Ahead of Tyler Myers’ 1000th NHL game celebration, The Hockey News – Canucks site decided to take a look at some of the defenceman’s career highlights. Here’s how his hockey journey brought him to BC, to the East Coast, up to Winnipeg, and finally back to Vancouver.
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Myers first joined the Kelowna Rockets back in 2005, skating in nine games and tallying one assist. He spent these first few games with former Canucks Alex Edler and Luke Schenn — later on in his time with the Rockets, he was joined by current NHLers Jamie Benn, Tyson Barrie, and Mikael Backlund. Myers and the latter three eventually won the WHL Championship in the 2008–09 season, with the 6’8 defenceman being named the playoff MVP after a 20-point performance in 22 playoff games.
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The early parts of Myers’ career were sprinkled with successes. Not only did he win a championship with the Kelowna Rockets, but he also earned a couple of first-place prizes with Team Canada’s World Junior teams. As a member of the U18 roster in 2007–08, he registered a goal and an assist in seven games, with the team taking home a gold medal after an 8–0 victory against Russia. On this team, he was joined by former Canucks Travis Hamonic and Cody Hodgson. A season later, he joined the U20 team that was coached by former Canucks head coaches Pat Quinn (head) and Willie Desjardins (assistant). In six games with this team, he scored one goal and helped Canada to its fifth straight gold medal for this age group.
Drafted 12th overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2008 NHL Draft, Myers set a precedent in his rookie season by notching 11 goals and 37 assists in 82 games. These efforts won him the Calder Memorial Trophy, beating out the Detroit Red Wings’ Jimmy Howard and the Colorado Avalanche’s Matt Duchene. After Buffalo’s exit from the playoffs this season, he immediately jumped into playing for Team Canada in the World Championships, joined by another group of former Canucks — Mason Raymond and Michael Del Zotto. Canada placed seventh in the tournament with a quarterfinal loss, and Myers tallied two assists.
Myers followed up his impressive rookie season with 37-point and 23-point seasons, earned in 80 and 55 games, respectively. After this came the NHL’s lockout season, which saw the tall defenceman play for Klagenfurt Athletic Sports Club (EC-KAC) of the ICEHL. During his time with the Austrian hockey team, Myers scored three goals and seven assists in 17 games. When the NHL resumed play, he returned to the Sabres and tallied eight points in 39 games.
The season before his last with Buffalo (2013–14), Myers competed for Team Canada again. With Canuck-related names like Alex Burrows and Kevin Bieksa — as well as current NHL stars like Nathan Mackinnon, Mark Scheifele, and Jonathan Huberdeau — this team unfortunately suffered a quarterfinal loss to Sweden. This trip to the World Championships as part of Team Canada would be the last for Myers for almost a decade.
In the 2014–15 season, Myers was traded to the Winnipeg Jets alongside Brendan Lemieux, Joel Armia, Drew Stafford, and a 2015 first-round pick. Heading back to Buffalo in exchange were Zach Bogosian, Evander Kane, and Jason Kasdorf. In Myers’ first 24 games with the Jets, he produced three goals and 12 assists. During this season, he also made his first trip to the playoffs post-lockout, scoring one goal in four games.
In five seasons with the Jets, Myers put up 29 goals and 85 assists in 270 games. His time in Winnipeg was highlighted by a 4–1 conference finals loss to the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2017–18 season, in which the Jets finished their regular season 52–20–10. In this season, he came the closest he’s been to the offensive production he provided in his rookie year with six goals and 30 assists. Playoffs told a similar story, as he tallied four goals and three assists in 16 games.
In July of 2019, Myers signed a five-year, $30M contract with the Vancouver Canucks that paid an annual average of $6M. He was the main free-agent signing of that year, and with it came lots of expectations. His play in Vancouver has been steady throughout the years, with fans nicknaming him the “chaos giraffe” due to his occasionally questionable plays. While his point totals began to dip upon arriving in Vancouver, with a bolstered defensive core last season, Myers managed to bring his offensive flair back with a 29-point (five-goal, 24-assist) effort.
After another missed postseason with the Canucks in 2022–23, Myers chose to lace up for Team Canada once again, accompanied by more former Canucks in Ethan Bear, Tyler Toffoli, and Brad Hunt. Notably referred to as the “worst Team Canada roster ever,” these players won gold in a 4–2 victory against Sweden, with Myers contributing one goal in 10 games.
Since arriving in Vancouver, Myers has provided the city with lots to talk about. From Duncan Keith-crushing hits to one particular save from this postseason that had everyone busting out Sami Salo’s old chant, the defenceman has truly made a mark on Canucks nation. Love him or hate him, here’s to 1000 NHL Games for our chaos giraffe!
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