks News Release
For this first time in three years, Muskegon Lumberjacks forward David Hymovitch has made the Top 20 list of USHL point producers.
Of course it’s still very early in the season and hard to say what kind of year Hymovitch will have, but he’s eager to see what he can produce after two years of learning.
“I actually didn’t know that,” Hymovitch said when told he’s in the league’s Top 20. “I usually don’t keep track of that kind of stuff. But I’ve had some early success and hopefully I can help us get some wins.”
Like a lot of veteran Lumberjacks, Hymovitch is stepping into a much bigger role this season, taking over for players like Quinn Hutson, Joey Larson and Jack Williams, who moved on to college hockey this year.
It’s taken Hymovitch a bit longer than most players to get the opportunity for more ice time. He’s a third-year Lumberjack, but his first season was spent battling injuries, then last season he was playing behind a lot of talented older forwards.
Now it’s time for Hymovitch and teammates like Owen Mehlenbacher, Jake Richard, Tyler Hotson and others to carry the load after playing lesser roles last season.
“It’s a big step, but it’s easy when you have a lot of guys around you doing the same thing,” said Hymovitch, who has one goal and three assists in three games. “They’re all great players, which makes it easy for me.”
Hymovitch said the Jacks have a lot more talent than some people might think after their 1-2 start to the season.
“It’s awesome,” he said about the team roster. “If you go up and down our charts we have a ton of depth. Even our nightly scratches would be top guys on other teams. I have to fight every day to keep a high-end role.”
It’s no surprise that Hymovitch already has three assists, because setting up goals for others has become his specialty.
He sees the ice very well and is an elite passer, so his main mindset has always been to find the open teammate who can bury the puck in the net.
Lumberjacks Coach Mike Hamilton appreciates that sort of unselfishness, and knows how important playmakers are, but he would also like to see Hymovitch be the goal scorer more often this season.
“He’s kind of evolved since he came here, and he’s been in and out of the lineup as he’s learned our style of play,” Hamilton said about Hymovitch. “It’s great to see his game start to come together. He has elite playmaking skills. He loves to pass the puck. Now he needs to gain that confidence and ability to score more goals, because he has a really good shot.”
Hymovitch has talked to Hamilton about taking more shots and says it’s a “work in progress.”
“I see plays that are open and a I trust my teammates to finish the job,” said Hymovitch, who has taken two shots this season and scored on one of them. “I just think they’re more open than me sometimes. But I’ve been working on my shot, gaining more confidence in it and using it more. Coach and I have talked. My goal this year is to shoot at least once per game.”
Hymovitch’s lone goal so far this season came in the Jacks’ first game, a 7-4 victory over Sioux Falls.
He could have had another goal last Friday in the home-opener, a 5-1 loss to Chicago, when the puck came to him when he was next to a wide-open net.
“I had an easy one-timer, but I just fanned on it and it went right through my legs,” he said.
The Jacks had plenty of missed opportunities on Friday, when they generated lots of shots on goal but only coaxed one into the net.
Hymovitch said the players didn’t let the loss get them down, because they know they performed better as the game went on and will have plenty of opportunities ahead to win.
“We never like to lose,” he said. “We weren’t all smiles after the game, but we like what we did in the second and third periods, and we’re going to build on that.”
After spending the better part of two years in Muskegon, the city has become very familiar for Hymovitch. His parents fly in from their home in Scottsdale, Arizona to watch him play pretty frequently, so they’ve gotten to know the area, as well.
“It’s pretty crazy, but after two years here I have my favorite restaurants and I know the streets,” he said. “It’s become like a second home for me and my family. My mom comes more than my dad. She would be here every weekend if she could.”
Hymovitch said he would love to leave Muskegon with a parting gift before he moves on to play at Quinnipiac University next season – the first Clark Cup championship in franchise history.
“That’s been the goal every year, and we have the talent, mindset and competitiveness to do it this year,” he said. “This is definitely the year to just go out and do it.”
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