Healthy Aston-Reese finds niche built on defense, grit
Zach Aston-Reese lay motionless in a sensory deprivation tank last offseason. His body gently bobbed up and down in the saltwater solution. Silence and darkness washed over him.
After enduring numerous injuries in his first two full seasons of pro hockey, the Penguins forward wanted to work out in a more hockey-oriented community. He decided to train in Toronto this offseason with Penguins strength coach Andy O’Brien and a collection of the NHL’s top players.
As he prepared his body for the rigors of an NHL season, Aston-Reese did a lot of physiotherapy. He worked on some active-release techniques to relieve soft-tissue tension. And — just once — this float tank thing, which proponents
“I think there’s another level of offense to his game. Hopefully, we can continue to work with him to get him to another level offensively. I think he’s really capable.”
Mike Sullivan
say helps with pain management, increases circulation, heightens senses and draws toxins out of the body.
So, did it work?
“It was just weird,” Aston-Reese said.
OK, maybe the float tank wasn’t Aston-Reese’s thing. But whether it was the other training techniques or just good fortune, he’s achieving one of his biggest goals this season: Staying healthy and on the ice.
“That’s kind of my biggest goal,” Aston-Reese said. “No matter what. Everything else aside, I just want to play a full 82 games and see what happens.”
Aston-Reese has flashed some promising attributes, since he signed an entrylevel contract in 2017 with the Penguins out of Northeastern. Last year, he earned some top-six minutes next to Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel.
He also has been forced to endure injuries that limited his production and his availability. An upper-body injury kept him out 13 games in 2017-18. A broken jaw and concussion ended his postseason prematurely that season. A broken hand caused him to miss 13 more games last year.
This year has been different. During an injuryplagued Penguins season, the list of players with prolonged absences is long and noteworthy. Just five players have suited up for every game — Brandon Tanev, Teddy Blueger, Dominik Simon, Marcus Pettersson … and Aston-Reese.
“Guys are always playing with little bumps and bruises,” Aston-Reese said. “But to have nothing serious, feels pretty good.”
At least publicly, the most significant ailment he has endured is a chipped tooth from when a puck nailed him on the face. It took a little glue and two stitches to heal that one. But the tattoo on the inside of his lip remained intact.
By staying healthy and available, Aston-Reese also has carved out a niche for himself, becoming a valuable piece of one of the Penguins’ most important lines.
“Zach is a real good 200foot player,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “He’s a good penalty-killer … he’s a good shot blocker. He’s good on the wall.
“I think he understands what he brings to this team, what his role is and how he can help this team win.”
One of those ways is as a piece of one of the Penguins’ most-consistent lines. Playing on a line with center Blueger and right wing Tanev, Aston-Reese is part of a group that typically has to start its shift in the defensive zone and often is asked to snuff out an opponent’s top line.
Even though Sullivan typically likes to experiment with different line combinations, this is the one group he has kept together most consistently because of their ability to control puck possession and keep some of the opponents’ top weapons off the scoreboard.
“We just care a lot about what our role is and what our job is,” Aston-Reese said. “The way coach [Sullivan] deploys us, a lot of nights, he’ll trust us against other teams’ top lines. We all take pride in that.”
At 25, Aston-Reese is still young and developing. He’s under contract for one more year after this one, per the agreement he signed last offseason. There are still areas he can continue to improve upon. Aston-Reese admitted his offensive production isn’t where he would like it to be, after tallying five goals and seven assists in 52 games.
“I think there’s another level of offense to his game,” Sullivan said. “Hopefully, we can continue to work with him to get him to another level offensively. I think he’s really capable.”
In order to do that, the key will be to stay on the ice. Maybe another float tank? Nah.
“Just gotta get my Vitamin D, I guess,” Aston-Reese said. “Say my ‘Our Fathers’ or ‘Hail Mary’s.’ ”