As an NHL player, Dale Hunter saw first-hand the skills that made Keith Tkachuk an elite power forward.
Now coaching the Ontario Hockey League’s London Knights, Hunter sees the same toughness and scoring prowess in Tkachuk’s son.
Matthew Tkachuk, a six-foot-one, 195-pound forward, joined the Knights for his draft season and is shaping up an intimidating power forward much like his father.
"You see (Keith’s) stature, he could score goals, played hard and again, a lot like Matthew," Hunter said.
"He finds good areas to score and he plays hard, and he’s hard to play against. (Keith) was very hard to play against, he’s a lot like his son, they’re sort of a spitting image."
Keith Tkachuk was one of the best power forwards of his era. He made his debut with the Winnipeg Jets in 1991-92 and finished his career with 538 goals and 527 assists in 1,201 games with Winnipeg/Arizona, St. Louis and Atlanta.
He was an all-star five times and reached the 50-goal plateau twice. Internationally, he represented the United States at four Olympic Games and helped the Americans win the 1996 World Cup.
"He’s a huge influence. I mean I look to him whenever there’s a problem, whenever there’s something good … I tell him everything," said Matthew Tkachuk at the All-American Prospects Game in Buffalo, N.Y., in September. "He’s been there every step of the way for me so far and he’ll continue to be."
Prior to joining London, Tkachuk dominated for the U.S. under-18 team last season with 96 points in 65 games. The left-winger also had a good showing at the under-18 world championship — tying for third in tournament scoring for the champion Americans. Teammate and projected first-overall pick at the 2016 NHL draft Auston Matthews led the tournament with eight goals and seven assists in seven games.
Tkachuk said he decided to join the Knights because of their ability to produce great players.
The 17-year-old has already shown this season why he’s been touted as a high pick at next June’s draft. Playing alongside Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Mitchell Marner and Christian Dvorak, Matthew is second in OHL scoring with five goals and 19 assists through 15 games.
"He’s in front of the net, he’s got no fear, he’s got great hands in tight," Hunter said. "He gets them off the rush but he also gets them NHL style, standing in front, tipping pucks and winning battles."
His performance at the All-American Prospects Game started his season out on the right foot, scoring once and adding two assists for a team coached by Keith Tkachuk’s longtime teammate and friend Jeremy Roenick.
The opportunity to coach Matthew was something that Roenick had been looking forward too.
"I was there when Matthew was born and watched him grow up and then I saw his name on the list and made a couple phone calls to make sure he was on my team," Roenick said. "Keith said, ‘You better play my kid a lot, he needs to get drafted high.’ I said, ‘Don’t worry, I’m gonna try and get him to play the whole game."’
With a lot riding on his future after this season, Keith Tkachuk’s advice to his son was simple.
"His two main points of focus, always, is about compete and be a good teammate," Matthew Tkachuk said. "So that’s what I focus on every day."
