CALGARY – The University of Calgary Dinos hockey team added a new piece to its puzzle for 2009-10, securing a commitment from Cochrane, Alta. native Tyler Swystun.
The Dinos open their season on at home on October 9th against the Alberta Golden Bears, where they will be hungry to start anew after missing the Canada West playoffs last year.
The 5-foot-11 winger has an outstanding hockey pedigree, having played for winning organizations in three different leagues. Perhaps most familiar to hockey fans in Western Canada, Tyler played for the 2006-2007 WHL Champion Medicine Hat Tigers, who beat the Vancouver Giants in a double overtime thriller to take the President's Cup title. However, the Tigers went from euphoria to heartbreak that year, where in a rematch with the tournament host Vancouver Giants, they fell just short in the Memorial Cup Final. During their playoff run, Swystun notched five points to help the Tigers.
Swystun started his junior hockey career with the AJHL perennial power Camrose Kodiaks in 2004-2005, where he was a part of another championship team, lifting the AJHL Enerflex Cup as well as the Doyle Cup. Tyler has experience with one of the premier NCAA hockey programs in the United States as well, where he teamed up with current NHL stars Jack Johnson (Los Angeles Kings) and Andrew Cogliano (Edmonton Oilers) on the University of Michigan Wolverines in 2005-2006.
Swystun is also no stranger to hockey on the international level, having played in the World U-17 Hockey Challenge with Team Pacific in 2005, as well as participating in the International Ice Hockey Federation's Under-16 Development Camp in Vierumaki, Finland, in 2003. Tyler last played for the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL in 2007-2008.
Skill-wise, Dinos head coach
Mark Howell is excited for what the team is getting with Tyler.
“We're really happy to have him here. He's a smaller player with excellent speed, skill and talent. We're looking to become faster and a more difficult team to play against, and Tyler fits the bill exactly in trying to achieve this goal,” said the coach.
In his travels through the junior hockey ranks, Swystun was nothing but consistent in his scoring output, scoring 32, 36 and 34 points with the Kodiaks, Tigers and Winterhawks respectively. With his on-ice speed, Tyler should have no problem creating opportunities and setting his teammates up on the wide open international surface in the Father David Bauer Arena.
Having missed the playoffs for the first time in 24 years, the Dinos are getting a motivated player in Swystun, who is intent on making his new teams' playoff absence a brief one.
“I've played in a lot of big games, and I've played for a lot of good teams, so I hope to bring some of that experience to the table for the team. They have good talent here already, and I think my speed and skill can help us out further. With hard work we can definitely get back on track.
“I know a few of the guys on the team and I've heard good things about the program,” added Swystun. “With the U of C being so close to home (Cochrane) and with there being exactly what I need academically, coming here was a pretty straight forward decision for me.”
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