Joey Payeur
Cole Tymkin would rather have had his season end with him on the ice or the bench than in the stands.
And he’s already in the process of remedying that.
Tymkin’s rookie season on right-wing for the OHL’s London Knights concluded April 18 when the defending Memorial Cup champs were eliminated 5-4 in overtime by the Erie Otters in Game 7 of their second round playoff series.
The 18-year-old Rainy River native and Fort Frances resident was a healthy scratch for the entire series after getting into three games against the Windsor Spitfires in London’s opening-round series.
In his exit interview with Knights’ head coach Dale Hunter, Tymkin was told in no uncertain terms what the plan is for him and what he needs to do to make it happen.
“[Hunter] expects me to log big-time minutes in the beginning of the season to see what I can do,” noted Tymkin, still breathing deeply when reached minutes after an intense workout–one of the first few of many rigorous sessions he’s putting himself through in the off-season with an eye already on this fall.
“He wants me to really work hard this summer and improve my quickness,” added the former Muskie and Fort Frances Laker.
“I have to be prepared to come in ready next year,” he stressed. “It’s up to me and my trainer now.”
Tymkin, a fifth-round draft pick (91st overall) by the Knights in 2016, battled his way up the depth chart in the early part of the season to earn a spot on the third line.
His rough-and-tumble style won over both Hunter and the Knights’ fans.
But the roster landscape for London, as well as Tymkin’s role with the team, changed dramatically at the trade deadline in January.
The Knights made three deals, two of which were for forwards Mitchell Stephens from the Saginaw Spirit and Dante Salituro from the Ottawa 67s.
Stephens, who was good enough to be on Team Canada for the world junior championships, and Salituro immediately were installed in London’s top-six forward rotation.
That bumped everyone else down the pecking order, including Tymkin, who suddenly found himself in a dogfight for playing time on the fourth line.
“It was a good first half for me,” he noted. “But after the trades, everyone was battling for spots and the competition was even more than before.
“It’s tough to go from playing 14 minutes a game to having to watch from the seats,” admitted Tymkin, who won SIJHL rookie-of-the-year honours last season with the Lakers after posting 49 points in 48 games.
“You learn quickly that you have to make the most out of every opportunity you have, whether you play three or 13 minutes a game,” he remarked.
Tymkin finished with two goals and six assists in 45 regular-season games while finishing second among all OHL rookies with 71 penalty minutes.
“I wanted to set the tone early that I was going to be a mean, aggressive player and make a statement for next year, too,” he explained.
“But next year, I know I want to try and go out and focus on getting more points.”
It was a great comfort to Tymkin to have solid family support throughout the season.
Older sisters Ericka and Shelby were attending Fanshawe College in London, and constantly were on hand to watch their brother in home games, as well as travelling to catch some of his road games, too.
“It was wicked convenient for [my siblings] to be down there, and get to go out for meals with them and stuff like that,” Tymkin said.
“Both of them were at every single home game whether I was playing or not, and it was nice to be able to have my parents come down a few times, too.”
Tymkin isn’t willing to subscribe to the theory that the Knights lost to the better team–or better fan base, for that matter.
“The playoffs were just crazy,” he noted. “You could feel it in the stands how much everyone wanted to win.
“Honestly, we deserved to win,” Tymkin added. “We went to [Erie’s] barn and their fans would just trash us after we lost a game.
“I think we played a classy series and it came down to one game in overtime and the fact both times their starting goalie got pulled, their back-up came in and we just couldn’t score on him.”
The thoughts of aiding in the Knights’ return to OHL supremacy already has Tymkin looking to raise his level of play for next season.
“I think I will feel more comfortable going into my second year,” he predicted.
“Personally, I’ve got to step my game up more but I’m really happy to be on this team,” Tymkin added.
“I think we’re going to have a really good shot at it and these are good guys to play with.”
