Proud dad hoping for the call from Canucks
BCHL star Tychonick on Vancouver’s radar as potential second-round pick
Jonny Tychonick would seem to be a candidate to be the Vancouver Canucks’ second-round pick in this weekend’s NHL entry draft, and there’s one Canucks fan for whom that’s particularly appealing.
Kerry Tychonick was born in North Vancouver and still supports the Rogers Arena crew, even though he now lives in Calgary with his family. That’s something his 18-year-old son, who has manned the blue-line the past two seasons for the BCHL’s Penticton Vees, is keenly aware of.
“My dad was even more excited about me getting to meet with the Canucks than I was,” Jonny said of a sit-down at the NHL scouting combine earlier this month with Trevor Linden, Jim Benning and other members of the team’s front office. “He wanted me to make sure that I told them that the Canucks are his favourite team.”
The Canucks’ first selection is seventh overall. Their second is 37th, the sixth pick of the second round. Scouting website Future Considerations, for one, has Tychonick listed as their No. 36 prospect in their final rankings, which were published May 9.
Opinions on the six-foot, 177-pound, left-handed shooting rearguard vary sharply, though, like they do with so many players in this draft.
TSN’s Bob McKenzie had Tychonick at No. 50 in his rankings that came out on Monday, although he did also state in the piece that, “these lists are always an inexact science, but the marginal difference between prospects ranked from Nos. 21 through 65 is really slim this season. … It’s going to be a really scattershot affair beyond the top 20.”
Comparing other draft projections shows that, too. TSN cohort Craig Button slotted Tychonick at No. 54 in his June 5 rankings.
Cam Robinson at Dobber Prospects placed Tychonick at No. 29 in his June 15 mock draft, while Ryan Biech at Canucks Army pegged him at No. 46 on June 4.
An NHL scout, who wished to remain anonymous, offered up this scouting report: “Tychonick is an agile, two-way guy. He works hard on both sides of the puck. He has active feet and good hands and vision. Likely doesn’t have power play, offensive upside at the NHL level, but can be a puck-moving, second-pair guy.”
Tychonick is slated to play next season for the University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks, which would make his resume even more similar to that of Canucks rearguard Troy Stecher.
Stecher, 24, spent three seasons with the Vees and then three with North Dakota before signing with the Canucks as a free agent in April 2016.
Vees general manager/coach Fred Harbinson, who is preparing for his 12th campaign in Penticton, had Tychonick watch video of Stecher in Tychonick’s early days with the club.
Stecher is a right-handed shot of similar stature, checking in at five foot 10 and 190 pounds. “Stecher has this great drive and compete level. He has this grittiness to his game that I appreciate,” Jonny Tychonick said.
“He stepped into the NHL right away and made an impact. I remember him talking about how he didn’t want to tiptoe into the league. He wanted to cannon ball. That’s something I believe in.”
Tychonick maintains he doesn’t have a timeline for when he’ll be NHL ready.
He had 17 points, including three goals, in Penticton’s 11-game playoff run this spring after amassing 47 points, including nine goals, in 48 regular-season games. He was also part of the Team Canada entry that finished fifth at the under-18 world championships in Russia in April.
“It’s an important question,” he said of when he might jump to the pro game, “and it all depends on me. It’s about the work and dedication that I’m willing to put in. It depends on how I handle things at North Dakota, it depends on how many extra pucks I shoot every day, it depends on how much time I spend in the gym.”
(My dad) wanted me to make sure that I told them that the Canucks are his favourite team.