Does the nickname “Big Walt” ring any bells? Keith Tkachuk was a Blues legend, playing in over 600 games in the blue sweater in his nine years in St. Louis. Tkachuk tallied 538 career goals and 527 assists, totaling for 1,065 points in his 19 NHL seasons. He is one of only five American born players to score at least 500 goals and is the sixth American born player to tally over 1,000 points. Big Walt was a five-time all-star and was inducted into the USA Hockey Hall of Fame in 2012. Tkachuk also won gold in the 1996 World Cup of Hockey and then took silver with USA in 2002 at Salt Lake City in the Olympics. Without a doubt, he was a fan favorite. But in case you didn’t know, his son Matthew is pretty good as well.
Matthew Tkachuk, now 18, was born in Phoenix while Tkachuk was with the Arizona Coyotes. However, most of his childhood was spent in St. Louis (while his dad was on the Blues) playing for the St. Louis Jr. Blues. With the St. Louis Blues AAA under-16 team back in 2012-13, Tkachuk scored 25 goals and had 57 assists, for a total of 82 points in 41 games. For the next two seasons, Tkachuk would spend a majority of his playing time with the U.S. National Team. In those two seasons with both the U17 and U18 teams, the second-generation left-winger tallied 129 points in 118 games. The time had then come for Tkachuk to sign with a college or sign with a minor league team.
Tkachuk after signing with the London Knights. Photo via @matthew_tkachuk on Instagram.
In May of 2015, Tkachuk chose to sign with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) over attending the University of Notre Dame and playing hockey there. Tkachuk would not disappoint. In 57 regular season games, Tkachuk scored 30 goals and tacked on 77 assists for a total of 107 points. The London Knights made the Memorial Cup (OHL’s equivalent to the Stanley Cup), and won the series 4-0 over the Niagara IceDogs. Tkachuk had five goals and three assists in that series alone.
Tkachuk celebrating the Knights’ Memorial Cup win. Photo via Claus Andersen/Getty Images.
Tkachuk will be entering into the 2016 NHL Draft, where he is projected in most mock drafts to go top five, but at the least should go top ten. Most online mock drafts have Tkachuk being selected fourth overall by the Edmonton Oilers. While it’s unclear where Tkachuk will end up, surely he will be effective wherever he goes. Tkachuk has superstar potential and could potentially see ice time shortly into the 2016-17 season, depending on the situation.
Joe Curtis on EliteProspects.com describes Matthew Tkachuk as “A multi-dimensional energy winger that plays a pro-style, adaptive game. Well-versed as a guy who can consistently put up points, but also as an agitator who plays with a little bit of bite and nastiness. Skates with excellent balance and speed, outclassing many in his age range. No lack of offensive instincts and knows how to score in many different ways. Confidence in his abilities and playing to the extent of his capabilities strengthens his work ethic and creativity. All-in-all, a unique and effective forward who defines his own limits and seeks to exceed them, along with all on-ice expectations.”
Some have even said that they can see Keith’s playing style in his son Matthew. He’s able to score goals and make plays but is also able to stir the pot and isn’t afraid to get in the rough of things. Matthew is smaller though, as he is 6’1” 195 lbs. and Keith is 6’2” 235 lbs. Matthew will have some big shoes to fill if he intends on scoring as many or even more goals than his old man. But scouts across the NHL are taking notice and all have him down on their draft boards. Watch out for Matthew Tkachuk.
