Phoenix Coyotes: Martin Hanzal Provides Promising Future

And in the red corner, standing at a towering 6’6″, weighing 236 lbs, representing the Phoenix Coyotes, Martin Hanzal!

Okay, jokes over.

Hanzal has started to emerge for the Coyotes in 2013, posting seven goals and three assists in 11 games played, ranking him second among his teammates. This is terrific news for Phoenix, as veteran guys such as captain Shane Doan and Steve Sullivan certainly don’t have many years left. The walking skyscraper that is Hanzal provides boatloads of upside for this aging hockey club.

Obviously, his size puts him at an advantage over almost anyone he steps out onto the ice with. Having that size as a center surely helps in the face-off department, a very crucial aspect in winning hockey games. It’ll also be much easier for him to body off opposing defenders, which will allow the offense to keep possession a lot of times. However, despite the massive appearance, Hanzal still possesses decent speed and tremendous puck handling.

He may be a center, but what about the presence this guy will have on the defensive end? That size should make it much more difficult for players to fire shots passed him. Hanzal can also use his size to out-body the opposition against the boards. These two aspects combined make Hanzal an ideal penalty killer. With how important special teams are, Hanzal makes for a key piece to any hockey club.

Look out for this 25-year old. It appears he is finally starting to showcase his true potential, making him a dangerous threat to any who stand in his way.

Don’t take that too seriously. He is not in fact planning on killing anyone.

Adam Pfeifer is a Senior Columnist covering the NHL for Rant Sports.

You can follow him on Twitter @aPfeiferRS.