NHL Prospect Profile: Jonathan Tychonick

Statistics

Scout Quotes

The college hockey route is a good choice for Jonny Tychonick. At North Dakota, he will be able to spend plenty of time in the weight room, improving his strength. This is the biggest issue in his game right now. More muscle on his frame will make him better at both ends of the rink. He will also face a much higher level of competition and must adjust his game to the faster level at the NCAA. His skating is elite, but his other traits are merely good. He could use some work to take other areas to a higher level. Tychonick could be an excellent second pairing defender, who can also quarterback the power play. – Last Word on Hockey

AJ’s Thoughts

Tychonick is a really good skater, first and foremost. It’s his most translatable NHL skill and the rest of his game will be what holds him back if he fails to make the transition someday. He’s very fluid with great edges and his compete level is really good for a player who is just a touch on the small side (weight, not height). He’s going the NCAA route and that will allow him plenty of time to work in the weight room and pack on the pounds while learning to play a more physical and grindy defensive game.

He’s a guy who I think has made a great choice for his future because he’s going to be a great fit at NoDak, which has produced a bunch of pros in recent years. He’s going to be a natural PP runner but the rest of his game will need a lot of work. He gets caught running around in his zone a lot and I think some of that is because he’s been able to recover at an elite level against weaker competition. That won’t fly at higher levels and he’s going to have to learn a much more disciplined approach moving forward.

How he adjusts his game in the defensive zone will probably determine how far he goes. His talent has probably taken him to the edge of the first round right now.

Highlights

Avalanche Fit

This isn’t a guy I think will be available to Colorado when their second round picks roll around so there isn’t much of a fit to talk about. Should they move around a bit, he’s a reasonable target for them, especially given his Junior-A/NCAA route. They’ve loaded up on those guys in the last couple of years and while the Avs have said it’s just an accident, another year of dipping their toe into that pool would be a downright trend. Tychonick is a lefty D who is a great skater so he immediately fits the profile of what Colorado likes/needs on the back end and should he max out his frame, his size won’t be too much of an issue down the road. His puck-moving skills would be a very good fit in an organization that’s filling up with puck talent on the blue line.

Rankings

#29 Hockey Prospect
#36 Future Considerations
#44 McKeen’s Hockey