SUNRISE, Fla. --Vinnie Hinostroza feels the best is still to come.
Joining the Florida Panthers on a one-year deal on the opening day of the NHL's free agency period last week, the 5-foot-9, 173-pound forward has been an effective player throughout his first five seasons in the NHL, recording 100 points (34 goals, 66 assists) in 246 career games.
But at 26 years old, he feels like he's only now just beginning to enter the prime of his career.
Hinostroza 'Full of Confidence' Heading into 1st Season with Panthers
"I'm in the best shape of my life," said Hinostroza, full of confidence. "I feel like I'm in the best mental space I've ever been in. I think my game's really come together. I've learned a lot. I'm not really scared of anything in the league anymore. I'm just excited to come to Florida and play. For me, it's a new beginning, a new opportunity, and a fresh start with some new teammates."
Prior to joining the Panthers, Hinostroza posted 22 points (five goals, 17 assists) in 68 games with the Arizona Coyotes during the 2019-20 campaign. In the postseason, he's dished out a pair of assists while averaging 11:19 of ice time, but did not have a ton of good opportunities on special teams.
With the Cats, Hinostroza wants to be counted on in all situations.
"I want to earn my ice time on the power play, I want to kill penalties and, obviously, I want to play at 5-on-5," said Hinostroza, who's averaged 13:32 of ice time per game in his career. "I think for me it's just getting my game together, coming down and putting everything together."
Thanks in large part to his work ethic, Bill Zito also believes Hinostroza has more to offer.
"He's another multi-positional guy who has a little bit of upside there from a skill perspective," said the Panthers general manager, who's been very busy since joining the club in September. "He's hard-working, [has] skill and also brings an element of character, leadership and work."
While Zito certainly sold Hinostroza on signing with the Panthers, Frank Vatrano also helped.
In addition to crossing paths more than a few times throughout their development, Hinostroza and Vatrano also teamed up to compete for Team USA at the 2016 IIHF World Championship.
"There's a bit of familiarity there," Hinostroza said of his relationship with Vatrano, who has been with Florida since 2018. "I was texting him for the past week, just sort of learning stuff. We talked about the team, talked about how much the loves it. I think it's just a great fit."
In looking at Hinostroza's development, the potential is certainly there.
Only two seasons removed from producing a career-best 39 points (16 goals, 23 assists) in Arizona in 2018-19, he credited his breakout year to a mixture of confidence and opportunity.
As a Panther, there's a good chance he'll have both of those things working in his favor.
"I think it was just a good year," Hinostroza said. "Obviously, last year wasn't the year I wanted to have after that. I know I can do it. I know I can have an even better year than I had that year. I just want to put my well-rounded game together -- defensively, offensively, just come down and be that complete player that I know I can be."
Aiding his transition to Florida, Hinostroza is happy to have a familiar face behind the bench in Panthers head coach Joel Quenneville. Originally selected in the sixth round (169th overall) by Chicago in the 2012 NHL Draft, he suited up under "Q" with the Blackhawks from 2015-2018.
"I think there's definitely going to be that comfortability there, just being familiar with the coach," Hinostroza said. "I'm sure he does some things different. I'm sure the systems are a little different than they were in Chicago. I've probably forgot some of them being in Arizona the last two years, but I'm just excited to get down there, earn my opportunities and work hard."
Eager to get started, Hinostroza said he's packing up his place in Arizona this week and then driving back to his hometown of Chicago. After he arrives, he'll spend a month or so training with "as many as 15" current NHL players before heading to Sunrise to prepare for 2020-21.
"I definitely want to get there as soon as possible," Hinostroza said.
