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TYSON KOZAK SEASON IN REVIEW

TYSON KOZAK: SEASON IN REVIEW

Jun 19, 2023

Tyson Kozak finished his rookie season with 5 goals and 5 assists in 55 games. He added 5 more points in the Calder Cup Playoffs, but his impact to the squad was much bigger than the scoresheet.

Kozak often found himself on the ice for big moments, especially on the penalty kill. He learned to use his physicality to become a big physical presence, and he was also taking crucial faceoffs throughout the final stretch of the season.

"Those are young kids to be delivering in moments like this," Amerks head coach Seth Appert said after the second-round series against Syracuse. "As good as [Isak] Rosen and [Jiri] Kulich are in the offensive part of their game, Kozey is as good in his defensive game."

"For him to be one of our best penalty killers, and one of our best defensive players, and most physical players as a 19-20 year old in this league is just incredible."

Kozak joined the Amerks squad after spending four seasons with the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL. He missed a handful of games this season due to injury, but quietly earned the trust of the coaching staff.

During the second half of the season, Kozak was on the ice when the Amerks were facing the 5-on-6 push at the end of the game. He was out there not only for big penalty kills, but for big penalty kills in overtime.

"That's just so rare at center, for that age," Appert continued. "Kozak is doing a great job at the age he is with his defensive responsibilities. Those are hard things to do."

"I trust him implicitly in all of those defensive situations, and his offensive game just keeps growing. He's making more and more plays every month."

Kozak scored his first professional goal in only his fourth game, but the game from Kozak that fans will always remember from this season came on April 1, 2023, against the Utica Comets. He scored a big goal at the end of the first period, with only 21 seconds remaining, to put the Amerks back in the lead.

Late in the second period, Kozak absolutely pummeled Tyce Thompson, and the home crowd erupted in appreciation. That game really felt like the coming out party for the humble forward, but his teammates and coaches weren't surprised at all.

"It was awesome," forward Sean Malone said after that game. "The guy seemed to challenge him, but we were laughing when we saw the replay: he just chucked off his gloves and was like 'let's go!'."

"He's a quiet guy, you know, and to do something like that for our team was special. Really happy to see him come into the fold recently."

Kozak was named player of the game, and he kept his momentum going into the playoffs, despite missing the final six regular season games. He tallied a beautiful assist on the Amerks' first goal of the postseason, finding Linus Weissbach in Syracuse.

He would then score goals in back-to-back games against the Crunch to avoid elimination in Game 4 and then to win the series in Game 5. His opening goal in Game 5, with the thousand Amerks fans in attendance, was an incredible memory.

"Coming into the season, I wasn't expecting to have that kind of role," he said. "But I love doing it. I love being out there when it's a close game."

And he was out there in the most crucial time possible: overtime of Game 5. He had some unbelievable blocked shots, and showed that he's doing whatever it takes to win. He would add two more assists to the playoff run for the Amerks.

Kozak will return for his second of three years of his entry-level contract in the fall, and it's exciting to think of what fans will see of him going forward.

As Coach Appert said: "We're just so excited to have a competitor of his nature in our organization." And this is only the beginning.  

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