Tyler Bertuzzi’s NHL role model is a former Detroit Red Wings forward, but it might be a fact of life Wings fans will find hard to swallow.
That’s because Bertuzzi has sought to model his game after that of Wendel Clark.
“When I was growing up, I watched Wendel Clark,… Bertuzzi said of the rugged former NHL left-winger who played 12 games for the Wings in 1998-99 but is best remembered as the captain of Detroit’s hated rivals, the Toronto Maple Leafs.
“My dad told me about Wendel Clark. I liked him a lot. He’d fight, worked hard, scored a lot of goals.
“I like him a lot.…
You could say that about the Wings and their relationship with 6-1, 190-pound left-winger Bertuzzi, 20, about to launch his pro career and currently skating with the Detroit team at the club’s NHL prospects tournament in Traverse City, Mich.
They like him. They’ve always liked him, but after last season, when Bertuzzi put up 43-55-98 numbers for the OHL’s Guelph Storm, they like him a lot more.
The Wings always viewed Bertuzzi as a grinding type of forward who’d supply grit and be tough to play against, much like his uncle, former Wing Todd Bertuzzi.
Suddenly, last season – again like his uncle – Tyler blossomed into an offensive force, a development that even caught him by surprise.
“I never thought skill would be part of my game,… Bertuzzi frankly admitted. “I was just working, hitting fighting, doing the little things like that and working on my game. But just working on it over the summer and growing older, growing wiser, and getting opportunities to come to (Detroit’s prospects) camps and work on skills and stuff, it helped my game a lot.…
Experience also played a role in Bertuzzi’s improved offensive digits.
“I knew a lot more after my second year in the OHL,… Bertuzzi said. “When you get older, everything starts to happen. I’m still growing and gaining weight. And hard work, too, just working on it every day helped a lot.…
As a youth hockey player, Bertuzzi could always set up his teammates, but applying the finishing touch was never his forte.
“Growing up I was always a playmaker,… Bertuzzi said. “I could make passes. I’d get a lot of assists here and there, but I wasn’t much of a goal scorer.
“Now I know I can put the puck in the net. I have a good shot and just working on it more and more I’ll probably score more goals.…
It’s changed the way the Wings view Bertuzzi, as they now see him as someone who could supply offense at the NHL level, and it’s also altered Bertuzzi’s vision for his future as a hockey player.
“The year after I got drafted by the Wings (2013-14) I had a pretty good season (9-25-34 totals in 29 games),… Bertuzzi said. “I got hurt halfway through but I had a pretty good start to the season and then last year I had a really good season. I had 98 points and was really confident.
“Coming here and then going up to Grand Rapids (for the AHL playoffs), I had a lot of confidence and it was fun.
Naturally, Bertuzzi’s long-range plans include donning the winged wheel, but his current goals include playing a dominant role with Grand Rapids in 2015-16.
“I want to stick with Grand Rapids first, come in there and be an offensive force, a guy that’s hard to play against and just keep my spot in the lineup. I want to be a leader, but I’m coming in here to learn, to get better every day.…
While there’s no doubt that Bertuzzi’s game has evolved, he doesn’t intend to forget the aspects he’s always displayed on the ice that got him noticed in the first place.
“The grinder is still always going to be there,… Bertuzzi said. “The guy that works hard every shift is still going to be there, but I can score goals now, I can get points and help contribute offensively as well.…
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