If American hockey pundits weren't aware of Virden's Wyatt Kalynuk before, they are now.
NBCSports.com published an article last week entitled:
"Have Flyers Found Late-Round Gem They Covet in Wyatt Kalynuk?"
It explains how Kalynuk came to be on the radar of Philadelphia Flyers' coach Ron Hextall and why being picked up late in the NHL draft can actually be a plus.
"While everyone focuses on the first round, Hextall... stressed how 'friggin' important' seventh-round draft picks are in constructing hockey teams, and then one turned heads at development camp."
That one turning heads was Kalynuk.
The article quotes Hextall as saying, “He’s a smooth-skating defenseman at Wisconsin. He’s a late-round pick and he’s taken a step. You watch the way he skates, the way he reads the game, the way he passes, [it’s impressive].”
Kalynuk was the 196th overall pick in last season's draft, selected in the seventh round. During his freshman season at U of Wisconsin playing for the UHSL Badgers, he went from a late pick to an intriguing prospect worth paying attention to as he progresses through Division I hockey.
Kalynuk was on the ice for all 37 Badgers' games and led the team with 22 assists. The NBC online article called him a "bright spot".
Kalynuk told NBC that he was drawn to the U of Wisconsin at least in part because of defensive coach Mark Osiecki, who has a record of sending players to the big league.
“Mark Osiecki... has sent a lot of guys to the NHL,” Kalynuk said. “He’s really good at what he does. Him along with Tony Granato… if you look around college hockey, you can’t get much better than that.”
Safe to say that Kalynuk hopes his university's history of grooming NHL talent repeats itself when it's his turn.
Kalynuk is the son of Randy and Leanne Kalynuk of Virden. He played with the Oil Caps in 2013-2014.
-With files from NBCSports.com and Virden Empire-Advance
