Black Book scouting report:
Jarret Tyszka is a two-way defenseman who recorded 25 points and 6 goals in 54 regular season contests.
In his second season with Seattle, he was a mainstay on the second pairing, contributing on both the
powerplay and the penalty kill. He also received regular icetime in Seattle’s long playoff run.
Tyszka is an energetic player who has shown consistent work ethic this season. He plays aggressively in all
three zones and when he commits to a pinch or a loose puck, he commits to the lane at full speed. This
enthusiasm and aggressiveness was consistent in most viewings of Tyszka this season. Jarret’s skating stride
has a lot of moving parts, his feet tend to be wide apart and he generates momentum from movement of
his arms when skating. When he is in stride, he does not look smooth or pretty but the speed he generates
still makes him competitive and gives him the opportunity to skate with pucks up ice. His feet when
crossing-over are quick and he shows some athletic ability on the ice as he has good agility and quickness
for a big body.
Jarret can contribute offensively because of his aggressive play, but his lack of creativity and offensive
instincts reduce his ceiling. His puck skills are average, but he has shown the ability to use his reach to
move the puck laterally to evade a checker. At the offensive point, his playmaking skills have limited upside,
228 — 2017 BLACK BOOK TEAM EDITION
as he often passes conservatively to his partner or gets the puck deep with a rim. He requires time and
space to make good plays and his decision making under pressure is concerning. Tyszka can be exposed in
his own end with heavy pressure and he is prone to panicking with the puck and getting rid of it quickly,
making poor decisions. These poor decisions are due to a combination of not being able to keep his head
up consistently when handling the puck, and not having great awareness of where his teammates are prior
to receiving the puck. Despite these concerns, he was dependable for Seattle and played consistent
minutes throughout Seattle’s run to the Memorial Cup because he did not make many bad mistakes. Many
of the plays he made were chips that moved the puck north and forward but they he found a way not to
create blatant turnovers that could lead to chances for the other team.
Tyszka’s play without the puck in his own end was committed and he was not afraid to engage physically.
When a puck was sent into a corner or a player entered his designated area, he liked to skate full-speed to
that player/area with no hesitation. This allowed him to be a competitive defender and he won a high
percentage of puck battles in his own corners. Off the rush, Tyszka had no issues tracking players and
moving laterally to defend in one-on-one situations.
Jarret Tyszka is a hard working defenseman with good size and is an impactful Junior Hockey player despite
his limited offensive upside. That said, his play with the puck and decision making is not strong enough to
warrant consideration as a potential top-4 defenseman at the next level. He is a lower end defensive
prospect for the 2017 NHL Draft.
SEA #5 LD Tyszka, Jarret (2017)- Tyszka has good size and played an aggressive game. He has long strides
and is mobile but did not show much skill with the puck. He did not show the ability to make consistent
decisions but he played a disciplined game and worked hard, keeping his feet moving. His ice-time was
reduced as the game wore on.
SEA #5 LD Tyszka, Jarret (2017)- Tyszka showed some good puck protection instincts in the offensive end in
the first period. He resorts to putting pucks on net at the point, especially when he does not have much
time with the puck. His stride is not fluid as there are a lot of moving parts but he plays the game with
strength, and can get up and down the ice despite his stride not looking pretty. Tyszka scored late in the
third period on a point shot where the goaltender fell and was completely out of position, giving him an
open net. He showed a bad habit of holding on-to the puck for too long in his own end, often relying on
his body to protect the puck.
SEA #5 LD Tyszka, Jarret (2017) Played a defensive minded game as he was usually the last up the ice this
allowed E.Bear to rush the ice and play more as the defenseman that was part of the transition game.
Tyszka plays a sound defensive game and had good position throughout the night. Not an exceptional
skater but serviceable and solid mechanically, looks good going in reverse tracks attackers well but not
overly disruptive of rushing players. All 5 on 5 no special teams play
SEA #5 LD Tyszka, Jarret (2017)- Tyszka held on to the puck for too long at times in the first period which
got him into some trouble. In his own end, he carried the puck around the net instead of passing to his
partner and was levelled from behind by a forechecker half his size. He was slow to get up on the play. He
did not return to the game.
SEA #5 LD Tyszka, Jarret (2017)- Tyszka was called for an embellishment penalty early in the game. He did
not play top 4 minutes in the first period and probably only had 2-3 shifts in the period after that penalty.
He was quiet until the third period where he had a more consistent shift. He was physical in his own end
and had a couple of effective rushes with the puck. He did not seem to make many tape to tape passes in
the game as he often chipped pucks in his own end.
SEA #5 LD Tyszka, Jarret (2017)- Tyszka was aggressive offensively early on in the game, not afraid to jump
in the rush or sneak into backdoor lanes. He had a tough turnover in the second period, giving the puck up
to the opposing forward at his own blue-line and it led to a goal. Tyszka tried to do too much on the play.
He barley played in the third period.
SEA #5 RD Tyszka, Jarret (2017) Worked on the second powerplay this evening and looked solid making
quick decision, moving the puck well and helping to utilize team speed to keep the offense in motion and
the penalty killers constantly in reaction mode. Made good decisions on zone exits creating quick ups and
getting pucks to forwards swiftly assisting in fast breakouts and transition. Played in all situations and was
on the ice in the last few minutes defending the lead. Could make better use of his skating but at time his
quick teammates make him look a little slow.