Jakob Chychrun skates the puck across the blueline. He makes eye contact with overager Stephen Pierog at the point, and effortlessly passes him the puck in stride. He then dashes down the zone, retrieves the puck with ease, and sends it flying top corner with incredible strength, bringing the RBC Centre to its feet.
Five months into his first OHL season, Sarnians have already come to expect this mature type of play.
Watch a couple of Sarnia Sting games and you’ll notice the 16-year-old Boca Raton, Fla., native is already playing in all situations: contributing in five-on-five as well as on the penalty kill and power play, and battling in the final minute of the game.
You’ll notice he has a big shot and that he isn’t afraid to use it. And that, as such, he brings a bit of a different element to the Sting’s young defensive core.
As of recently, you’ll also notice he sports the “A” on his sweater to affirm his leadership, a distinction he’s earned after only a few months.
Basically, you’ll notice that the most recent No. 1 OHL pick has already established himself as an impact player in the league. But it’s his off-ice qualities that, according to head coach Trevor Letowski, make him special.
“He’s the type of kid where you can see how mature he is right away, as soon as you meet him. It kind of oozes out of him,” says Letowski. “The way he carries himself and his approach to the game are so mature, beyond his years.”
These types of compliments come as no surprise to Chychrun himself, as he’s always felt one step ahead of most of his peers maturity-wise. That’s something he credits to his father, Jeff, who played in the NHL with some of the best in the game—Jaromir Jagr, Mario Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky, to name a few.
“He tells me all these stories about how these guys were on the ice, how they were in the room, and how they led. He had some great coaches as well, and I think he was able to take everything he learned throughout his time in the NHL and translate it over to me,” Chychrun says.
Another one of his stronger qualities is his eagerness to learn. A good player to start with, Chychrun exhibits a desire to get better and be a complete player—which Letowski says is both rare and refreshing amongst truly elite players of Chychrun’s age.
“I had Alex Galchenyuk here and I could say the same things about Alex. He’s a real special talent, but it was his work ethic that separated him and made him such a great kid to coach,” Letowksi says. “I think Chychrun has the same approach.”
Chychrun had exhibited that same work ethic with all of his previous teams, notably while making a name for himself on the GTHL’s Toronto Jr. Canadiens last season. He stood out as an elite player, totaling 43 points in 29 games, and quickly established himself as the top OHL Priority Selection prospect with his enticing two-way game.
It seemed inevitable that Chychrun would be able to make a quick transition to the pace of major junior hockey, but his rookie season hasn’t been without its trials. Transitioning into the league was a bit nerve-wracking at first, especially since Sarnia’s first game was a road trip to Sault Ste. Marie, the top team in the West.
Plus, it almost goes without saying that being drafted first overall and playing an integral role in a team’s rebuilding project comes with a level of pressure. To his credit, Chychrun says he puts those kinds of expectations aside. He’s solely concerned with what he can do in the present to help his team win, and embraces the idea of being the centerpiece of the team’s not-so-distant future.
“I want to win in the worst way,” he says. “I think we can do something pretty special that’s never been done before for the organization.”
With Chychrun in the fold, the Sting, who’ve yet to advance to their first Memorial Cup tournament, started the season 0-4 before ripping off a four-game streak of their own. But just 12 games in, the No. 1 draft pick suffered a shoulder injury and was sidelined for eight weeks. He was forced to miss the 2014 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, held in his fairly new hometown of Sarnia, where he would have represented Team Ontario as the lone underaged player.
Chychrun kept his spirits high by spending a lot of time in the gym keeping in shape, and upon his recovery, he stepped up and did everything his organization had been looking for in terms of leadership. He entered main camp with the mentality of a self-described silent leader, and as the season got deeper, he was able to be more vocal and gain respect from some of the older guys on the team.
One of these older players is four-year Sting veteran Daniel Nikandrov, who Chychrun credits as one of the team’s strongest voices. The coaches took notice that other players were starting to look up to him. With that in mind, they gave him the A.
“If there’s something to be said, he’ll say it, but I don’t think he’s over the top with it because he doesn’t need to be,” Letowski says. “It just really comes natural to him because he cares, and he wants to win hockey games.”
Heading into a Friday night game with Owen Sound the Sting sit seventh in the OHL’s West with 57 points, and Chychryn has amassed 24 points in his 34 games. Any concern about giving him a letter at a young age has diminished, as has the possibility of Chychrun coming across a situation he won’t be able to handle as a 16-year-old.
“I haven’t been coaching that long—this is my fifth year in junior hockey—but 16-year-olds don’t quite carry themselves like this kid,” says Letowski. “You can certainly see him as the [Sting’s] future captain for sure.”