Tyler Bertuzzi

History

2010-11: Tyler Bertuzzi appeared in five major midget games for the Sudbury Nickel Capital Wolves and averaged two points per game for the Sudbury Wolves minor midget AA team. He had 1 goal with 1 assist and 12 penalty minutes in three regular season games with Sudbury Nickel Capital and in two playoff games was scoreless with 12 penalty minutes. Bertuzzi had 18 goals with 36 assists in 26 midget AA games and had 26 penalty minutes. He was selected by Guelph in the fourth round (78th overall) of the 2011 OHL Priority Draft.

2011-12: Bertuzzi played in 61 games for Guelph in his first OHL season. He scored 6 goals with 11 assists and was +7; finishing second on the Storm with 117 penalty minutes. Guelph reached the playoffs, finishing fourth in the Midwest Division. Bertuzzi played in 5 of 6 games during the first round series with Plymouth and had 2 assists with 7 penalty minutes.

2012-13: Bertuzzi skated in 43 regular season games for Guelph in his second season, missing over two months after suffering a neck injury with concussion-like symptoms at the end of October. He finished the season with 13 goals and 9 assists and was -2 with 68 penalty minutes. Guelph once again finished fourth in the Midwest Division, behind OHL champion London, Owen Sound and Kitchener. Bertuzzi was scoreless with an even plus/minus and 14 penalty minutes in the five-game first round series with Kitchener. Ranked 207th amongst North American skaters in Central Scouting’s final rankings, Bertuzzi was selected by Detroit in the second round (58th overall) of the 2013 NHL Draft.

2013-14: Bertuzzi was off to a fast start for eventual OHL champion Guelph in his third season before suffering similar head and neck issues to the ones that forced him to miss much of the 2012-13 season in December; missing the rest of the regular season. He scored 9 goals with 25 assists and was +9 with 49 penalty minutes in 29 regular season games. Guelph finished first in the Midwest Division with the OHL’s top record and defeated North Bay in the OHL finals. Bertuzzi returned for the playoffs, scoring 10 goals with 7 assists and finishing +14 with 24 penalty minutes in 18 games. Guelph won three straight games at the Memorial Cup before falling to Edmonton, 6-3, in the championship game. Bertuzzi scored 5 goals and was +3 with 10 penalty minutes in four Memorial Cup games.

2014-15: Bertuzzi signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Red Wings in October 2014, making his pro hockey debut with Red Wings’ AHL affiliate Grand Rapids late in the year after his OHL season with Guelph. He scored 1 goal and was -2 with no penalties in two regular season games with the Griffins. Bertuzzi was among the leading scorers for Grand Rapids in the playoffs as the Griffins advanced to the Western Conference finals. In 14 playoff games he scored 7 goals with 5 assists and was +4 with 10 penalty minutes. Bertuzzi was an assistant captain for the Storm in his fourth OHL season and played for the OHL All-Stars in the 2014 Subway Series against Russia.  The only Storm player to play in all 68 regular season games, he was the team’s leading scorer with 43 goals and 55 assists and was +26 with 91 penalty minutes. The Storm finished third in the Midwest Division and reached the second round in the playoffs. Bertuzzi scored 6 goals with 2 assists and was -5 with 10 penalty minutes in nine playoff games. He had no points and 14 penalty minutes in his only Subway Series game. 

2015-16:.Bertuzzi skated in 71 of 75 regular season games for Detroit AHL affiliate Grand Rapids in his first pro season. He scored 12 goals with 18 assists and was +7, leading the Griffins with 133 penalty minutes. Grand Rapids finished fourth in the Central Division, reaching the playoffs for the fourth straight season.

Talent Analysis

Bertuzzi is a high-energy, high-effort player who has some offensive upside. His bread and butter is his ability to get under the skin of opponents but he has emerged as an opportunistic goal scorer during his junior career. Bertuzzi is not afraid to fight and he forechecks hard with consistency.

Future

Bertuzzi provided supplementary scoring while leading Detroit AHL affiliate Grand Rapids in penalty minutes in his first pro season in 2015-16. Coming off a 43-goal overage season in the OHL and his seven goals in 14 games in the 2015 AHL playoffs his offensive numbers were far more realistic this season and that is likely to be his role at the pro level — a hard-to-play-against second or third line winger with the ability to chip in occasionally on the scoresheet.