Claimed:Tyson Kohler Biography [Reviewed]

[Kendrick 4,741]

 

 

 

Born in List, Germany, Tyson Kohler grew up idolizing many players from northern Germany and Scandinavia. List is a very small spec on the German radar and the town doesn't hold a proper functioning hockey rink. Despite those crutches, the young German was able to travel to nearby villages and use their hockey rinks for basic skating drills. He developed a strength in his skating but the local programs did not really go past the age of twelve before a player would have to outright move with his family or travel long distances for everyday ice usage. Luckily, the town of Leck on the mainland was the closest place that a family could move to have a ice rink at their fingertips. The thing about List is that it’s on an island, and many don’t figure that Germany has many islands; if any at all. Moving to Leck would be a huge deal but Tyson was given the ability to do when friends of the family mentioned they were moving just outside the town center. 

 

That family was none other than the family of current New York Islanders goaltender, Thomas Greiss. Greiss’ family was actually native to Koln, but they had moved when Thomas’ family had a job opening in Leck when Thomas was a youngster. This gave Tyson the opportunity to live out his dream of playing hockey everyday he could. Even more he got to train with Thomas and have the ability of a goaltender on standby at anytime he wanted. The two young men grew very close and were able to hone their skills at anytime they wanted as the nearby arena was unlocked during the day for basic use.

 

 

Thomas and Tyson both joined a local hockey team when they were younger. Of course Tyson being many years younger, he had to ride the bench a lot while he watched his housemate Thomas fill the net. Tyson did end up playing for the Leck Miners with Thomas, but not until he was the age of 10. Tyson was undersized, lacked strength and had no concept of how to throw what little weight he had around. However, the team stuck with him and put him up front so his defensive inability and small stature wouldn’t deter him from the sport entirely. As Kohler’s age climbed in number, so did his height and he went from undersized to being a bigger kid on the roster. Of course with his size and age came the departure of housemate Thomas Greiss who saw himself a NHL draftee belonging to the San Jose Sharks. Naturally Tyson grew up a San Jose Sharks fan since his best buddy was drafted there and Christian Ehrhoff was property of the team as well (a fellow German).

 

Tyson was on his own playing for the Leck Miners now and he was flourishing under the coaching he was provided in the larger city. Still up front as a forward, but packing a little bit more of a punch, he continued to grow. Kohler at the age of 14 was getting national attention from scouts of the German National team who wanted to see that his development was brought forth properly. Tyson got enough attention from scouts than Canadian Hockey League scouts were making their trips to Leck to see the young man. Tyson was looked at by many different teams and eventually the young man was selected in the CHL import draft by the Seattle Thunderbirds. Tyson had no knowledge of Seattle or the United States for that matter, but he was ready to make a huge step in his career.

 

 

 

In his first year with the Thunderbirds, Tyson would see action in 34 games as a young rookie. Martin Skastic was the coach in Seattle when Kohler got there; so luckily he had one of the best up and coming coaches teaching him every facet. In those 34 games Tyson showed to his team and to Seattle management that he could play with the rest of the teenagers. His 10 assists in the first 20 games was impressive for a guy that was told at the start of the season to focus solely on shooting and positioning. In addition to those 10 assists Tyson also added his first two goals as an WHL rookie. He would have to wait until his last game of the season to record his first ever fight in the WHL. The Thunderbirds won that game 3-0 late in the third and Richardson contributed on one of the goals with an assist. It was the start of something special and something fans could look forward to on the Thunderbirds squad.

 

Season 1 (Reg. Season): 34 GP, 7 Goals, 11 Assists, 18 Points, +3 and 40 Hits

 

After Seattle failed to make the WHL playoffs in his first season the Thunderbirds lost players to WHL graduation and the NHL entry draft. Thus opening the door for the young Kohler to take control of a regular role down the right side. Tyson would go into the season in a top nine forward role and wouldn't look back. The German youngster led his team to the third spot in the WHL overall standings and slid them into a first round playoff matchup against the Everett Silvertips. The series will always go down as the one Tyson would like to forget. In the Thunderbirds second game in Seattle, Tyson was checked from behind in the second period and would break his right leg. However, the Thunderbirds would not let their previous seasons failure get in the way as they would eliminate the Silvertips in six games without Kohler. Seattle's series clinching goal came off the stick of Thunderbirds standout Matthew Barzal. The Thunderbirds would have to go on and face the Calgary Hitmen in the next round. The Hitmen were a higher skilled team and were bolstered by their number one player Jake Virtanen. Virtanen as well as the rest of the Hitmen were a little too much for the Thunderbirds to handle and they won the series in five games.

 

Season 2 (Reg. Season): 47 GP, 25 Goals, 17 Assists, 42 Points, +11 and 90 Hits

 

Season 2 (Playoffs): 2 GP, 0 Goals, 1 Assists, 1 Points, +1 and 2 Hits

 

Tyson is currently wrapping up his first season in the VHLM with the Yukon Rush awaiting the start of the S48 VHL Entry Draft. His selection by the Yukon Rush in the S48 VHLM Dispersal has helped him progress and make big strides into becoming a professional player in the VHL. Kohler's injury resume isn't very long but some scouts will question whether his leg power because of the injury he had. Scouts love his grittiness and ability to get his hands dirty without getting caught out of position. His size and smarts can create mismatches for defensemen down low in the front of opposing net minders and he prides himself on creating traffic for the goalies to see through.

