NEWARK, N.J. — Minnesota Wild coach John Hynes has his players thinking about the top of the compass when they take the ice. On more than one occasion this season, Wild players have talked of playing a “North” game, meaning they push the puck forward whenever they are able.

Following the team’s Wednesday morning skate at the Prudential Center in Newark, Hynes was asked to define his team’s identity, less than 10 games into the season, and he talked directionally once again.

“Everybody talks about being hard to play against. But if I define that for us, I think that means we play a North-South game,” he said. “We’re up and out of our zone. We play North and direct. We put the other team under duress. We have a strong forecheck, heavy in the offense zone. I think we get to the net. We’re good at both net fronts, defensively and offensively.”

Hynes didn’t say as much, but a perfect example of that identity came in the form of Danila Yurov’s game-winner versus the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Monday.

Marcus Johansson went hard to the net, forcing the New York goalie to make a save. With the puck still loose and the goalie down, Yurov went hard to the crease and swept the loose puck over the goal line.

It was the kind of play that Hynes has been preaching, at a perfect time.

“That’s the attack style that we want to be able to play,” he said. “And on the flip side, we’ve got a bunch of guys that care about keeping the puck out of the net. So when we’re on the defensive side, I think we’re stingy defensively, as well.”

Familiar digs

For Hynes, the finale of this five-game road trip came in a familiar place.

A decade ago, at age 40, Hynes got his first opportunity as a NHL head coach when he was hired by the Devils in June 2015. He has made two more head coaching stops since then – in Nashville and now in Minnesota, but admitted that Newark will always produce fond memories for him.

“I’m grateful for a lot of the veteran players when I first came in as a young coach. They were great,” Hynes said, singling out Andy Greene, Travis Zajac and goalie Cory Schneider from his time in New Jersey. “

You learn every opportunity you get, every year you coach in the league. This was my formative years, and I was lucky I was surrounded by great management, great players and the organization in general,” Hynes said. “For me, it’s got a special place in my heart.”

Hynes coached the Devils for four full NHL seasons, taking them to the playoffs once. He was fired 26 games into his fifth season in New Jersey in December 2019, finishing with a 150-159-45 record as the Devils’ head coach.

Briefly

Wild defenseman Zach Bogosian, injured in the team’s loss in Washington last Friday, returned to Minnesota ahead of the team and underwent what Hynes called a procedure. The Wild placed Bogosian on injured reserve on Tuesday with a lower body injury. “I don’t know the exact timeline on him,” Hynes said. “But I’ll know more when we get back.”

Originally Published: October 22, 2025 at 4:30 PM CDT