Tanner Laczynski had a ton of pressure on him the moment his Junior season ended for Ohio State. A once late round draft pick from the 2016 NHL Draft, Laczynski was also once a shoo-in to sign an ELC with the Flyers as the season ended, according to multiple reports. Everyone that is passionate, or a die-hard of the orange and black wanted to know as soon as possible if he would sign or not sign? Well, it didn’t happen, as Laczynski had other plans, and decided to return to Ohio State for some unfinished business.
It wasn’t the easiest decision for Laczynski to make, as he decided to not turn Pro, and return to the Buckeyes for his Senior season. According to Laczynski, “Yea I have been in touch with Chuck about some things. He’s open to talking with me about my future plans. I took some time to think about it, talked about my future. I’m excited about my Senior season.”
Do you want to go pro or not? Of course, Laczynski does at some point, but school was important to him. Moreover, he also decided to return for his Senior season to settle some, “Unfinished business,” according to Laczynski.
Laczynski was born June 1, 1997, in Shorewood, IL. The Flyers drafted him in the 6th round of the 2016 NHL Draft. After completing his Junior season with the Buckeyes Men’s Ice Hockey Team, Laczynski amassed 10 goals, and 20 assists for a total of 30 points in 27 games played. These numbers were very strong for an injury-riddled season that he endured in 2018-19. Injuries slowed down his scoring pace, as he finished the season 17 points below his 2017-18 Sophmore season for the Buckeyes. However, even with these strong numbers, Laczynski feels as though he should perform better.
“I just have to continue to work hard, and realize I’m not even close to where I want to be as a player. I’m happy, but not satisfied with the season. It starts with another strong off-season gaining strength, weight, speed, and transferring that to help my skill set on the ice.”
Laczynski continues, “I mean overall I thought the season went well. It was tough being injured, being out some games, so that was kind of frustrating for me. When I was in the lineup, I thought I played well. With the circumstances with my second injury, coming back I thought I played well.”
When Laczynski was nominated for the Hobey Baker Award last season he was absolutely elated. Being nominated again for the same award this past season, Laczynski shared the same emotion as the previous season. However, this motivates him for next season, but he realizes there is still some business to accomplish with the Buckeyes.
“I mean I’m not going to get pissed off about not winning the award. If I knew I was doing something wrong, then I would get pissed off about it. I’m happy for Cale Makar. I’m happy for my teammate Nathan. It kind of sucked I got injured, and maybe it would have been a better result. I just can’t predict the future or the past. Skating is something I will always work on with shooting. I want to get better with my shot, and get a quicker release. I’m working on my ground game to take turns faster in the corners.”
After watching film on Laczynski from this past season at Ohio State, he looked like a player of the future. He was confident, good with his hands, and speedy. This is exactly the prototype player that the Flyers are in need of right now. So just who is Laczynski?
“I mean I’m hard-working. I’m going to continue to workout and get in the gym, and fine tune some things to get ready for next year. This is the right place I want to be.”
It is no secret that the Flyers have been restocking the farm system the past few seasons. Hopefully, Fletcher is able to sign Laczynski, following his Senior season at Ohio State. One thing is for certain, Fletcher and Laczynski have had numerous talks about his future, as Laczynski stated to me. Laczynski will have until August 15, 2020 to sign with the Flyers following College.
Mandatory Credit: Marilyn Indahl-USA TODAY Sports