 

 

After his two seasons in Seattle, Tyson looked poised to crack the Seattle roster and so far has been a mainstay there. Some have said he needs more work and that it would be better for him to get that in Seattle where he still has eligibility left, but the decision will fall on the Seattle management team. Tyson has a great mind for the game and brings a physical punch to the lineup unlike any other Thunderbirds player. One issue that has been brought up is his acceleration, as his leg injury dampened the ability to build muscle through his growth spurts. That issue might be something scouts look at going forward, or they simply know he could work with a strength and conditioning coach to improve it.

 

OHL Statistics: 81 Games Played, 32 Goals, 28 Assists, 60 Points, +14 and 130 Hits

 

During his WHL career he was still on the radar for the German National program. The lack of depth in the program makes it very possible that he suits up for the German team very early in his professional career. Kohler has suited up for Germany in World (U-18) Championships and had a solid tournament. His U-20 tournament wasn't that bad either and eventually he became an Alternate captain for the U-20 squad when they went to Oslo for a tournament.

 

U-18 World Championships: 5 GP, 2 Goals, 1 Assists, -4 and 12 Hits

U-20 World Championships: 6 GP, 3 Goals, 2 Assists, +3 and 14 Hits

 

Tyson in his time with the U-20 Germany squad

 

 

Strength:  His overwhelming stature allows him to overpower opponents and flat out out muscles them to the dirty areas of the ice. The positives reach far beyond the corner boards though, as Kohler is a great net presence and commands attention and space every time he glides near the opposing net minder. Some have said he is a man playing amongst boys in regards to his overall man power.

 

Body Checking: Tyson Kohler lives for the big hit, and when we say "lives" we mean that it's his mission to destroy individuals. Kohler keeps his head on a swivel not only to avoid hits but to be clear he has a straight path to your body to unleash his power.

 

Shot: He is your prototypical power forward where they hit and shoot. The defensive game isn't the biggest thing anyone notices because he usually is going to other way on a rush. It's his snap shot that makes him so deadly in the game. Quick and filled with velocity he loves to unleash it from the face-off dot. Don't think it's one dimensional though as he switches it up and tends to slap the odd shot glove side.

 

 

Acceleration: As mentioned he isn't the quickest to pick up speed. However, once he gets going he is a hard train to stop. The getting going part though is a challenge and his overall lower body isn't as strong as it could be. Some sessions with the strength and conditioning coach would fix this issue that has bothered him since the injury in juniors took place where he broke his femur.

 

Hockey IQ: Coming from Germany the hockey they watched and played was a different brand of it. They didn't get to see the North American style game and thus the game to Kohler is a little bit different. Open space and wider rinks mean that his general hockey know-how is a little different than a kid from North America. It can be worked on and honed by the right coaching though.

 

Penalty Kill: Because of his lack of acceleration it doesn't make a ton of sense to give Kohler the responsibilities on the penalty kill. He is great for blocking shots, but puck retrieval may take awhile. We recommend he only play power play if special teams is what you are wishing for his game.

 

 

Tyson Kohler has a ton of promise that can be tapped into with the right coaching and right staff along for the ride. His shot and pure power give him an advantage very few players have in the VHLM, but the vHl is a different story. We see him as a first line player but could be transitioned into a grinder if that doesn't work out for him or his team. Catch Kohler on a rush and good luck trying to stop him from skating, his powerful strides are filled with determination. A possible first round talent in a solid draft, but not first overall talent.

 

NHL Comparison: Brent Burns/Todd Bertuzzi

 

[FacePuncher 1,343]

Overview: 5/5- very cool story, I like how you added in the problem with geography and his relationship with another NHL player. Was Kohler a Pens fan last year when we had Greiss and Ehrhoff? 

 

Grammar: 3/3 - good grammar. Sometimes it was a little too proper so it didn't flow, but that's ok. A few continuity issues, you say 10 assists one place and 11 the other, WHL one day and OHL the other

 

Presentation: 1/1 - Lots of pictures, clear format, colors of font are interesting but not distracting, spot on presentation

 

Over 1000 Words? 1/1 1933 words 

 

Overall: 10/10

[Kendrick 4,741]

1 hour ago, ADwyer87 said:

Overview: 5/5- very cool story, I like how you added in the problem with geography and his relationship with another NHL player. Was Kohler a Pens fan last year when we had Greiss and Ehrhoff? 

 

Grammar: 3/3 - good grammar. Sometimes it was a little too proper so it didn't flow, but that's ok. A few continuity issues, you say 10 assists one place and 11 the other, WHL one day and OHL the other

 

Presentation: 1/1 - Lots of pictures, clear format, colors of font are interesting but not distracting, spot on presentation

 

Over 1000 Words? 1/1 1933 words 

 

Overall: 10/10

Thanks! Regarding the assists, it says 10 in his first 20 games, but he played more than 20 games. I'm not sure why I kept going from OHL to WHL, must be the VHLSC mindset!

[CowboyinAmerica 2,887]

Claimed