BCHL: Jonny Tychonick (2018 Draft Eligible)

Ranking as an early second round pick in our most recent 2018 NHL Draft Ranking, Jonny Tychonick is an elite skating offensive defenceman. Kevin Olexson provides a detailed scouting report below.

A note on the 20-80 scale used below. We look at five attributes (skating, shooting, puck skills, hockey IQ and physicality) for skaters and six for goalies (athleticism/quickness, compete/temperament, vision/play reading, technique/style, rebound control and puck handling). Each individual attribute is graded along the 20-80 scales, which includes half-grades. The idea is that a projection of 50 in a given attribute meant that our observer believed that the player could get to roughly NHL average at that attribute at maturity.

Skating: Tychonick is a strong skating puck rushing defenseman. In fact his skating is the strongest aspect of his game, and allows him to be so effective on the ice. He is a very strong skater who moves his feet quickly and uses his edges nicely. He keeps a nice wide stance, and really digs in when he needs to get going. He takes strong powerful strides and gets lots of power in his steps. He accelerates instantly, is very mobile and keeps his feet going most of the time. Tychonick likes to rush the puck, and can literally fly up the ice, usually catching his opponents off guard as he races by them with his speed and fancy edgework. He moves fast up and down the ice, and moves his feet quickly to cover east and west. He is really shifty on his skates and can undress opponents on the rush, weaving through traffic as he cuts through the neutral and offensive zones, and eludes opponents in his own end of the ice allowing him to get to loose pucks and helping to transition up the ice.   Grade: 60

Shot: Tychonick has a good shot and is not afraid to use it as he likes to shoot the puck. Even though he has a pass first mentality he will fire pucks on net hoping to create rebounds and better scoring opportunities. He keeps a high grip that helps with some snap on his wrist shots. He has a great one timer that he can let fly with purpose. He has increased his strength and really improved his shot, and can get it off his stick quickly. One thing that he could work on is taking better quality shots, and placing them on net more consistently. Grade: 55

Skills: Tychonick has great puck control and skills. He likes to have the puck on his stick and is able to make plays and control the game. He loves to rush the puck up the ice, and handles it with ease like it is supposed to be there. He is extremely confident with the puck in his control, and is a very good puck moving defenseman. He is a good at quarterbacking the power play, creating offense, dictating the game, and making things happen. His stickhandling skills are very impressive, and he can stickhandle through and turn opponents inside out with his dekes and shifty moves opening up ice for himself and his teammates. He makes strong passes out of the zone in starting the breakout, and can thread tape to tape passes through to teammates through traffic and is not afraid to be aggressive. Grade: 55

Smarts: Tychonick is a smart player who uses his assets to his favor. He plays with his head up and can read and anticipate plays very well. He will use his speed to get to loose pucks first and use his slick and shifty moves to beat opponents to the puck and move the plays up ice out of his own zone. He has a very strong determination and compete level, and is very dependable in his own end. He thinks the game nicely, and positions himself well to take away opposing players’ positions and space to limit their scoring opportunities. He has an active stick and seems to be able to create take-aways and take control of the puck and move it quickly in transition to get it up ice to teammates. He defends well, takes away lanes, and is relied upon to make the proper play in his own end. He is always reading the play and knowing when to jump up into the play and when to stay pat. He communicates well with his teammates on the ice as he is very vocal, and can lead and direct them to create clean breakouts as he also shows good patience. Grade: 60

Physicality: Tychonick can play physical and is learning to be more aggressive to assert himself physically. He has lots of grit, and he really does play bigger than his size. Although he may not win all of his puck battles, he does not quit or give up, and keeps battling. He is solid on his skates and very strong with the puck on his stick, as it is hard to knock off or take away. He could stand to add more size and strength, but that will come in the next few years. Grade: 50

Summary: Jonny Tychonick is an elite skating offensive defenseman who projects a lot of his game through his motions on the ice. He has great stickhandling and puck skills, and is a threat while carrying or passing the puck. Although he excels in the offensive part of his game, he has a solid defensive part to his game as well making him a good two-way player. He is one of those players that can control the flow of the game and create opportunities every time he steps on the ice. He is consistent on all levels as he has put up good numbers everywhere he has played, and has a great level of competitiveness. Tychonick has a lot of comparisons to Dante Fabbro, and looks to be a top four defenseman who can move the puck and control the power play. There is no treason to believe that he will not be able to continue that at a higher level.

Overall Future Projection (OFP): 57