Rookie forward may soon dethrone Brad Marchand as most hated player in the NHL.

A young National Hockey League forward is making quite the reputation for himself. 

While fans of rival team the Edmonton Oilers have already learned a deep and seething hatred for Calgary Flames rookie Matthew Tkachuk and according to TSN insider Frank Seravalli, that hatred is quickly blossoming across the NHL. In fact Seravalli even went so far as to compare him to notorious Bruins pest  Brad Marchand.

Five months into his career, Tkachuk is already a reviled figure in Edmonton - not the first Flame to be held in that regard - but he is beginning to be mentioned in the same breath as Brad Marchand in other markets.

One fan base that doesn't seem to mind Tkachuk's budding reputation as a gritty player is that of the Calgary Flames, and it sounds like Tkachuk isn't phased by his growing reputation either.

“That doesn’t matter,” Tkachuk said as per TSN. “I don’t know, I think I’m fine. I’ve had a decent year so far. I don’t think that has anything to really do with the team or anything like that. For me in particular, I know people get on me about taking a little bit too many penalties, but I try to even that out by drawing more.”

The Flames rookie leads all National Hockey League players with a whopping 30 minor penalties this season, but his aggressive play that sometimes crosses the line into dirty play has also resulted in him drawing 26 penalties for his team.

It appears that Tkachuk's reputation is destined to grow as he shows no signs of changing the way he plays the game.

[pub]