Tambellini Has Gone On A Scoring Rampage Against BCHL Goalies:

This was in the Vancouver Province Newspaper:

BCHL: Tournament squad snub sparked Tambellini

Vernon Vipers’ forward has gone on a scoring rampage against BCHL goalies

By Steve Ewen, The Province

November 26, 2012

Adam Tambellini swears that he’s over being left out of the World Junior A Challenge. Opposing B.C. Hockey League goalies he’s ventilating these days might suggest otherwise.

Since being cut by Canada West and forced to admire the six-team showcase tournament in Yarmouth, N.S., from afar earlier this month, the Vernon Vipers’ rangy sophomore forward has put up eight goals and seven assists in a mere nine BCHL games.

He’s sixth in league scoring currently, with 31 points, including 16 goals, in 25 games. He already had a scholarship with the ballyhooed North Dakota Fighting Sioux nailed down, and last week NHL Central Scouting tagged him as a potential second-round pick for the 2013 entry draft, the highest mark in his circuit.

Some lesser resumes made it to Yarmouth. Still, he maintains he’s at peace with it.

“I thought I played well enough at the camp,” said the 6-foot-4, 177-pound Tambellini, 18. “I wasn’t the one picking the team.

“I can use it as an advantage, a little motivation. In the end, though, I’m not going to dwell on it.”

On the flip side, it’s difficult to quarrel too much about the selections of Canada West bench boss Dean Brockman, who’s the skipper of the Saskatchewan league’s Humboldt Broncos in his real-life job. He did pick 15 BCHLers on his 22-man roster, including nine forwards, and the squad did make the tournament finale, losing 6-3 to the Americans on Remembrance Day.

And, the fact is, Tambellini has had more difficult times in hockey. There are certain expectations being the son of Edmonton Oilers general manager Steve Tambellini and brother of one-time Vancouver Canucks forward Jeff Tambellini.

It feels as he’s managed to navigate the majority of them adeptly. When he opted to play in the BCHL, there had to be a pull to join the Chilliwack Chiefs, since Jeff starred there from 2000-02 before playing his NCAA hockey with the Michigan Wolverines.

Adam admits Chilliwack was an option, but says that he felt Vernon was a better fit. His cousin, Aaron Hadley, 19, is one of the Vipers’ star forwards, and that played a role in his decisions.

“It’s always there,” he says of that tie to his father’s and brother’s past. “There are things like not going to Chilliwack or not going to Michigan. It’s always going to be there. I still think I’m going to become my own player.”

The brothers, in particular, have unique skill sets on the ice, and that should help reduce the comparisons, admits the younger Tambellini. His offensive game is predicated on his size and reach, while Jeff, who is five inches shorter and 10 years older,has always been about his speed.

“He can skate like the wind and he made the NHL, so he’s obviously doing something right,” laughed Adam.