The telephone, the object with the funny dial and coiled cord that some of us employed in romantic pursuits with varying degrees of success, is a relic. Now, as Chris Heidelberger explains, young people open Snapchat on their phones to initiate the quest of companionship.

“From a parent’s perspective, you went from reluctantly giving it to them for convenience to, ‘It’s inevitable. They’re going to be behind if they don’t get it,’ ’’ said Heidelberger, a father of three, of the eventual parental concession to children’s mobile connectivity requests. “I have a 15-year-old now — a great, fun kid. If he’s not studying or playing hockey, he’s doing Snapchat or Instagram like 95 percent of his friends. It’s just the way it is.’’

At 18 years old, Patrik Laine, Winnipeg’s goal-scoring prodigy, falls right into this window. Laine, like all of his peers, grew up with his phone with a greater level of engagement, for example, than 33-year-old teammate Chris Thorburn or 49-year-old coach Paul Maurice.

As the league trends younger toward players such as Laine, connectivity will run even deeper. With each passing season, the NHL will welcome players who are not just handy with their phones but practically helpless without them.

So it stands to reason that players will turn to their swiping fingers for all the information they require. This is where Heidelberger, as a CEO as well as a parent, believes he’s uncovered a demand at the rink. The parental prism helped inform Heidelberger that DRIVN, the app he cofounded from his home base in Natick with chief technology officer Rob Gagne and four-year Boston College forward Matt Lombardi, could become as important a resource to players as their on-ice tools.

On its surface, the app, which was launched in November 2015, allows players and coaches to interact. They operate within their exclusive ecosystem where they can access calendars, training programs, travel itineraries, and meal plans. Players can engage in enclosed individual or teamwide chats instead of disjointed text threads. There’s no need for printed schedules that flutter off a player’s stall whenever a teammate walks by.

Teams can customize the app to their preferences. For example, the Harvard men’s hockey team built its version to include meal orders. After gathering requests from players through their phones, the hockey operations staff can use the app to send in the entire order for the team to a restaurant or caterer.

The ECHL’s Manchester Monarchs require some of their players to keep food logs on their phones through the app. Each week, the players huddle with coaches and trainers to review the logs and determine whether they’re eating right and either putting on or taking off the desired weight. All the data is tracked and imported into an Excel worksheet.

The Georgia Southern men’s soccer team requested inputs for variables such as sleep quality and rate of perceived exertion. By using a slide bar, players could log how well they slept or how hard they believed they trained. In turn, coaches and trainers could chart the data and identify correlations with game performance.

The Flyers are DRIVN customers. So are the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, Philadelphia’s AHL affiliate. College hockey clients include Boston College, Boston University, Harvard, UMass Amherst, University of New Hampshire, Providence College, and St. Lawrence. Women’s customers include the Boston Pride and University of Vermont. Based on number of users and features, prices range from $499 to $10,000 annually per team.

“I’ve talked to clients who’ve used it who love it,’’ said Wellesley-based agent Matt Keator, a longtime acquaintance of Heidelberger. “It helps teams get more cohesive. As individuals, they get better. There’s accountability in what they do day in and day out.’’

Aside from such apps’ bells and whistles, the fascinating part is how mobile technology can contribute to qualities such as team culture just as easily as they can track data or synch calendars. The way former NHLer Jeff Giuliano explains it, the phone has become an extension of the dressing room. In that way, players’ iPhones are assisting with team building.

“You’re hanging out when you’re not hanging out,’’ said Giuliano, Manchester’s assistant coach. “You’ve got chat, you’re sending pictures, giving guys [a hard time].’’

To a man, former players such as Giuliano, who concluded his playing career in Germany in 2014-15, say they miss the environment most when they retire. As much as they enjoy playing, they love being in the room, which, as any inhabitant can testify, is simply a platform for 24-7 chop-busting. Hockey players excel in the takedown, and not just the gloves-off kind on the ice. All material is fair game.

This component of hockey culture is no longer confined to in-person banter in the room, on the bus, or in the hotel. A digital version of interaction takes place through players’ fingers when they carve each other in chats or share embarrassing pictures.

Giuliano is no dinosaur at 37 years old. But even Giuliano acknowledges the kids he’s coaching have their noses buried in their phones to a greater level than to which he can relate and connecting in a manner that would mystify older players.

“It translates on the ice,’’ Giuliano said. “The more comfortable with guys that you are, the more at ease you are and the better you play.’’

As keenly as players are connected to their phones now, the engagement will become even deeper. Heidelberger’s next checkpoint is integrating video into the app, most likely through a partnership, with the objective being for players to view shifts, highlights, or coaches’ corrections. At the rink, coaches regularly pull aside players for video sessions on laptops and tablets. This will extend to their phones for around-the-clock video availability.

