Tyszka returning to his Langley roots
Seattle Thunderbirds defenceman heading home to play Giants as NHL draft attention ramps up
Mark Tyszka is willing to come clean now.
He’s the father of Seattle Thunderbirds’ defenceman Jarret Tyszka, the Langley native whose combination of a 6-foot-3, 191-pound frame and offensive instincts is attracting attention ahead of the 2017 NHL draft.
The younger Tyszka (pronounced Tish-ka) will have a chance to perform Friday in a rink he’s especially familiar with when the Thunderbirds visit the Langley Events Centre to face the winless Vancouver Giants.
Mark was a goalie in his day. He suited up for the BCHL’s Penticton Knights, went on to play NCAA Division 3 with Wisconsin-River Falls. He knows the good stuff about being a netminder. He knows the rotten. He didn’t want it sugar-coated for his kids. He admits he went out of his way to make sure it was Jarret’s turn in goal against the toughest opponents when he played on those early level teams that alternate netminders up and down the roster every game.
“I don’t think he wanted us to be goalies,” Jarret said of himself and younger brother Matthew, 15, who’s a defenceman at Yale Academy.
It has worked out so far. Seattle general manager Russ Farwell, for one, contends the 17-year-old Tyszka “could be a real top-end guy ... a really good player.”
Obviously, Farwell has reasons to sell hard on Tyszka. Fair enough. You can also argue Farwell knows his defencemen since Seattle has featured the likes of Shea Theodore, Brenden Dillon and Thomas Hickey in recent Western Hockey League seasons.
Tyszka made NHL Central Scouting’s Futures List for the upcoming draft and you’re starting to see his name surface in mock drafts. Seattle used a first-round bantam draft pick on him in 2014, selecting him 16th overall after he produced 27 goals and 47 assists in 68 regular-season games with his Langley bantam team.
“The guy doesn’t know quite yet how good he is,” Farwell said of Tyszka, a left-handed shot. “He carries the puck and he’s accelerating and then he’s looking to pass, even though he could clearly gain more ground on his own. I think there’s a lot of potential to his game.”
Tyszka admits he needs to “play a bigger role this year, be a bigger asset.” He had three goals and three assists in 48 regular-season games as a rookie with Seattle last year, but there is prime ice time open, particularly with the graduation of Jerret Smith and Jared Hauf.
There’s also that matter of NHL teams looking at him.
“I’m trying to not think about the draft,” he said. “I’m trying to just worry about the next game. But the draft does sneak into the back of your mind.”
As for Mark, he and wife Vanita are excited to watch that Seattle game Friday in a rink Jarret has played in countless times coming through the ranks. He started the sport at the nearby Langley Sportsplex before playing at the LEC and George Preston Rec Centre.
“Playing there again is going to bring back memories,” Mark said.
POKE CHECKS: The offence for the Vancouver Giants should be getting a boost as wingers Ty Ronning (New York Rangers training camp) and Alec Baer (shoulder injury) are slated to make their season debuts. Ronning is Vancouver’s top returning goal scorer, coming off a 31-goal campaign in 2015-16. Baer is second, after netting 19.