For those of you who have not yet heard of Matt Grzelcyk (GRIZ-lick) store the name in your memory bank. A native of Charlestown, MA and former student-athlete at The Belmont Hill School, Grzelcyk is currently lacing up the skates in his freshman year at Boston University after spending the last two seasons with the United States National Development Program. Last summer Grzelcyk became one of the few hockey players who can say he was drafted, getting selected by none other than his hometown team, The Boston Bruins (3rd Round, 85 Overall). As if this wasn't already a great story, Grzelcyk's older brother is a security guard at the TD Garden and his dad drives the zamboni there!
Now that's all well and good, but I'm more interested in Grzelcyk as a player than a "feel-good" story. Fortunately, Grzelcyk doesn't just have a great story, he is a terrific player. He would be fairly undersized for a forward, but for a defenseman he is TINY, standing at only 5'9 and 171 lbs. Don't let his size fool you though, he is constantly seen pushing around much bigger forwards around in the corners; Grzelcyk has devised a perfect strategy to combine the use of his core strength and low center of gravity to his advantage. In addition to his strength, he possesses incredible poise and excellent decision making with the puck on his stick, which are complemented by his above average skill in the offensive end. Despite being the last player cut from the US Under 20 World Championship Team, a decision I disagree with Coach Phil Housley on (though you can't argue with a gold medal or Housley's 1232 NHL points), Grzelcyk has continued to be a strong presence on the blue line for the Terriers. With 18 points in 27 games this year, don't be surprised if we see Grzelcyk leave Coach Jack Parker before wearing the cap and gown.
Draft Day News
Resources:
bruins.nhl.com
hockeydb.com
Photo: bostonherald.com
For those of you who have not yet heard of Matt Grzelcyk (GRIZ-lick) store the name in your memory bank. A native of Charlestown, MA and former student-athlete at The Belmont Hill School, Grzelcyk is currently lacing up the skates in his freshman year at Boston University after spending the last two seasons with the United States National Development Program. Last summer Grzelcyk became one of the few hockey players who can say he was drafted, getting selected by none other than his hometown team, The Boston Bruins (3rd Round, 85 Overall). As if this wasn't already a great story, Grzelcyk's older brother is a security guard at the TD Garden and his dad drives the zamboni there!
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