Tyrel Bauer (3.75 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — C+) Defense
Neutral Zone NHL’s Donald Godreau, May 2020: Bauer is a physically punishing defender. He engages as much as he can all over the ice, and makes sure opponents think twice when they enter the offensive zone when he is on the ice. A long the boards he does well to separate players from pucks with bruising play and good understanding of his leverage advantage over most opponents. In front of the net he battles hard, and does well to keep the crease clean with a heavy stick and a relentless attitude. Bauer is a solid shot blocker. He is fearless, and jumps into lanes when he sees the shot coming. On the penalty kill he shows good positional restraint. He understands his objectives to takeaway shooting lanes and cover posts with his play. He plays with an active stick and takes away time and options with it. He does well to force plays away from high end scoring areas. While he is a solid passer, he isn’t a natural puck mover. He doesn’t like to possess the puck long, and will usually make quick and safe plays with the puck, but not necessarily the best play. He has an aggressive first couple of strides that allow him to cut down time and space quickly, and can at times catch attacking players off guard, but we wouldn’t describe Bauer as a fleet footed defender. He relies on keeping a good gap and anticipating opponents more so then putting the pressure on them to make plays. He can struggle containing agile players and players with speed. Particularly in tight areas, if he loses his angles on guys, he can become really vulnerable to quick feet and speed. Offensively he doesn’t look all that comfortable when he crosses the blue line. He’ll pinch when it’s safe to keep the puck alive, but he isn’t a play maker by any means. Grade: C
Neutral Zone NHL’s Brian Murphy, March 2020: Bauer has worn the “A” for his Seattle Thunderbirds team as a 2002 birth year which is quite impressive. He is a solid defenseman who has good gap control and uses his body to separate the opposition from the puck. He will also carry the puck with his head on a swivel showing confidence in himself. He is on the first power play and plays the role of the quarterback on the breakout – showcasing his strong and smooth stride. He has a high IQ and gets physical in the hard spots. He has a knack for knocking attacking forwards off of their feet on 1v1 situations with a hard powerful step as they move in on the net. Tyrel has a rocket one-timer from the point and also a quick, hard wrister. He is calm under pressure, has an active stick all over the ice, and keeps his team grounded defensively. He has some meanness to his game and will block shots on the penalty kill. He can go 1v1 with anyone, he has a quick, hard one timer from the wall, and is solid play maker. His edges are strong and his passes are crisp and on the tape.
Ian Moran’s Scouting Report on Tyrel Bauer, March 2020: – (1) Brain – He plays an aggressive game that is on the edge. He is not reckless and does not take himself out of position looking for the big hit, but he is aware of who he is on the ice against and is very difficult on the opposition’s top players. (2) Vision & Poise – Tyrel plays on the power play and is in control of the breakout. He looks forecheckers off and can put the puck through tight passing lanes. His head is on a swivel and he reads the ice before receiving a pass. (3) Feet – He has very good knee bend and low hips which help him pivot quickly for retrieving pucks or shutting down the attack. Carrying the does not interfere with his posture allowing him to have an explosive first step and create passing lanes with his feet. (4) Compete & Effort – Love his. (5) Contact or Physicality – Very strong and powerful. He eliminates opponents from the puck and does so with authority. He initiates contact in front of his net, clears shooting lanes and does not give up rebound opportunities. (6) Release – Tyrel shoots the puck with authority while walking the blueline, avoids oncoming shinpads and creates rebounds. (7) One Timer Ability – He has a rocket, he hits the net and does not need a perfect pass for it to be effective. (8) Body Language – He is an 2002 in the Western Hockey League and he is an Assistant Captain. (9) Special Teams Potential – Although Tyrel sees considerable power play time in Seattle and is often a quarterback, we feel he has second power play professional upside. We do feel he has the mentality, feet and team first attitude to be a regular penalty killer in the National Hockey League. (10) Intangibles – He is a 6’3″ 205lbs tough as nails right shot defenseman who is an assistant captain as an ’02 in the Western Hockey League. That pretty much tells you what type of player and person you will have on your depth chart after he joins your organization in June.
February NHL Draft Rankings: Tyrel was ranked 215th in Neutral Zone’s February Draft rankings.
Dawson Butt (3.75 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade – Free Agent) Forward, Everett SilvertipsNHL Evaluation: FREE AGENT WATCH -Dawson is a hard nosed winger who sticks up for his teammates and battles every shift. He has better puck skills than his statistics show because he plays a team first game. Dawson does the little things that help teams win.
WHL – Seatle Thunderbirds NHL Prospects vs Portland Winterhawks, January 2020: Bauer wears the “A” for his team as a 2002 birth year which is quite impressive. He is a solid defenseman who has good gap control and uses his body to separate the opposition from the puck. He will also carry the puck with his head on a swivel showing confidence in himself. He is on the first power play and plays the role of the quarterback on the breakout – showcasing his strong and smooth stride. He has a high IQ and gets physical in the hard spots. He knocked a springing forward off of his feet on a 1v1 with a hard check closing in on the net. Tyrel has a rocket one-timer slapshot from the point and also a quick, hard wrister. He is calm under pressure, has an active stick all over the ice, and keeps his team grounded defensively. He has some meanness to his game and will block shots on the penalty kill. He can go 1v1 with anyone, he has a quick, hard one timer from the wall, and is an elite play maker. His edges are strong and his passes are crisp and on the tape. Grade: B+
Mac’s AAA Midget Holiday Tournament, January 2018: Bauer is stong on his feet and plays a nice physical game. Good poise with the puck and he reads and reacts to plays very well on both offense and defense. A smooth skater who plays with poise and patience on the blue line. Grade: B