The World Junior Summer Showcase is underway. A number of names stand out on USA Hockey’s roster, including forward Brady Tkachuk.
The hockey lineage in his family is where it all starts. He’s the younger brother of Flames pesky rookie forward Matthew Tkachuk and the son of Keith Tkachuk, who played 1,201 NHL games with 1,065 points.
Brady, however, is only 17 years old. He’s draft eligible in 2018 and already listed as the No. 4-ranked prospect for next year’s class by HockeyProspect.com. Size on the wing is one thing that immediately stands out, with Tkachuk standing at 6-foot-2 tall and 194 pounds.
He also had 25 goals and 54 points in 61 games this past year with the U.S. National U-18 team, and seven points in seven games for Team USA’s gold-medal winning squad at this year’s IIHF U-18 Men’s World Championship.
“Makes something happen on almost every shift with an excellent compete level,” David Gregory of NHL Central Scouting told NHL.com. He has very good hockey sense and thinks steps ahead of the play, especially on the offensive attack. He is tough to play against and is willing to go to the tough areas to make a play.”
Tough to play against is one way to describe the style of his older brother in his first year with the Flames.
Matthew Tkachuk was certainly productive with 13 goals and 48 points in 76 regular season games after making the NHL as a teenager last fall, but he also got under the opposition’s skin and found himself in trouble with the league’s Department of Player Safety for an elbow on Drew Doughty, who then called Tkachuk “a pretty dirty” player following the incident.
A productive power forward with size and an edge would be tantalizing for many teams in the league when Brady Tkachuk becomes available at next year’s draft.
Next season, he will develop his game further at Boston University.
As for the Summer Showcase, Team USA White will play Finland today (1 p.m. ET). Team USA Blue will play Sweden immediately afterward.
