Rhett Melnyk, a 17-year-old forward from Edmonton, AB technically starts his third season in the WHL this coming October with the Tri-City Americans. However, it’s been anything but a typical three years. Since getting the call up in January of 2020, he’s played just 19 games and many of them without the fans in the stands. With the pandemic having shut down the 19-20 season and shortening the 20-21 season to just 24 games, Melnyk considers himself lucky to have played even that many games when players around the world were sidelined completely due to whole leagues not playing.
Due to the odd circumstances surrounding Melnyk’s first two seasons, he hasn’t had the ability to see what it’s like to play in front of a packed barn full of Americans’ fans. It’s one of many things he’s looking forward to, though. “[I’m] looking forward to hearing the crowd when we take the ice and score a goal. Gets you excited and fired up,” he said when asked about the prospect of finally being able to play in front of the fans. It’s not just Melnyk who hasn’t see the fans, though. Luckily, the fan will get a taste of him soon and they will want more.
The plan
Currently, Rhett Melnyk isn’t well as known to the fans of Tri-City as he should be. In his first 19 games, he’s scored one goal and assisted on two more. It can take time to adjust from the minor leagues to the major junior league, but for Melnyk, the change of pace from Fort Saskatchewan to the WHL was “super exciting”.
The execution
Over the off-season, he’s spent time focusing on the smaller details of his game – honing the craft of shooting and lengthening his strides up the ice. Fans can expect a solid two-way forward, who’s creating plays and working to get pucks to the net. They will also see his explosiveness on the ice and hopefully, it will translate on the scoreboard as well. In fact, it already has. During the pre-season event in Everett, he put up three goals in three games against Seattle and Everett. Impressive and important considering this is his draft year. He knows this year is important and he’s looking to make a splash.
Rhett Melnyk is heating up! 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/1Vmz7jcpky
— Tri-City Americans (@TCAmericans) September 12, 2021
When the season starts, October 1st against the Portland Winterhawks, be sure to keep your eyes on number 27. He’ll be looking to put on a show for all the fans and aiming for that W.
Puck drop against the Portland Winterhawks on October 1st will be at 7:05 PM at the Toyota Center.
