Photo credit: Marissa Baecker

By Regan Bartel

Don't judge a book by its cover

Shy, lanky teenager now an NHL veteran. Can you guess who he is?

Sep 2, 2022 | 10:06 PM

It was the winter of 2006 and the Kelowna Rockets were in the midst of an Alberta road trip.

It was snowing heavily and bitterly cold. On a rare off day, the team was practicing at the ENMAX Centre in Lethbridge.

As the broadcaster, I had caught wind that a 15-year-old prospect from nearby Calgary had traveled to meet the team, but was unable to practice after breaking his wrist.

When I first set eyes on this lanky teenager, he didn’t look at all like a hockey player. He seemed nervous as I approached him sitting up in the stands as he intently watched his future team on the ice go through their paces.

I introduced myself. He sheepishly told me his name. I remember the handshake, with his ‘meat hooks’ being significantly larger than normal, but his weak wrist movement was a clear indication he wasn’t enjoying meeting this media stranger.

Benches, dentists, and dreadlocks

Things that make me go hmm...

Jun 20, 2025

WHL drama doesn't do days off

Things that make me go hmm...

Jun 09, 2025

No panic, just picks

Inside the Rockets war room - calm, cool and carded

May 11, 2025

The Rockets coaching staff had told me at the breakfast table that morning that this soft-spoken teenager, while wet behind the years, was having a strong season playing midget hockey in Notre Dame, Sask. It was impressive to be playing at that level considering he should still be playing bantam hockey with younger peers.

After several minutes of small talk, I sat down beside him, reluctantly asking for an interview. He hesitated before opening his mouth with a high pitched voice, rising an octave or two through sheer nervousness, agreeing to my request.

The answers to my questions were short. They were void of much substance. In fact, the interview was so bad, I didn’t want to embarrass him, electing not to use it on the broadcast the following evening and eventually deleting it from my recording device.

At the time, I never envisioned him turning into one of the best defencemen ever to wear Kelowna Rockets colours.

He would score his first career WHL goal that spring, at 15, as an affiliated player at the Cranbrook Rec Plex in game three of an opening round playoff series against arch rival Kootenay Ice. A season later, at 16, he would be a part of a team that would miss post season play for the first time in franchise history with only 22 wins. Two seasons later, at 19, he would be leading the team to a WHL championship where he would be named the playoff MVP.

He would win a gold medal for Canada at the world junior hockey championships in 2009. A year earlier, he would be selected in the opening round of the NHL Entry Draft by the Buffalo Sabres, eventually winning the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year, beating out Colorado Avalanche forward Matt Duchene and Detroit Redwings goalie Jimmy Howard for the award.

Traded from Buffalo to Winnipeg, he would sign a $30 million free agent deal with the Vancouver Canucks in July of 2019.

Now 32, married with two children, lives in Kelowna in the off season.

Oh, and he’s a pretty solid interview.

Who is this former shy teenager?

The answer: Tyler Myers.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RocketFANdotca

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rocketfandotca