I stumbled upon a great write-up on Tyler Toffoli on the Hockey’s Future message boards. The writer, who goes by the name Tonellisghost, says he has worked for or played for the Ottawa 67s, Gatineau Olympiques and others. You’re encouraged to take what he says with a grain of salt; I find him to be pretty credible though.
Tyler Toffoli has silenced his critics at every level he has played. He took several scouts and scouting services to school after his less-than-stellar ranking in his draft year, and has now established himself as one of the best young prospects in the game. He scored 108 points this past season in only 68 games which [led] the OHL in scoring, [and] scored 57 goals which was also best in the league. […]
I asked [Ottawa 67s] head coach Chris Byrne how much more development Tyler needed before [he’s] NHL-ready. [He said,] “All Tyler needs to do is work on developing his strength and conditioning, so that he can compete physically against the bigger stronger competition […]”. Coach Byrne […] added, “This is going to be a big summer for Tyler. If he is able to get stronger and quicker, which is possible, then who knows? Of course if he doesn’t, I’d be more than happy to get him back here.”
[…] Coach Byrne said that Tyler is one of the more complete players that he has seen come through in a long time. “At 6’2″, 185lbs, he is a handful to defend but his biggest attributes are in his offensive instincts, his vision, his timing and his exceptional shot.”
[…]
I would call him a solid 6’1″, but either way he is taller than average, and is in exceptional shape.
That is certainly an inch or two taller than he appeared to be last summer. Also, at 185lbs, that would be pretty skinny for 6’1″-6’2″. That’s bordering on Simmonds’ dimensions. That doesn’t sound quite right, but he’s young and it’s been a few months, so maybe he hit a growth spurt. That happened to Teddy Purcell, too; he shot up a couple of inches after he was passed over in the draft. Teddy Purcell, I wonder what ever happened to that guy…
Now, it’s time to see if he can develop a better core, so he can keep up with players at the next level […]. If you talk to the kid he says that he was upset about not getting enough time in the gym last summer [due to injury].
[…]
[…] We will get to see his dedication this coming summer. He is supposed to be spending a big portion of the sumer in Los Angeles working with our trainers. It seems to me […] he is being fast tracked [like Kyle Clifford] was […].
Can anyone out there confirm that Toffoli is training in LA? The writer also says he believes Toffoli is already in town.
I [asked Byrne] if he thought that Tyler was likely to develop into a sniper/finisher […]. [He] told me […] he wouldn’t limit his game to just one area. “[Toffoli] has the hands to [be] a great finisher [and] the vision to be a great passer. […] His offensive game is so complete that he is likely to succeed no matter where you play him.”
Toffoli is a natural right winger but has spent time at center, [and left wing], and [has] succeeded everywhere he has played. “I think [Toffoli] will play wing in the NHL and while he would prefer the right side he plays just as well on the left,” […] Byrne said.
Don’t tease me.
[…] I asked coach Byrne who he would liken Toffoli to […]. [His answer:] “[…] Tyler is his own player. He’s so good that [he’s] one of those guys […] other players are compared to, not the other way around.”
[Byrne added], “The Kings got this one perfectly right and have a great young player on their hands”.
Oh, I can’t wait for prospect camp. Has that been scheduled yet?