Tyson Baillie's Will to Win Cannot Be Overlooked
by Sam Hill

Quick hands, natural goal scoring abilities, immense dedication and a will to win. These are all characteristics that you will often hear associated with elite junior hockey players that are cracking top prospect lists. But every now and then, one of these players slips under the radar and is severely underrated by NHL team staff.

Tyson Baillie, a 20-year-old center for the Kelowna Rockets, is one of the most underrated players in the game today.

Standing at 5’11” and weighing in at 196 pounds, Tyson has seen his fair share of roadblocks in becoming a top prospect in the game. Entering the league as a 16-year-old back in 2011, Tyson began his journey on a high note, leading the team in points that preseason.

“When I was drafted, it was a dream come true for me. Coming to my first training camp at 14 was different!” expressed Baillie. "Going up against guys that were 18/19/20 years old and being just 5’5”, I was not the fastest guy, and it was difficult for me. But then I came back again trying to make the team and what solidified my position on the Kelowna Rockets was probably my preseason that year.” He had nine points in six games that preseason.

A truly resilient player, Tyson has wowed Rockets fans over the years by scoring the goals that count the most. When the pressure is on, Tyson is the guy that responds. During his time in Kelowna, Tyson has recorded 30 game winning goals to date.

One of his most notable goals came in game seven of the best of seven playoff series against the Seattle Thunderbirds in 2013. After the team had bounced back from a 3-0 deficit in the series, Tyson sealed the game seven win with a thrilling overtime goal.

With the intent of making the jump to the NHL after his junior career, Tyson has identified the weak spots in his game and worked incredibly hard to fine tune those missing pieces. He soon discovered that his skating abilities were not where they needed to be for an impact player in the Western Hockey League.

“If there is one piece of advice that has stuck out to me from my time in Kelowna, it would be three simple words that came from Kim Gellert - ‘bend your knees’. I’m not known as the greatest skater, but just to get lower it helps to lengthen your stride. I’ve heard ‘bend your knees’ every practice for the past five years, and my skating has improved over that time, so that’s one thing that has stuck in my mind.”

Tyson would not be the first undrafted Rockets player to defy the odds and claw his way into an NHL contract. Former Kelowna Rockets captain Josh Gorges also went undrafted before working his way into the National Hockey League. Gorges has attributed his success, like Tyson, to putting his heart into the game.

Tyson, who was invited to the Calgary Flames development camp last summer, is leading the Rockets in points this season with 41G+51A=92P in 67 games. He has been amongst the top scorers in the league all season, and recently added a new accolade to his career, notching his 300th WHL point.

“He always wants one more,” said Tyson’s teammate and Rockets captain Rodney Southam. “He always wants one more goal and he’ll do anything for the team. His grit, his determination to win and to succeed in hockey is definitely there.”

While Tyson’s ability to claw away and fight for those goals, and ultimately wins, make him such a valuable asset to his team, he also has plenty of natural talent that helps him to grace the league’s top scorers list.

When asked what he thinks is Tyson’s greatest strength Southam said, “His shot. I’d say he has one of the best shots and releases in this league. You don’t put up this many points year after year when you don’t have that. It’s definitely something that I think an NHL team would be interested in.”

Tyson is a player that can be consistently counted on to put in a complete effort and do whatever needs to be done to get the win. His outstanding work ethic and drive have molded Tyson into a player that fans love to cheer on.

“I’m just a guy who loves to play hockey everyday and who will play any type of way that the coach asks him to."

“I’ll play physical, I’ll play defensive, I’m known for scoring big goals, I can be a goal scorer, a passer, a playmaker - I can be an all-around guy,” Tyson added.

Grit and determination have made Tyson an invaluable player for the Kelowna Rockets over the last five years, and his ability to rack up points doesn’t hurt either. These skills will make Tyson an indispensible member of any professional hockey team in the years to come.

The Kelowna Rockets have recorded over 45 wins in each of the last four seasons, and Tyson, who has been on the team for the past five seasons, has played a major role helping the team to those wins. Every team wants a winner, and Tyson knows how to win.

“There is no better place in the WHL than Kelowna. To spend five years here has been a treat for me and an honour at the same time. I’m grateful for everything that I’ve learned here and I’m excited to take the next step in my career.”