Vinnie Hinostroza

Did You Know?

• Hinostroza played lacrosse at Bartlett High School.
• He attended Waterloo West High School in Waterloo, Iowa, graduating in 2012.
• His paternal grandparents were from Ecuador.

Playing career

Hinostroza began his youth hockey with the Chicago Mission AAA Youth Hockey Club, where future NHL teammates Ryan Hartman and Nick Schmaltz also played. With the Mission's U16 midget team, he appeared in 34 games, recording 13 goals, 21 assists, and 38 penalty minutes. He attended USA Hockey's Central District U16 camp and was selected fourth overall by the Waterloo Black Hawks in the first round of the 2010 USHL Futures Draft. He later committed to playing college hockey at the University of Notre Dame. At Notre Dame, Hinostroza skated two seasons with the Fighting Irish. As a freshman, he was named to the 2013–14 Hockey East All-Rookie Team, and the following year he earned a spot on the 2014–15 Hockey East First All-Star Team. On March 21, 2015, after his junior season, he signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Chicago Blackhawks, ending his collegiate career. He began his professional rookie season in 2015–16 with the Blackhawks' American Hockey League affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs. On October 16, 2015, he was recalled by Chicago, and the next day he made his NHL debut against the Columbus Blue Jackets, recording two penalty minutes and two shots on goal in a 4–1 win. His first NHL goal came on November 19, 2016, against Jacob Markström of the Vancouver Canucks; he also added two assists in that game as the Blackhawks rallied from a 3–0 deficit to win in overtime. On June 15, 2018, Hinostroza agreed to a two-year contract with the Blackhawks despite the possibility of becoming a free agent on July 1. On July 12, 2018, he was traded to the Arizona Coyotes along with Marián Hossa, Jordan Oesterle, and a 2019 third-round pick in exchange for Andrew Campbell, prospect MacKenzie Entwistle, Marcus Krüger, Jordan Maletta, and a 2019 fifth-round draft pick, a move that cleared $8.5 million in cap space for Chicago. On October 8, 2020, as an impending restricted free agent, the Coyotes did not tender him a qualifying offer, releasing him to free agency. The next day, he signed a one-year, $1 million contract with the Florida Panthers. On April 2, 2021, he was traded back to the Blackhawks for Brad Morrison. After recording no points in nine games for Florida, he tallied four goals and eight assists in 14 games with Chicago.