“I expected and was told I would go third, possibly higher, and when it didn’t happen, it was hard,” Lynch explained. “I knew during the season when I tore my knee, it would have a big effect on where I was going to go.”
Now Lynch is a man on a mission. The mission: to prove his value. He has spent the summer working out at Mike Boyle’s gym, where Tampa Bay Lightning captain Vincent Lecavalier has been diligently training through out the off-season. He has also spent a good deal of time at Lightning Special Skills Coach Paul Vincent’s camp. While Lynch’s skating surely doesn’t need improvement, he is looking to fine-tune other areas of his game.
Most young players growing up in Boston dream of being the hometown hero at local schools, but not Lynch. He chose the University of Maine over both Boston College and Merrimack.
“I didn’t want to get distracted by anything near the city,” Lynch explained. The serious hockey atmosphere set by head coach Shawn Walsh lured Lynch to Maine. “He is a great guy who takes hockey very seriously.”
While Lynch is expecting to play at least 30 minutes a game, there will be a lot of adjusting to do for the freshman who led the EJHL’s Valley Junior Warriors with 43 PIM in 21 games last year. Lynch will have to modify his notoriously rough style to accommodate the almost fight-free NCAA.
Lynch views this as a positive transition. “In juniors, fighting was a necessity. I found myself running around too much and being a little too aggressive,” he explained. “I am looking to take that negative energy and focus it more positively. With the penalty minutes that I had, I ended up hurting the team more than helping them.”
With less focus being placed on physical play, Lynch will finally have a chance to explore his offensive ability. While with the Warriors, he was placed in a stay-at-home role and barly given the chance to touch on his scoring ability. Many who watched him play felt he had much more to offer offensively, including head coach Andy Heinze, brother of NHLer Steve Heinze.
As Andy Heinze told the Hockey Journal, “I get the feeling when you look at Paul, he’s just scratching the surface in terms of what he can bring scoring-wise.” Now Lynch will have the chance to showcase himself with Maine.
While Tampa Bay is very deep defensively, with a couple of solid seasons at the college level, Lynch could easily see himself rise high in the ranks of Lightning blueliners.
Scouting Report
Lynch is an intense competitor who is good in front of the net and in the corners. He plays a strong physical style, landing the punishing hits at every opportunity. He is strong skater with good agility, a long, smooth stride and impressive speed for his size. He has good passing and puckhandling skills and gets the puck out of the zone quickly and safely. He has a hard, accurate shot and is not afraid to jump into the offense. He needs to be more disciplined in the defensive zone.
