Nick Schmaltz, Christian Dvorak, Vinnie Hinostroza, and Christian Fischer all grew up playing for the Chicago Mission youth ice hockey club. Today, the Mission is considered one of the best AAA youth ice hockey clubs in the nation. The quartet played for the Arizona Coyotes for two seasons (2018-19 and 2019-20) before they went their different ways. Here’s a look at how this group came together in the desert.
The Schmaltz and Dvorak Connection
The chemistry between forwards Schmaltz and Dvorak dates back to their days as linemates with the Mission. Playing for Chicago’s 13u AAA team in 2009, in 31 games Dvorak led the team in points (54). Who was behind him in scoring? Schmaltz with 50. The two played with Toronto Maple Leafs winger William Nylander the following season, and the three of them scored a combined 140 points in 77 games. Born within weeks of each other in 1996, the duo of Schmaltz and Dvorak were eventually paired on the same line in Arizona. However, that would not have happened without a trade that brought the former linemates back together.
Schmaltz was drafted 20th overall in the first round of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft by the Chicago Blackhawks. During his third season in Chicago, he was traded to the Coyotes for forwards Dylan Strome and Brendan Perlini. Dvorak was also drafted the same year as Schmaltz but was selected in the second round by Arizona.
Dvorak commented on being reunited with Schmaltz: “I played with Schmaltzy for a while back then with The Mission, like four or five years,” Dvorak said. “You don’t think about that possibility ever aligning again, so it’s pretty crazy that we’re together again,” (from ‘Christian Dvorak, Nick Schmaltz reviving childhood chemistry with the Coyotes,’ The Athletic, Oct. 25, 2019).
Their connection continued to shine in the NHL. During the 2019-2020 season, Arizona’s head coach Rick Tocchet matched winger Conor Garland with Schmaltz and Dvorak, and that line helped the Coyotes reach the playoffs for the first time in eight seasons: Garland scored a team-best 22 goals, Schmaltz was the team leader in assists (34) and points (45), and Dvorak set his career-best in goals (22) and points (38). The line featured a mixed bag of player types: a 200-foot player (Dvorak), a playmaker (Schmaltz), and a sniper (Garland).
Arizona’s general manager, John Chayka, talked about the bonus of childhood connections:…
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