Flyers Prospect Watch: Wyatt Kalynuk Loves Being A Captain Of A Young Badgers Team

Photo Credit: Christina Daly/ NBC Sports Philadelphia

Former General Manager of the Philadelphia Flyers Ron Hextall was smoking hot when it came to drafting. He was well known for being a magician on draft day. One position that Hextall shored up was the defensive side of the puck.

With drafting and signing undrafted free agents with the likes of Travis Sanheim, Ivan Provorov, and Philippe Myers. The Flyers seemed primed for long-term success on the blueline. However, Hextall wasn’t finished as he made a bold pick and selected a young defenseman Wyatt Kalynuk who committed to the University of Wisconsin before being drafted. For his efforts, Kalynuk is really turning heads at the NCAA level. Kalynuk is a young man from Manitoba, and he says hockey has been his blood since he was born thanks to his dad.

Kalynuk was born on April, 14, 1997, in Virden, MB, CAN. Thanks in large part to his dad, he was groomed into the sport of hockey when he was younger. Kalynuk’s dad played University hockey when he was younger, “My dad helped me when I was growing up,” Kalynuk said, “He was my coach from the time I started, till I was 13 or 14, till I eventually left town (Giggling). I think the biggest thing is my parents text me good luck on game day. I don’t really talk to them before the game. After the game I talk to my parents a lot every game.”

This young, transformed defenseman in Kalynuk has always been known as an offensive defenseman, but this year he really has worked on the defensive side of the puck. Kalynuk really has established himself as a quality puck moving defenseman, as he has become much better in transition. Moreover, Kalynuk is able to exit the defensive zone cleanly, whether its by pushing the play up the ice, or looking for a quick pass to exit the defensive zone. For the season, he has recorded 6 goals, 22 assists in just 26 games, which is good enough for a .846% scoring rate.

He also has become an integral part of the Power Play, where Kalynuk has tallied one goal, and seven assists, “In the Summer, I work on everything. I love being on the Power Play. The offensive side has always been there. I worked at my defensive side a lot this season. Watching clips withy coaches, doing little things before practice that no one notices. I’ve become focused at puck protection.”

Kalynuk continued, “We have a young team, the second youngest team in the NCAA. I just wanted to help out the young guys as much as I could. We have seven freshmen, and I just wanted to be that guy they know they could talk to and grow from. I enjoy being Captain.“

Kalynuk has really showed his range by playing in any situation the coaching staff asks of him. His skating has appeared to be smoother than in prior years, maybe he’s getting some tips from a familiar face Flyers fans have grown to love in Travis Sanheim, “It’s actually funny. He’s from a smaller town than me, as he lives in Elkhorn. Growing up, we played senior baseball together, it’s crazy. We keep in contact over the Christmas break, and in the Summer.”

With Kalynuk’s success with the Badgers, it’s no wonder why Chuck Fletcher, and Brent Flahr have an interest in signing him at year’s end, but Kalynuk isn’t in any rush to sign an ELC, “To be honest I’ve never been really in a hurry, no rush. The NHL will be there next year, two, three, four years. Getting this team into the playoffs is my goal, and I don’t want to leave them in disarray.”