The best defenceman in the Western Hockey League. That‘s what Ryan Huska(Rockets coach) calls Tyler Myers.
“He was our best player in the first round,” Huska said, referring to Kelowna‘s four-game sweep of Kamloops in WHL playoff action, a series capped last Wednesday when the Rockets posted a convincing 5-3 victory in Game 4.
“I thought he was the best player in the series. He did a lot of things well, and when he‘s playing with that little bit of extra confidence, his skating gets magnified. His ability, as a 6-foot-8 player, gets magnified as well.”
Later this week and next, the Kelowna Rockets will need every inch of the towering blue-liner when second-round action starts.
“I know I‘m going to have a role of shutting top lines down on the other team,” said Myers, who logged a good 30 minutes of ice time in all four games against Kamloops. “So I want to make sure I do a good job of that. I‘m trying to stay fit off the ice, so when I do play, I can play those minutes.”
“To me, he‘s night and day from last season,” Huska said of Myers, who was selected 12th overall by Buffalo in the NHL‘s 2008 entry draft last June. “He‘s scary . . . I think he‘s the best defenceman in the league right now.
“He does everything so well, especially defensively. It‘s hard for guys to come down his wing
because he puts his stick out and pokes pucks away. And when you look at how he‘s gaining confidence, especially on offence, he‘s developing into a well-rounded player.”
Huska wasn‘t alone in seeing Myers‘ impact.
“If there was an MVP in the series, it had to be Tyler Myers,” said Kamloops Daily News sports editor Gregg Drinnan. “I would suggest he got more ice time than any other player on either team. He played on the power play. He killed penalties. And while Cody Almond scored the tying goal in Game 3 with 2.9 seconds left in the third period, it was Myers who made it all possible with a determined rush from his own zone as the clock ticked down under 10 seconds.
“The Buffalo Sabres must have been smiling.”
Asked if he likes the extra minutes, and thus the spotlight, Myers said yes.
“Sometimes it can be hard on the body, but, over this season, I‘ve learned how to deal with the (extra) ice time,” said Myers. “It‘s been getting better and better as the season‘s going on, and I feel confident I can handle those minutes.”
“I think Buffalo will probably look to him in the future as a guy who‘ll play the bulk of their minutes.”
So, will Myers follow Schenn‘s footsteps and jump to the NHL with two seasons of junior eligibility left?
“The way he‘s going, I would assume so,” said Huska. “But you never know.” - Kelowna Daily Courier
Oh man. Tyler Myers is looking to be an orgasmically good stud defenseman for us. He was a force at the WJC's, and seems to have gotten even better since then. Who knows, maybe he will crack the Sabres lineup next year. He's turned into an all around monster, grown another inch(he's now 6'8", 211lbs) is capable of eating up 30-35 minutes of ice time a game, quarterbacking the powerplay, killing-penalties, and not to mention he hits and fights on a consistent basis, and is starting to contribute on offense a lot more. He has so much potential, and I can't wait to see him in blue & gold. What are his chances of making the Sabres out of camp this fall? I think it's a real possibility that he does.
Does this kid have the potential to be as dominant as Chara? I've only heard things about him, and everyone seems to be high on him, I haven't had the chance to actually see him, though.
He has the potential to be better than Chara, he's already a better and more fluid skater.
My god!
Sekera has the potential to be a great number 2(Or better), Butler has the potential to be a great top 4 (or better), and Weber has the potential to be atleast a great third pairing D-Man (or better). Now, add Myers into the equation, whom could become an elite D-man, and our defense is set for a bunch of years. Keep Rivet and Lydman/Spacek and our Defense will look like this in 2-3 seasons.
Myers-Sekera
Rivet-Butler
Weber-Spacek/Lydman
Thats a good mix of youth and Veteran leadership. I am excited.
The idea of whether Myers can make the squad out of camp was discussed last week.
The issue becomes Myers age and the fact that he's not old enough to play in the AHL. The consensus seemed to be that he might get a 10 game trial at the beginning of the year and then be evaluated as to whether or not to send him back to juniors or keep him on the big squad. Those that leaned towards keeping him were worried he might develop bad habits in juniors since he is advanced for the competition.
I don't get excited every time a coach sings the praises of one of their players.
Give me an Article where it is chock full of comments from opposing players and coaches saying "damn i hate having to play against that Myers kid". Only then will I start getting excited.
Myers will be on the bottom pairing this coming season IMO with Weber to start the year. Our future will be Sekera-Myers both eating 25+ minutes per game with Butler LD on the 2nd pairing and Weber LD on the 3rd pairing.
Another interesting combo for the future could be Butler-Myers, Weber-Sekera. We know how good Weber and Sekera are together and Rivet is teaching Butler very well. Patchwork for the rest of the spots.
Overall going into next year I want to see
Sekera-??
Butler-Rivet
Weber-Myers
They will already be a bigger and stronger core and they will be young as well.
If Tyler even remotely has a good training camp then you have to keep in on the roster for the first 9 games and find out. During the preseason I would play him almost every game just to get more evaluation time. The goal is to have a stud but if he's truly not ready then you send him back. If he looks ready you keep him and play him enough to allow his development to continue, but not too much, because too much, too soon, can have negative consequences.
And yes, he's is suppose o be well ahead of where Chara was at this stage.
Myers will not be with the Sabres next year as he has another year to develop in Junior.
There should be no rushing this kid as it will only hurt not help and I think by what the Sabres staff are saying they have it right.
Sometimes development can stall if you leave a guy in juniors when his ability has surpassed that level of play. I say, keep him hungry... give him the 10 game tryout next year... and take it from there.
