The Oilers rookie camp has officially concluded, where we saw our young guns go against the Calgary Flames. During the first game, the kids were down 3-1 but made an incredible comeback and ended up winning. The second game, however, they struggled for a portion of the game as Ilya Konovalov had to put the team on his back. They lost the match by a decision of 4-1 with two empty netters from Martin Pospisil and Jakob Pelletier. Besides that, there were a couple of players who stood out during this mini-camp. Henry Rybinski, Philip Kemp, Raphael Lavoie, the aforementioned Ilya Konovalov, Ostap Safin and another player who was hyped up a lot by Oiler media, fans and scouts. Ty Tullio.
Who is Ty Tullio
Ty Tullio is a 5’10 165 lbs RW from Lakeshore, Ontario. Tyler played his junior career with the Oshawa Generals where in his draft year, the young forward put up a stat-line of 27-39-66 in 62 games played. Scouts and analysts pegged Tullio to be picked from as high as 38 to as low as 80. The consensus was that Tyler would be a 2nd-3rd round pick with incredible upside. However, like we have seen time and time again, Tullio fell because he isn’t 6 feet tall. The Oilers took advantage of the other teams’ mistakes as they traded their 3rd pick in the 2020 draft (Danil Gushchin) to San Jose in exchange 4th round pick in the 2020 draft (Carter Savoie who we’ll talk about one day) and their 5th round pick which became Tullio. The Oilers decision to pick Tullio was the bare cupboards of the Oilers forward prospect pool at the time. Along with Tullio, the Oilers added Carter Savoie and Dylan Holloway to round out a pretty good draft.
During the 2020/21 season, Tullio was on loan with Liptovsky Mikulas HK in the Slovak leagues. Tyler put up a solid year with 13 points in 19 games. He was scrappy as well with 77 PIMs. He was later sent to Bakersfield on an ATO, but unfortunately, he didn't play a single game for the Condors. The offseason saw Ty train with current Oiler Zack Kassian, who has trained with Tullio for quite some time. The Oilers signed Ty to his ELC two weeks ago. This is just coming off the announcement where he was named captain of the Oshawa Generals.
Comparison to Brendan Gallagher
Tyler reminds me a lot like Brendan Gallagher. Who just like Ty, was drafted in the 5th round in 2010. In Gallagher’s draft year, he put up 81P in 72 games but fell due to his size. Gallagher was also around 150lbs at the time and had to put on around 30 pounds. Both these players are also pesky. They LOVE to get under the opponents skin. I can’t wait until Tullio brings this element to the Battle of Alberta. Both players as well bring a strong 200 foot game. The two players offensive game is also similar. They both combine skating with their amazing stick-handling. Despite their lack of size, Brendan and Ty battle on the boards and place themselves in front of the net for tip ins and rebounds. Ty needs to build up muscle along the board battles however because of his weight where he can get pushed and knocked around pretty easily. If he does that, we definitely have a Brendan Gallagher type player on our hands.
What To Expect This Year + Scouting Reports
Ty is expected to return to Oshawa for his final pro season in the OHL. Along with his duty of being a captain, I anticipate that Tyler will be one of the best, if not THE BEST player in the OHL this upcoming season. I can see Tyler scoring upwards of 100+ points. Heck, maybe even earn an invite to Team Canada’s WJC 2022 team. He’s that good to make it. Keep an eye out on his name all season. He’s starting to grab the attention of Dave Tippett at training camp and honestly, it wouldn’t really surprise me to see him get 3-7 games with the club before heading back to the Generals. Nevertheless, I project Ty Tullio to be a middle 6 winger who can contribute on the PP and the PK, be a solid 20 goal scorer and make the other team pissed off all night. I cannot wait for the kid. As for things he can improve on, here are some scouting reports and a couple of Youtube videos for you to view on your own time.
“When the shot isn’t an option, Tullio shows a great deal of adaptability, integrating one-touch maneuvers, playing pucks into space, manipulating defenders out of shooting lanes — you name it, and he can do it. He plays with a high motor and shows real attention to detail on the defensive side.” -EliteProspects 2020 NHL Draft Guide
“Tullio is a versatile forward. He is capable of playing all three forward positions. His lack of size and strength could be an issue and could lead to him becoming a winger going forward. However, if he can add muscle, he has the skating ability and the smarts to stay in the middle.” -Ben Kerr, Last Word on Sports
“Tullio personifies the term energy…or grit. He is like the energizer bunny on the ice. He just keeps going, and going, and going. His play away from the puck is often the first thing you notice about him. Forecheck, backcheck, driving the net. He is ultra-aggressive in pursuit of the puck in any zone and any situation.” -Brock Otten, OHL Prospects
“Tyler is a competitive player that would do almost anything to score a goal or win a hockey game. He is a good skater that can beat defenders wide and win loose puck battles all over the ice. Tyler competes very hard each shift and isn’t shy to battle against the bigger defenders and usually comes out with the puck.” -Dominic Tiano, OHL Writers
You can find me at @Shae_Nuge93 for more tweets on Oiler Prospects and NHL Draft Prospects.