Tyler Myers

Tyler Myers (born February 1, 1990) is an American-born Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted by the Sabres in the first round, 12th overall, in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. At the end of the 2009–10 NHL season, Myers won the Calder Trophy as the NHL's best rookie. Standing at 6-feet-8-inches, he is nicknamed "The Big Easy".

Born in Texas, Myers grew up in Calgary, Alberta. He has opted to play internationally for Canada. Representing Canada twice as a junior and once on the men's team, he has won gold medals at the 2008 IIHF World U18 Championships and 2009 World Junior Championships.

Junior
In the 2005 Western Hockey League (WHL) Bantam Draft, Myers was the Kelowna Rockets first round selection, 19th overall. Prior to playing in the WHL, Myers continued minor hockey at Athol Murray College of Notre Dame with the Hounds, a AAA midget team.

Myers began his major junior career with the Rockets in 2005–06. Following his NHL draft year in 2007–08, Myers was ranked fourth among North American draft-eligible skaters by the NHL's Central Scouting Services. He was selected 12th overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, after they traded the LA Kings a third-round pick to move up from the 13th spot. The following season, Myers helped the Rockets to a 2009 Ed Chynoweth Cup championship following a junior career-high 42-point regular season. Scoring 20 points during the Rockets playoff run, Myers was instrumental the franchise's third WHL title and was selected as the WHL Playoff MVP.

Following Myers' WHL championship win with the Rockets, he was signed to a two -year, entry-level contract with the Buffalo Sabres on May 11, 2009.

Professional
Myers started the 2009–10 NHL season with the Buffalo Sabres. He recorded his first NHL point on October 8, 2009, an assist, against the Phoenix Coyotes. Eight days later, Myers scored his first NHL goal against Dwayne Roloson of the New York Islanders. It was also his first multi-point game, as he recorded an assist as well. On October 24, Myers was used in the sixth round of a shootout against the Tampa Bay Lightning and scored the game winner. After a strong first nine games with the Sabres, the club decided to keep him in Buffalo rather than return him to the Rockets, initiating the first year of his contract. Myers quickly established himself as the top defenceman on the Sabres roster, leading the club in average ice time per game in his rookie season. On December 16, 2009, he registered 28:32 of ice time in a regulation loss to the Ottawa Senators despite being one of a much-publicized group of Sabres players struck with food poisoning the night before. The following month, Myers recorded his first multi-goal game on January 8, 2010. He scored twice on the powerplay, including the game-winner, as the Sabres beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 3–2. He also assisted Tim Kennedy on the Sabres' first goal.Scoring 10 points and leading all rookies in average ice time (24 minutes and 42 seconds per game) for contests in January 2010, Myers was named the NHL Rookie of the Month. He completed his first NHL season leading league rookie defencemen, as well as Sabres defencemen, playing every game that season with 11 goals and 37 assists adding up to a career high of 48 points and getting 1 point in the playoffs from 1 goal. In the off-season, Myers was awarded with the Calder Memorial Trophy on June 23, 2010 at the NHL Awards Ceremony in Las Vegas, beating out forward Matt Duchene of the Colorado Avalanche and goaltender Jimmy Howard of the Detroit Red Wings. At the beginning of the 2010-2011 season Myers had a rough start but got right back on it. On November 15, 2010 Myers scored his 5th goal of the season in a 4-3 overtime win against the Vancouver Canucks. Myers got another overtime goal in a 3-2 win against the Florida Panthers on February 10, 2011. Myers finished the season missing only 2 games with 10 goals and 27 assists adding up to 37 points and getting 6 points in the playoffs from 1 goal and 5 assists. On September 15, 2011 the Sabres signed Myers to a 7 year, $38.5 million dollar contract.

International play
Despite being born in Katy, Texas, Myers plays internationally for Team Canada, as he grew up in Calgary, Alberta, and holds dual citizenship. Making the decision in his youth, he has credited moving to Canada as a large influence in his development as a hockey player, stating he would "be playing a different sport had I stayed in Texas."

Myers was a part of the national team that earned gold at the 2008 IIHF World U18 Championships in Kazan, Russia. He was later named to the Canadian under-20 team for the 2009 World Junior Championships in Ottawa, along with Kelowna Rockets teammate Jamie Benn, and helped Canada to a record-tying fifth straight gold medal.

On April 29, 2010, Myers was named to the Team Canada roster for the 2010 IIHF World Championship. He was part of a young squad that finished without a medal.

Awards

 * World Junior gold medal with Team Canada in 2009.
 * Ed Chynoweth Cup with the Kelowna Rockets in 2009.
 * WHL Playoff MVP in 2009.
 * NHL Rookie of the Month for January 2010.
 * Calder Memorial Trophy in 2010.