Such mobile interaction may seem like overkill. Observe the teenagers and pre-teens, however, who are tapping away on apps that appear bewildering to us graybeards. This is reality.

Hockey is one of those unusual vocations where phones are not employed during on-ice working hours. It’s a different story off the ice.

“It’s imminent that coaching is going to be revolutionized by mobile technology,’’ Heidelberger said. “It wasn’t so obvious five years ago.’’

“To me, everybody’s going to be using this over the next several years,’’ Heidelberger continued, pointing at his phone. “There’s no question. It’s coming off paper and PDFs and moving to a mobile app. That’s where kids are.’’

NICE SURPRISE

Marchessault a find for Panthers

Had Jonathan Marchessault been property of any club other than Tampa Bay, it’s likely he would have been re-signed instead of being allowed to reach unrestricted free agency last July.

Marchessault was undrafted. He even spent an extra year in the QMJHL as an overage player for the Quebec Remparts, Patrick Roy’s former junior team.

But the things the NHL initially didn’t glimpse in Marchessault became quite evident by the time he appeared in 45 games for the Lightning in 2015-16. The right-shot forward is skilled, smart, and shifty. Despite limited opportunities, Marchessault had seven goals and 11 assists last season while averaging 12:05 of ice time.

The Lightning, however, are defined by two features: loaded up front and tight against the cap. They had to extend the contracts of Steven Stamkos, Victor Hedman, Nikita Kucherov, and Alex Killorn for 2016-17. They are budgeting for pending raises for Jonathan Drouin, Tyler Johnson, and Ondrej Palat, all up after this season. Andrei Vasilevskiy will take over for Ben Bishop as the full-time ace goaltender next year when his three-year, $10.5 million second contract kicks in.

All that made Marchessault an unfortunate but expected odd man out. For all his skill, Marchessault became expendable because he played at Tampa’s position of strength. Tampa’s cross-state rival is reaping the benefits.

“He’s been unbelievable,’’ said Panthers general manager and interim coach Tom Rowe. “I think he’s been better than we even thought. If anybody said to us he’d be scoring 10 goals at this point and our leading scorer, we’d all be scratching our head. We didn’t see this. This is definitely way above our expectations.’’

The Panthers were aggressive with Marchessault on July 1. In turn, Marchessault appreciated the pursuit. Players of his profile (25 years old, undrafted, 5 feet 9 inches, 174 pounds, 306 AHL appearances between three organizations) regularly have to accept European assignments instead of landing NHL work upon reaching unrestricted status. So Marchessault accepted a two-year, $1.5 million contract. He’s probably wishing he asked for shorter term or higher salary.

Despite missing the last three games because of a lower-body injury, Marchessault remains Florida’s leading scorer with 10 goals and nine assists in 25 games while averaging 18:04 of playing time. Before his injury on Dec. 3 against Ottawa, Marchessault was riding shotgun with Aleksander Barkov and Jaromir Jagr on Florida’s No. 1 line.

Marchessault has benefited from the Achilles’ injury suffered by Jonathan Huberdeau, originally pegged to be the No. 1 left wing. Huberdeau has yet to play because of the preseason injury.

But Marchessault has made the most of his opportunity. He’s been a positive possession player at even strength. At five-on-five, Marchessault is averaging 1.51 points per 60 minutes of play, second-most on the team after Barkov (1.63).

The analytics-driven Panthers identified value in Marchessault. They certainly got it — for now.

“I knew he was a real good player, because I’d coached against him quite a bit,’’ Rowe said. “Scotty Allen coached against him as well. So we knew what we were getting, more to complement our third and fourth line. Now that he’s been able to do what he does, obviously his value to us is a lot higher. He’s probably going to get a pretty good contract someday because of it.’’

ETC.

Atkinson leading Jackets’ upswing

Columbus is rolling. The Blue Jackets are in the thick of the playoff chase. Through 24 games, the Sons of John Tortorella posted a plus-24 goal differential, second-best in the league behind the Rangers (plus-29).

As usual, a good deal of credit goes to the goalie. A slimmer Sergei Bobrovsky, limited to 37 appearances last season (.908 save percentage), is back at his Vezina-pushing best. Through 21 starts, Bobrovsky was 14-5-2 with a 2.03 goals-against average and .930 save percentage.

Columbus’s skaters are also pulling on the chain, led by former BC standout Cam Atkinson. The 27-year-old has always been one of the league’s best skaters. This season, the right-shot wing is putting his wheels together with his hands, vision, and confidence. Atkinson is rolling along at a point-per-game clip, posting an 8-15—23 line through 24 games.

