Dynamic dylan becomes a complete player
by Don Klepp | Added 2011-05-30
He’s always had the moves, spinning away from defenders in the corner or weaving his way through traffic. Now Dylan Walchuk has a full arsenal of hockey skills as he progresses in his career.
The son of a teacher and a big game guide, Dylan left his northern home in McBride to play Jr. “B” in Nelson two years ago. There he was an instant hit, scoring 29 goals and 36 assists in 49 games before leading the Leafs in playoff scoring with 26 points in 16 games.
He followed that success with 47 points as a Viper rookie last year. This year, he led the Vipers in regular season scoring with 56 points in 55 games. He added 17 goals and 8 assists during the Vipers’ 29-game playoff run.
His success made him a marked man as the Powell River Kings and Spruce Grove Saints tried everything in their power to knock him off his game. Returning from Spruce Grove, he had the scars to demonstrate how the Saints worked him over. Still, he sparkled, with four goals and two assists in the Doyle Cup series.
When asked about the source of his joyful, determined play this year, he says “It just comes from playing on this team. It’s a real family atmosphere, like a brotherly love. There’s such a good feeling in the dressing room that you want to play for the guys beside you.”
His talent and drive was acknowledged at the RBC Cup this year when he was selected to the tournament all star team. The selection committee was impressed by his energy, his stick handling, his scoring ability, and his defensive play.
He credits the defensive side of his game to Mark Ferner and Jason Williamson. “At Nelson, the defensive side wasn’t stressed as much as it is here. I thank Ferns and Willy for improving my defensive zone play. That part of the game wins championships and if I’m going to make it in hockey I’ll have to be sound defensively.”
At times this year his size, speed, and elusiveness have been compared to Connor and Kellen Jones, but he downplays that comparison. “Nobody can walk in their shoes,” he says. “They’re just special players, but I try to be a little like them in terms of protecting the puck and anticipating the play. With them in college, I knew that I would have to contribute more this year so I worked really hard last summer, trying to get better and stronger in order to assume a bigger role with the team.”
He certainly did fill Connor’s shoes on one memorable occasion this year. The March 25 game in Salmon Arm gave the Vipers a chance to eliminate the Silverbacks from the playoffs. Two years previously, also in Salmon Arm, Connor Jones keyed a 3-1 Viper series clincher with a hat trick. Recalling that night, Steve Weinstein in the pre-game dressing room asked “Who wants to be Connor tonight?”
When no one else volunteered, Dylan said, “OK, I’ll be Connor.” He then went out and scored four goals on four shots to lead the Vipers to a 5-4 win.
Goals aside, one of Dylan’s real accomplishments this year has been his record in the faceoff circle. In the Spruce Grove series, for example, he won over 66 percent of his draws. He says that “Experience is important; you learn techniques to go up against certain types of players. Our centres motivate each other. At practice, Fitzy, Murph, Nowick and I have competitions, and we really go at it. I’ve seen how low and strong Murph is in the circle and I’ve tried to feed off that.”
The Pride of McBride – a moniker bestowed on Dylan by Todd Miller – will take his game to Northern Michigan University next year, where his coach will be Walt Kyle, who once coached Mark Ferner. Dylan says that “They expect me to contribute right away, to put up points.”
Away from the rink, Dylan will study sports science.
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