Kalynuk set to turn pro after signing with Chicago

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This article was published 23/07/2020 (1912 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Wyatt Kalynuk is happy to share his success with his hometown.

The 23-year-old Virden product signed with the National Hockey League’s Chicago Blackhawks last Thursday after originally being selected in the seventh round in 2017 by the Philadelphia Flyers. It was a big moment for the University of Wisconsin Badgers defenceman and his parents Randy and Leanne.

“It’s cool,” said Kalynuk, who was last in Virden at Christmas. “I let my buddies know a little bit before it was actually official and they were pretty pumped. Now that people know, you get a lot of messages from people you might not have talked to in a long time. It might have been your coach when you were in novice or they drove you to Hartney or Souris when you were growing up to practice. It’s cool, especially being from Virden because it’s a pretty small community. If you’re playing hockey in Virden, pretty much everyone knows who you are.

“I know my parents got a ton of messages and congratulations as well, not just from people in Virden but all around rural Manitoba.”

Philadelphia had a chance to sign Kalynuk after he declared in mid-May he wasn’t returning for his senior season with Wisconsin, but when the Flyers failed to make a deal in a 30-day window, he became a free agent.

The Blackhawks quickly swooped in and signed him on July 16.

“Chicago is a good fit because I think there is an opportunity for me to step in right away,” Kalynuk said. “It doesn’t matter where you go in the NHL, you have to earn your spot, they’re not going to give anything to you. I think it was a good opportunity for me to go and get in right away.”

Kalynuk played twice during his college career at the United Center, which serves as the home of the Blackhawks, and he also attended Chicago’s pre-draft combine in 2017.

“They showed a ton of interest in me right away so that’s where I wanted to go,” Kalynuk said.

The six-foot-one, 189-pound defenceman, who shoots left, certainly hasn’t forgotten where he came from.

As a 16-year-old, the graduate of the Southwest Cougars under-18 AAA team skated with his hometown Virden Oil Capitals in the 2013-14 season. He said it was a massive transition for him from the U18 level to junior.

“That was a big step,” Kalynuk said. “When I was 16, the league at that time was a little bit older. There’s rule now involving 20-year-olds, but I think when I played you could have 10 and most teams had 10. I was playing against guys four or five years older than me so it was a big learning experience learning how to play against guys who were, for the most part, bigger and stronger than I was. That was a big year learning how the bigger, heavier game worked. It was a pretty physical style of hockey.”

He said that has proven to be the most jarring transition he has faced in his hockey career, but it was a success as he was named to the MJHL’s all-rookie team.

Kalynuk moved on to the USHL for the next three years, spending one season with the Lincoln Stars and two with the Bloomington Thunder. In 174 goals, he tallied nine goals and 61 assists.

“The league was maybe styled a little bit more towards the college game,” Kalynuk said of his decision to head south. “It was a faster league and a league that was for sure physical but was more styled to skill and speed. It was fun when I was there and for sure helped me to get ready for college.”

He had another incredible experience before he played a game in college, however. On June 24, 2017, the Flyers took Kalynuk with the 196th pick at the same NHL entry draft, coincidentally in Chicago, that they took Brandon Wheat Kings captain Nolan Patrick second overall.

“I don’t know if I was expecting it,” Kalynuk said. “Not everyone can say they were drafted into the NHL. When I got that call, it was pretty cool. I was excited and my family was excited.”

He headed to the University of Wisconsin to start the 2017-18 season, and quickly adapted to the sprawling campus in Madison, a city of nearly 260,000 located 128 kilometres west of Milwaukee and 237 km northwest of Chicago.

“The school part was one thing, but the campus life here being away from the rink was another thing,” Kalynuk said. “Madison is a huge school and is known as a party school. There are a ton of kids here and it’s a blast. You’re not going to have a bad time if you come to school here. There’s sports and endless amounts of things you can do with your time.”

The communications major admitted it took a while to re-orient himself to taking classes again after a couple of years away from school.

On the ice, Kalynuk said it wasn’t a huge change because he has facing a lot of guys he had played against in the USHL.

“You’re taking another step where guys are older and bigger and stronger, but I think from the USHL to college it wasn’t a massive jump,” Kalynuk said.

In three seasons in Wisconsin, Kalynuk recorded 19 goals and 59 assists in 110 games, with a plus-minus of -16. His play was noticed, as he was named to the all-rookie team, the second all-star team and the first all-star team in the Big 10 Conference during his three-year career.

“I’ve always been a skater,” Kalynuk said. “Skating has for the most part got me to where I am. When the puck is on my stick, I’m at my best. Defensively is something that I’ve always tried to work on. Here at Wisconsin, working with coach Mark Osiecki, he’s a specialist when it comes to playing D and coaching. He taught me a lot. I spent a lot of time with him watching video and doing stuff before practice and after practice.”

While he’s looking forward to turning pro, it also meant turning the page on a giant chapter in his life. Wisconsin’s season was already over when the COVID-19 pandemic hit hard in mid-March, but he had three years of memories there.

“I don’t want to leave here but I’m at that point in my hockey career where it makes sense for me to go,” Kalynuk said. “I’m a little older at 23 now and there comes a time when you have to go. I wish I could stay here for another year and play, but it’s best for me to turn pro now. I can come back and finish my degree whenever I want.”

The next step has a slight degree of uncertainty as the pandemic rages in the United States. Kalynuk remains hopeful that things will work out on schedule.

“For the NHL, it seems like what they have set it seems like might stay on track,” Kalynuk said. “Maybe it will be late a little bit but I think as far as college season goes, it’s completely up in the air. No one knows what’s going to happen. I know for my teammates who are still here in Madison, they don’t what to think. Nobody really knows because the NCAA hasn’t really said much yet.

“I think for pro guys and guys who are looking to play in the NHL, the NHL has a pretty set-in-stone — obviously things can change — but they have a timeline and there is some uncertainty but some structure at the same time.”

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