by Jason Karnosky | AHL On The Beat
The Milwaukee Admirals feature a game-breaker on offense this season.
Vinnie Hinostroza is the type of player who can change a game with his speed or his shot, or by making an impossible pass. He also happens to be leading the American Hockey League in scoring a quarter of the way through the 2024-25 season.
“Because Vinnie makes so many plays, he is the kind of guy that makes other players better and the whole team better,” Admirals teammate Cal O’Reilly said. “He is so creative, especially on the power play. He’s been a nice addition for us.”
With Hinostroza in tow, the Admirals lost their first game of 2024-25 before rattling off eight straight wins to hold the AHL’s top spot through October. The 10th-year pro had points in each of those victories, and had a nine-game point streak that lasted until Nov. 9.
“I want to help my team win, and I was definitely hot there in the early going,” said Hinostroza, who is now tied for the league lead with 28 points in 21 contests. “The last few games have been a little slower than my start, but I’ve been trying to get back to that.”
Hinostroza has points in 17 of Milwaukee’s 21 games this season. His standout performance came on Oct. 18 against Rockford, where he scored a goal and added three assists as the Admirals beat the IceHogs, 6-3.
“Vinnie is like an engine out there at times,” Admirals coach Karl Taylor said. “He’s just a buzzsaw, and he can really skate.”
After a year in the Pittsburgh Penguins organization, Hinostroza came to the Cream City looking for a chance to continue his career and play for a successful organization.
“You look at all the success that they’ve had here in Milwaukee over the years, that was very appetizing for myself and my family,” Hinostroza said. “Who doesn’t want to win and to be part of a good team?”
Playing in Southeast Wisconsin came with an added perk of being close to home for the Chicago native.
“It’s been unreal for our family, playing here in Milwaukee,” Hinostroza said. “I’ve able to be at home, keep the kids in school, and commute here. We’ve been able to keep our family in the same place.”
Taylor appreciates the opportunity to coach a player with extensive National Hockey League experience.
“It’s been nearly 400 games that this young man has played in the NHL,” Taylor said. “Vinnie wanted to go to another organization where he could be closer to home. We are very excited to have him, and his family, be part of what we are doing here. (Plus) he’s been showing some great leadership on our bench.”
To date Hinostroza has produced 54 goals and 151 points in 374 games at hockey’s highest level. Originally drafted in the sixth round by the Chicago Blackhawks in 2012, the 5-foot-10-inch forward joined his hometown team after two years of college hockey at the University of Notre Dame.
When he first turned pro, he split time between Rockford and Chicago, getting into 106 NHL games with the Blackhawks from 2015-18. Following his time in Chicago, Hinostroza moved on to stints with Arizona, where he posted a 16-goal and 39-point campaign in 2018-19, and later Florida. That was followed by a second tour in Chicago, and two seasons of mainly playing NHL hockey in Buffalo (2021-23).
Last year the journeyman split time between Pittsburgh (14 games) and the AHL’s Wilkes/Barre Scranton Penguins (42 games). With that impressive NHL pedigree, Hinostroza is certainly a player that Nashville is keeping an eye on for future call ups.
“From my standpoint the way Vinnie is playing, he should be playing in the NHL because he’s too good for this level,” O’Reilly said. “He’s a heck of a player and we are so fortunate to have him because of his scoring and his leadership.”
Hinostroza is driving Milwaukee’s offense this season. Around Thanksgiving the elusive forward scored three goals in four games and had another four-point effort in a 6-5 loss at Cleveland on November 24.
He has found chemistry with many of his younger teammates, including his usual linemate Reid Schaefer, a second-year power forward who plays a totally different style of game.
“Vinnie is certainly an NHL-caliber player, so it’s fun playing with him,” Schaefer said. “He is a pass-first kind of guy and plays the game really fast. If I get him the puck, I know he’s going to find me.”
Milwaukee has a solid track record of giving older players another opportunity to earn their way back to the NHL. Fellow veterans like Jarred Tinordi, Colin Blackwell, Rocco Grimaldi and Mark Jankowski are just a few of the players who have earned extended stints in the NHL after spending time in Milwaukee over the past few seasons.
Defenseman Nick Blankenburg was the most recent skater to take that path back to the NHL, moving up to Nashville after 13 games in Milwaukee this season. Hinostroza may be the next in line.
“We’ve really enjoyed having Vinnie,” Taylor said. “For how long we are going to have him, who knows, especially if he keeps playing the way he has been. Hopefully he gets everything he wants out of this season.”
For now, Hinostroza is trying to help Milwaukee get back to playing the kind of hockey that led to such a fast start.
