With the 19th overall pick in the 2014 NLL Draft, the Edmonton Rush selected Tyler Melnyk. Coming from Calgary, Alberta, Melnyk grew up around hockey and lacrosse. After attending Presbyterian College alongside his brother, Tyler transferred to Marquette University where he really attracted the NCAA spotlight.
In his first season/junior year with Marquette, Melnyk started every game and took advantage of the opportunities; he ended up leading the team in goals scored with 23. He was also second on the team in assists that year with 15.
However, Melnyk’s largest impact came his senior year in which he was decorated and honored numerous times.
For one, he’s the first Marquette player to ever be selected in a professional draft. Prior to that, he was the first MU athlete to be named an USILA All-American. Melnyk’s decorations don’t stop there:
– Earned school’s first BIG EAST weekly honor roll mention in history
– Multiple hat trick games and multiple goals scored games
– Hat tricks against Hofstra, Marist, Jacksonville, and Duke all in the same season
– Set records for program in BIG EAST play
– Ranked fifth in nation for goals per game
– Named to First Team All-BIG EAST
– Finished college career with team-high goals and assists
The question remaining to be answered is, what can all these accomplishments bring to the Rush?
For one, Melnyk obviously demonstrates a knowledge for the game that allows him to constantly recognize scoring opportunities. He is a bit bigger of an attackman/forward, weighing in at 195 pounds. That’s around my weight so I can say it does help in pushing defenders around rather than trying to maneuver around them. Defenders find that a bigger attackman is sometimes more challenging to defend.
Melnyk is a physical force. Look for the Rush to utilize his offensive IQ and physical roughness to gain advantages in recovering turnovers and bodying up in tight spaces. I think what attracted the team to look at Melnyk revolves around his size. They could create a transition player out of him, use his size at a forward position, and continue to build on his already extensive lacrosse IQ.
