Jarret Tyszka has watched the Canadian Hockey League Top Prospects Game on TV, but now the 17-year-old will get the opportunity to actually skate in the invite-only contest.
The second-year Seattle Thunderbirds defenceman is among the 40 CHL players invited to the game on Jan. 30 at the Centre Videotron in Quebec City.
The players were chosen based on the recommendation of all 30 NHL clubs with NHL Central Scouting then dividing the team into two squads.
“It feels great (to get invited),” Tyszka said.
“It will be very cool and maybe even surreal to play in a game with such importance and popularity.”
The game has been held since 1996.
“This event has annually featured the next wave of NHL talent showcasing their skills before hundreds of NHL scouts and general managers,” said CHL president David Branch, in a press release announcing the rosters.
Tyszka is one of the 15 players from the Western Hockey League.
The six-foot-three, 191-pound defenceman has five goals and 15 assists in 41 games entering this weekend. This comes on the heels of his 16-year-old season where he had three goals and three assists in 48 games.
He was a first round pick of Seattle in the 2014 WHL bantam draft, going 16th overall out of the Langley Minor Hockey Association.
“I have been getting better and more confident as the season goes on,” Tyszka said.
And his play has landed him on NHL Central Scouting’s radar as he came in at 33rd among North American skaters when the midseason rankings were released on Jan. 18. He was the sixth defenceman listed.
He began the season with a ‘B’ rating, which indicates a second or third round candidate.
The NHL Entry Draft is set for June 23 and 24 but Tyszka said he has no problems keeping the draft out of mind while focusing on the rest of the WHL season.
Tyszka was one of two Langley hockey players to make the midseason rankings with Regina Pats goaltender Jordan Hollett ranked 11th among North American goaltenders.
Injured since late November, Hollett has played in just eight games, posting a 7-0-1-0 record with a 2.76 goals against average and a .906 save percentage.
Defenceman Dylan Plouffe was listed at 110 while forwards Dawson Holt and Brendan Semchuk were 181st and 190th, respectively.
Semchuk has seven goals and 16 points in 43 games, Plouffe has four goals and 16 points in 42 games and Holt has five goals and 12 points in 32 games.
Troy Landreville Langley Times
Regina Pats goaltender Jordan Hollett makes a pad save during his team's victory over the Vancouver Giants back in November. The Langley teen is ranked 11th among North American goaltenders according to the NHL Central Scouting midseason rankings.