I'm going to use this thread to ask a stupid question but one that I am confused about.
Why is it that drafting in the NHL is so much different than in the NFL, How many years does it take a prospect to play in the lower leagues to make it to the NHL (on average say)
In the NFL most 1st round picks play or even get starter roles on the clubs they are drafted for. I mean in the NHL you always have the Ovechkin and Crosby type players but they are the exception to the rule.
How often on average does it take for prospects to "develope" to the point of being able to tell if that player has "it" to play in the NHL?
I'm going to use this thread to ask a stupid question but one that I am confused about.
Why is it that drafting in the NHL is so much different than in the NFL, How many years does it take a prospect to play in the lower leagues to make it to the NHL (on average say)
In the NFL most 1st round picks play or even get starter roles on the clubs they are drafted for. I mean in the NHL you always have the Ovechkin and Crosby type players but they are the exception to the rule.
How often on average does it take for prospects to "develope" to the point of being able to tell if that player has "it" to play in the NHL?
the NFL drafts college players, usually in the 21-23 age range. The NHL drafts youngsters in the 17-19 age range.
I'm going to use this thread to ask a stupid question but one that I am confused about.
Why is it that drafting in the NHL is so much different than in the NFL, How many years does it take a prospect to play in the lower leagues to make it to the NHL (on average say)
In the NFL most 1st round picks play or even get starter roles on the clubs they are drafted for. I mean in the NHL you always have the Ovechkin and Crosby type players but they are the exception to the rule.
How often on average does it take for prospects to "develope" to the point of being able to tell if that player has "it" to play in the NHL?
I'm pretty sure it has to do with when a player is eligable(Sp?) for the draft. In football you have to choose whether you want to play another season of college ball or go straight to the NFL draft. Thats why you see so many players who have a great year in college ball go to the draft next year, because they know they will be a higher pick and get more money. Also, there are few other leagues besides the NFL, so there really aren't leagues used to develop a football player besides college ball. I mean, there is the CFL and Arena football, but most players who play there aren't good enough to make it in the NFL.
I'm not sure how a hockey player becomes eligable for the draft, but almost all of the NFL players come out of college to play, and you can't play college ball and pro ball at the same time.
Ah ok, it makes sense, I would imagine that a 17 year old would still not be fully grown enough even when working out that they would be able to compete with guys in their 20's and 30's,
I understand that the two sports are different I was just curious why many draft picks have to be developed, not that it is a bad thing I was wondering how many years it takes to determine how "nhl capable" a player will be.
Ah ok, it makes sense, I would imagine that a 17 year old would still not be fully grown enough even when working out that they would be able to compete with guys in their 20's and 30's,
I understand that the two sports are different I was just curious why many draft picks have to be developed, not that it is a bad thing I was wondering how many years it takes to determine how "nhl capable" a player will be.
Yea, most NFL players are 20-23ish when they're drafter, while most NHL players are much younger, 18 ish. So, NFL players are already physically entering their prime, while NHL players are still a few years a way from being fully developed. I'm sure that has a reason why, too.
Myers will look like a giant among ants when he comes up to Buffalo. Imagine him and Gerbe on out on the same shift, pinching the same corner. It'll be fun to watch, at least a lot more fun then what we've been seeing. How hard is his shot? Is it comparable to Chara?
Myers will look like a giant among ants when he comes up to Buffalo. Imagine him and Gerbe on out on the same shift, pinching the same corner. It'll be fun to watch, at least a lot more fun then what we've been seeing. How hard is his shot? Is it comparable to Chara?
No. Chara won the hardest shot competition at the ASG.
Here's the path the Kings took to drafting defenseman Colten Teubert with the No. 13 pick tonight...
The Kings acquired a 2008 first-round pick from Dallas in the trade last season that sent Mattias Norstrom to the Stars. That pick ended up being the No. 28 overall pick.
The Kings sent that No. 28 pick, along with the No. 17 pick they acquired by trading Michael Cammalleri to Calgary, for the Ducks' No. 12 pick, which the Ducks had acquired from Edmonton.
The Kings, eyeing defenseman Colten Teubert, thought they could move down from the No. 12 spot and still get Teubert. They had a deal in place, with an unnamed team, to move down two or three spots but Buffalo, which held the No. 13 pick, was nervous about missing out on its targeted player. The Kings and Sabres talked, and the Kings agreed to trade the No. 12 pick for Buffalo's No. 13 pick, plus a third-round pick in 2009, UNLESS the Kings and Sabres coveted the same player.
How did they resolve this? Each GM got out pen and paper and wrote down which player he wanted to draft. They agreed to make the 12-13 swap if they coveted different players, so that the third, unamed team wouldn't swoop in and steal Buffalo's targeted player. They showed each other the papers. The Kings wanted Teubert; the Sabres wanted Tyler Myers.
The Kings and Sabres made the swap. Buffalo took Myers at No. 12 and the Kings took Teubert at No. 13.
It was an option--they wouldn't have made the deal and allowed whatever other team below them to make the trade with LA. If that team then took anyone other than Teubert, the Sabres could have taken him. Not a 100% guaranteed strategy of course (although if LA knew the team that was trading up wanted Teubert they may not have made the deal), but it was an option.
I wonder how many people are still ticked we didn't pick Teubert.
*raises hand*
edit: Saw you said 'are still ticked'. In that case I put my hand down.
I confess I was ticked. However, ever since watching him during the rookie camp at NU I have been grinning from ear to ear.
The thing that struck me over and over is his skating. He is 6'8" and skates like Campbell. With that size/reach and that kind of fluid foot speed he is a big PITA to get around, and your certainly not going to go through him.
