Owens is Ready for Another Season, no Matter Where he Plays
Since being drafted 10th overall in the Season 34 VHL Entry Draft, Tyler Owens has gone from a project player for the Helsinki Titans, to a star for the Saskatoon Wild. Owens, a defenseman, had 101 points in 72 games for the Wild all while playing against the other team’s top talent. Despite this success, many are wondering if his game can translate to the big league’s as he has shown no real signs of serious progression since being drafted. “Tyler is still a project. He’s a big kid and he can skate well for his age and has really been dominant in his time with Saskatoon,” said Helsinki General Manager Mitch Higgins. With 84 assists, Owens is a premier play maker and one of the best players to have on the blue line in the entire VHLM and helped to bring the Wild to the VHLM Finals before losing out this past year. So the question remains, is Owens just a minor league star, or can he become a legitimate force to be reckoned with in the big league’s?
Last year, Owens, and Saksatoon,had a great year and are looking to build on that.
Although it is unlikely Owens will play for the Titans any time soon, he is hoping to improve as best he can in order to force the management to give him a shot with the Finnish club. “I love Saskatoon but I really hope I don’t start with them this year,” said the young Canadian. The biggest issue, as per scouts at least, is that Owens does not seem to be good enough in his position in order to play against the world’s best talent. He is a big player, but doesn’t use his size often enough to get in the way of shots, passes and other team’s players and this is a concern of the Titans for sure.
Stats are a lot like a bikini, they reveal a lot but not quite everything and such is the truth with Owens as well. His 101 points were obviously impressive, but many argue he was simply a product of Xin Xie Xiao’s impressive campaign where he put up 128 points in 72 games. Xin, one of the most high profile draftees of the coming season, seemed to create good chemistry with Owens and the two impressed together, though most argue it was 90 percent due to Xiao’s ability and maybe 10 percent Owens’. “It really is not that hard to score a lot of points when you’re on the ice with Xiao 90 percent of the time. Nothing to take way from Owens, but let’s be honest, one of these guys is going to go on to a really good career in the VHL and the other we don’t know if he’ll ever go beyond the minor leagues. Owens was really overrated this year, but still, nothing to take away from him.” These words, said by VHLM scout Micheal Douglas have been echoed across the league with many feeling like the Canadian defenseman simply rode the coattails of his Asian partner.
Xian Xiao is one of the top prospects for the upcoming VHL Draft. He and Owens had great chemistry.
Owens was quick to shrug his shoulders at these accusations, but also give significant praise to his talented young teammate. “He’s a really shifty player. He’s one of the best purely talented players I’ve ever seen, on my team or not. He skates so fluidly and he really understands where to go to score goals. He’s going to have a great career in the VHL someday and I hope I get to play with him there too.” He also said he was not offended by people saying he rode his teammates coattails, and questioned what anyone saying that can know about sport and hockey. “Hockey is a team sport. One player can’t make or break a team and even though he (Xiao) is talented beyond belief, I think we both benefited from one another.”
Tyler Owens may yet have another year (or more) to spend in the minor leagues, but if his Season 35 was any indication, he may be coming to a VHL arena near you sooner rather than later. The New Brunswick born defenseman burst out last year and was among the league’s top scorers, especially impressive considering his pedigree as a defensive defenseman in years past. If the Titans chose to call him up to the big leagues, he will no doubt help them out with their puck possession game, but even if he is to remain a Wild player, it will be Saskatoon’s gain.
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