In Columbus’s 4-1 win over Arizona on Thursday, Atkinson punched in two helpers on the power play. Atkinson’s become a man-up fixture along with Alexander Wennberg, Sam Gagner, Nick Foligno, and Zach Werenski on the No. 1 unit. The 5-8, 182-pound Atkinson is playing like another Tortorella disciple: 5-8, 176-pound Martin St. Louis, who served under the flammable coach in Tampa Bay. Coincidentally, Atkinson and St. Louis were offseason training partners at Prentiss Sports Performance in Connecticut.

Staal at the center of resurgence

Raise your hand if you believed Nino Niederreiter, Eric Staal, and Charlie Coyle would make up one of the league’s better lines. Staal, the former Carolina captain, looked at times last season like his legs were cooked. Niederreiter has been a good player but not a consistent top-six threat. Coyle, an East Weymouth native, set a career high last season with 21 goals. For whatever reason, the three forwards have been consistent performers for the Wild. The line’s power starts in the middle with Staal, signed to a three-year, $10.5 million contract on July 1. The term more than the salary looked risky for the Wild. But so far, it’s looking like a wise investment. Through 25 games, the 32-year-old Staal had a 6-12—18 line while logging 19:17 of ice time per outing, more than three minutes more than he received during 20 mismatched appearances with the Rangers. The 6-4, 208-pound Staal is playing both heavy and skilled hockey, which has complemented the size and hands of his burly linemates (Niederreiter is 6-2, 211 pounds while Coyle is 6-3, 221 pounds). Nobody has questioned Coyle’s touch, even from his days with the South Shore Kings. But Coyle didn’t consistently play with the hardness and diligence he’s practicing as a 24-year-old.

Thirty-nothing

The Rangers rolled out a unique group of forwards in their 2-1 win over the Jets on Thursday. All 12 forwards were younger than 30 years old, including Massachusetts natives Chris Kreider (25) and Kevin Hayes (24). Rick Nash, 32, has been a regular in Alain Vigneault’s lineup, but the veteran was out because of a groin injury. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the last time the Rangers played when every forward was 30 or younger was against Calgary on March 8, 1987. Under-30 participants in that game included current Las Vegas GM George McPhee and ex-Arizona GM Don Maloney.

Important role for Marner

If there is any doubt of the trust Mitch Marner has gained from his coaches, consider the 19-year-old’s role on the Maple Leafs’ power play. Part of Marner’s duties is to serve as the primary delay outlet. When Morgan Rielly, tasked to initiate the breakout, runs into trouble before gaining the zone, the defenseman knows that Marner is trailing him. If Rielly drops the puck to Marner, the rookie becomes the next option to carry the puck over the blue line. It’s not an easy job. It requires poise and vision to read off the initial rush. David Krejci’s become good at it in Boston when Torey Krug meets resistance. But Krejci is a veteran. Marner, second on the team in average power-play time per game (2:29) after fellow rookie Auston Matthews (2:32), is so young he has yet to invest in a razor.

Loose pucks

Aaron Ekblad dropped Keith Yandle with a shot to the foot on Monday against the Bruins. The friendly fire limited Yandle to six shifts over 4:51 of ice time. The Panthers expected Yandle to be out for at least the following night against Philadelphia, which would have halted the defenseman’s ironman streak at 577 games. But Yandle responded well to treatment and dressed against the Flyers, attempting a game-high nine shots in 23:57 of play and keeping his streak alive. They raise them tough in Milton . . . It’s possible that Lars Johansson could make his NHL debut soon. Johansson, last season’s Goalie of the Year in the Swedish Elite League, is backing up Scott Darling in Chicago while Corey Crawford recovers from an appendectomy. Chicago plays road games against the Rangers (Tuesday), Islanders (Thursday), and Blues (Saturday), then returns home on Sunday to host the Sharks. It’s hard to see the Blackhawks riding Darling for that long. Johansson had been playing in Rockford, Chicago’s AHL affiliate, in his first season of North American hockey . . . Media relations personnel have a hard job. They are team employees but also tasked to assist outlets not inclined to toss valentines at their employers. In this context, nobody did a better job than Beverly native Eric Tosi, formerly of the Bruins and now the vice president of communications and content with the Golden Knights. For 10 years, “Tose,’’ as he is known around the rink, conducted his work in Boston with professionalism, clarity, and good cheer. We wish him all the best in helping to build a franchise from the sand up.

Fluto Shinzawa can be reached at fshinzawa@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeFluto. Material from interviews, wire services, other beat writers, and league and team sources was used in this report.