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2023 Edmonton Oilers prospects#5 Tyler Tullio
By IRA COOPER Special to the Cult of Hockey
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Two For the Price of One — everyone loves a deal and Ken Holland got the Oilers what looks to be a great deal on the second day of the 2020 NHL draft. At what was perhaps the weirdest draft in NHL history, held in October by video conference (as opposed to the traditional in-person draft in June), Ken Holland got the Oilers two real prospects from a single 3rd round pick.
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Ken Holland traded the Oilers’ 3rd-round pick to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for a 4th-round pick and a 5th-round pick. Some Oilers fans were disappointed at the time of the trade as they were hopeful the Oilers would draft local St. Albert product Carter Savoie with that 3rd round pick. As it turns out, the Oilers were able to draft Savoie with the 4th-round pick and, with the newly acquired extra pick in the 5th round, the Oilers selected Tyler Tullio from the Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey League.
Side Note: The Oilers drafting a player out of, perhaps the best junior league in the world, is a rare occurrence in recent times.
As with many prospects, Tullio is listed as a center/right winger but, truth be told, he is a full-time winger and even expressed the same in an interview shortly after the draft (to paraphrase he stated that, while he “can play center”, he’s most comfortable on the wing). He has played exclusively wing in his post-draft junior career as well as his one professional season in the American Hockey League.
Just like the oddness of being drafted to an NHL team on a video conference in October, Tullio’s post-draft journey did not start off in a traditional manner. The Ontario Hockey League did not have a 2020/21 season due to COVID restrictions.
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With that said, Tullio’s draft-plus-one season wasn’t entirely lost as, along with a few other of his Oshawa teammates, a loan was negotiated to allow Tullio to play for HK 32 Liptovsky Mikulas of the top Slovakian league. I can’t profess to be an expert in Slovakian professional hockey but Tullio was able to make an impact, finishing 7th on the team in scoring with 13 points in 19 games (including 4 goals) and, a notable, 77 penalty minutes.
After having the unique opportunity to play some pro games in Europe as a teenager, Tullio played a more traditional season back in Oshawa in his draft-plus-two year. After being named captain of the Generals, Tullio spiked offensively to score 46 goals and produce 86 points in only 65 games. One expects a prospect with NHL aspirations to spike offensively in a draft-plus-two season back in junior. What is notable about Tullio’s production is the gap between him and the rest of the team. While the gap wasn’t quite akin to Wayne Gretzky back in the 80s, the 86 points led the team by a full 25 points over the second highest point producer and the 46 goals led the team by 15 goals over future Boston Bruin 3rd round pick Brett Harrison. The Generals were a poor team in the 2021/22 season and Tullio was able to have a productive season with little help on the offensive side of the game.
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Many Oilers fans were excited about the influx of real prospects to the Bakersfield Condors for the 2022-23 season, namely (with all due respect to the recently retired Noah Philp) the trio of Xavier Bourgault, Savoie and Tullio.
One thing was clear, Tullio was the least heralded and the least talked about of the three listed rookie professionals. His somewhat diminutive stature (listed at 5’10/165 on HockeyDB, however, 5’11/181 on EliteProspects), combined with having the lowest draft pedigree among the three, led to Tullio being the least hyped heading into the season. It seems the organization was aligned with the fan base as I recall Keith Gretzky, General Manager of the Condors, admitting they had initial thoughts that Tullio would start the season in the East Coast Hockey League.
As it turns out, Tullio would play the entire season in the AHL and, in my opinion, his season rivals Xavier Bourault for the most impressive season among the three. The season was not without its ups and downs. As expected, it took time for Tullio to get used to the pro game and to earn the trust of his coaches. He started the year on the 4th line with few high-leverage or special teams minutes. He was often healthy scratched. He also missed some time with injury and, at times, was in the lineup but visibly limited by injury.
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But his progression and development through the season were overt and noticeable.
Tullio ended the season with numbers that don’t jump off the page, 13 goals and 26 points in 62 games, however, it is the progression Tullio showed that excites this writer.
Tullio’s second half of the season was much more productive than the first half. After heading into the holiday break with only 8 points on his resume, Tullio went on a couple of massive heaters in the middle part of the season including one stretch that saw him produce 16 points in 17 games and he earned Top 6 minutes and even PP1 time during portions of the second half.
The first thing to note about Tullio is that he plays bigger than his stature and has a motor that doesn’t stop. Picture a combination of Kailer Yamamoto and Dylan Holloway with the way he forechecks and commits to battle notwithstanding his size. I like to call him Brendan Gallagher Lite.
Tullio is not a high-end skater. If anything is going to hold him back from an NHL career, it’s his skating. He can be easily pushed off the puck at times. What’s heartening is that, to my non-expert eye, he did improve his skating through his first pro season and was noticeably stronger on his skates as the year went on. This was a main catalyst to the spike in play in the second half — he was stronger on his skates and became more confidant along the boards, not only in battle but holding on to the puck to create space and showing patience for lanes to open.
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Tullio’s greatest assets are that motor noted above along with being a smart hockey player. He is already a responsible two-way player, generally on the right side of the puck in all three zones, and with a developing knowledge of when to make the safe play and when he has the proper support to perhaps try a riskier play and create. His high hockey IQ led to some increased PK time as the season went on.
Tullio doesn’t have great puck skills but he does show an ability to handle the pucks in close quarters and that, combined with good vision and his high on-ice intelligence makes him a decent playmaker.
The one skill I didn’t expect from Tullio was his sneaky dangerous (and under-rated) shot. Tullio scored a couple of one-timer goals that were absolute lasers (which rivaled those of Raphael Lavoie and his one-timer). The quick release will serve him well as he continues on his professional career.
Tullio projects as a middle-six player, a two-way energy player with some solid skill and a lot of jam. He took huge strides during his rookie AHL season and, for stretches, was a top forward on the team. He started the season slow, as most rookie pros do, and had a muted end to the season (as he battled injury) but the middle stretch was enticing.
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Expectation for the 2023/24 season: For Tullio to start and finish the season in the Top 6, be a mainstay on the PK and earn some PP1 times. I expect him to produce at a 25 goal/60 point pace and put himself in the conversation, along with Xavier Bourgault, for an NHL cup of coffee.
(Ira Cooper is a Calgary lawyer, Cult of Hockey contributor, and sharp-eyed observer of the Edmonton Oilers and Bakersfield Condors).
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