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Iced Up Youngsters: Tyler Myers

By Eugene Markman

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This feature is a long time overdue. Tyler Myers plays in a small market and is somewhat overlooked. But he won rookie of the year, and will be one of the focal points as the Buffalo Sabres try to revive their franchise.

 

Career Stats

  • 82 Games, 11 Goals, 37 Assists

This tied for 11th among defensemen, not too shabby. Of course, there’s always room to get better.

Profile: Although born in the USA, Myers has represented Team Canada on the international stage. He moved there at age 9, and has dual citizenship.  There, he earned gold at the 2008 U18 IIHF World Championships, and another gold at the 2009 World Junior championships. At the club level, he helped win the WHL title in 2009. After registering 20 points during the playoff run, he was named playoff MVP. During his tenure there, in Juniors, he showed improvement each season. The biggest jump was from year 3 to year 4, when he won that title.  The Sabres must have seen it coming, as they drafted him prior to that 4th year. They moved up to get him at the 12th overall spot, and after seeing their young prospect flourish, signed him to a 3 year entry level deal.

What makes him special?: He’s got a solid all around game, and has beastly size. The Sabres are another team that wasn’t featured too much on national TV, so I had to do some YouTube research to understand his game. There’s the highlight of him shrugging off Milan Lucic like he was nothing.  There are the goals he scores when he sneaks in low and taps it in backdoor.  A little more research on Sabre Noise tells me that he’s a solid guy in his own end.  It’s hard to judge a guy’s defense looking at numbers, because there really aren’t any stat categories that measure up.  From what I’ve read, he makes his teammates better, and he plays against top offensive players.  And he’s got the qualities that any GM would want on their defense: confidence and a little mean streak.  A rookie defenseman doesn’t join the offense the way Myers does without being very aware and capable of what he can do. His 6’8″ frame gives him the cajones to throw his weight around as he pleases, and as he matures and bulks up, he can become the best defenseman in the league.  He’s far more talented than Zdena Chara was at this age, so imagine the possibilities.

Jersey worthy?: Oh yeah, he’s a definite BUY.  Good defensemen are a precious commodity, and the standout ones do not change teams often.  The Sabres will lock him up long term, so fans can feel safe getting a #57 sweater with Myers on the back.

Hate factor: Potentially pretty high.  He’s big, he’s strong, he will throw some big hits.  Of course, that translates to a lot of good players getting planted on their asses. And when you throw a lot of hits, they won’t always be clean.  He’s going to be a big target for any team that Buffalo faces.  And right now, as he will emerge as on of the leaders on the team, opponents will have to get him off his game in order to win.

Check out some previous Iced Up Youngsters features:

Thanks for reading!

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