Nephew of legendary power forward has a good chance of cracking NHL roster.

DETAILS INSIDE

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 7 years ago
Nephew of legendary power forward has a good chance of cracking NHL roster.
Images Courtesy of Keystone Press

Todd Bertuzzi believes that his nephew has enough skills to make the leap to the NHL this season.

His nephew Tyler Bertuzzi turned pro after finishing the 2014-15 season with 43 goals and 98 points for the OHL’s Guelph Storm (which just so happened to be the junior hockey team of Todd). Tyler is coming off a decent rookie season with the Grand Rapids Griffins that saw him produce 12 goals among 30 points in 71 games — along with 133 penalty minutes that enforce his reputation as an agitator.

“It’s awesome for me, especially with how Tyler has been doing, how he has been progressing,” Todd Bertuzzi said. “He’s starting to mature, and it’s very nice to see him growing up. If anything, this is a good chance for him to try to get himself a spot with the Wings this season.”

“Not to go outside my realm here, but I think he’s a player the Wings could use,” Bertuzzi told the Detroit Free Press. “He’s an energy guy, good with the puck, and good defensively.”

Todd credits Tyler’s emergence as a well-rounded player to another former Red Wing, Daniel Cleary.

“Bear had Tyler in Grand Rapids this year, they spent a lot of time together and I give Bear a lot of credit for teaching Tyler how to be a pro,” Todd said. “I can see the difference in Tyler, just in his maturity level overall. I’m very close with Dan, and he’s told me how impressed he is with how intelligent a player Tyler is at both ends of the ice. Being an ex-Wing, I know they stress a 200-foot game.

“I think there’s a good possibility that if he has a very good camp and keeps his head small, goes in there and works hard, there’s a good chance he shows them something.”

Tyler, 21, will have to compete against a slew of forwards for a starting spot, but rookie Dylan Larkin was 19 last fall and he impressed everybody in Detroit.

“We’re high on Tyler as a prospect,” Griffins' assistant general manager Ryan Martin said. “It wouldn’t be a surprise if he opened some eyes. We expect a lot out of him. He warrants a long look and we expect him to have an opportunity to play some games.”

Tyler also demonstrated his ability to play exceptionally well in pressure situations. 

He ended up playing 14 playoff games with the Griffins, scoring seven goals and 12 points, impressing head coach Jeff Blashill, who is now behind Detroit’s bench.

“We weren’t sure where he’d fit in the mix, and Tyler didn’t miss a beat,” Martin said. “He went from being a question mark to being on one of the top two lines.

“His first full year pro, he’d be the first to admit it was more challenging than expected,” Martin said. “But Tyler is smart enough to marry up to one of the guys that played a long time in the NHL, and he and Dan were a good fit.”

For Todd it would really be a case of things coming full circle, as he became a member of the Red Wings in the spring of 2007, and then rejoined the Wings in 2009 for the duration of his career. Hopefully Tyler can have as successful of a career as his uncle, who was a fan favourite and played 1,159 games, scoring 314 goals, 768 points and amassing 1,478 penalty minutes.

[pub]