Whatever happened to Tyler Lyon?
Tyler Lyon was a defender born on February 4, 1985 in Foxboro, Ontario. He stood at six feet tall and weighed 177 pounds. He shot left-handed.
Lyon was an outstanding amateur player in Canada and shined as a defender, but went undrafred out of high school with scouts complaining that he was too slow for the pro level. In 2001, he signed a contract to play juniors with the Wellington Dukes of the OPJHL.
His first year with Wellington wasn't much to shout about, as he only played in one game. His second year in Wellington, though, saw him suit up for 38 games and tally 22 points. He played in 47 games in his third year with Wellington and tallied 20 points. The year after that he played in 49 games for Wellington and tallied 35 points. His fifth and final year in Wellington saw Lyon play in 47 games and tally 51 points.
Despite his strong play in juniors which consisted of standout defense and a huge amount of points for defenders (mostly on assists), Lyon again went undrafted due to his speed on the ice. Unfortunately for Lyon, he was said to be too slow for the Division I game in America as well. With his career hanging in the balance, Lyon decided to accept an offer to play for the Division II/III Oswego State Lakers from head coach Ed Gosek.
In his freshman year with the Lakers Lyon played in 27 games and tallied nine points in helping lead the Lakers on the defensive side of the ice to a National Championship. His sophomore year in Oswego saw Lyon play in 26 games and tally ten points. In his junior year Lyon played in 23 games and tallied 12 points. In his senior year with the Lakers, Lyon was named team captain and tallied 17 points in 29 games and played outstanding defense along the way.
Despite his strong play in college, Lyon again went undrafted out of college with scouts still complaining about his speed. However, he quickly signed a contract with the independent Pensacola Ice Flyers of the SPHL.
In his first year in Pensacola Lyon played in 55 games and tallied 19 points. He began this season with Pensacola again, adding a goal and an assist in 11 games before he was traded to the Louisiana IceGators in a three-way deal that also included the Fayetteville FireAntz, both independent teams also of the SPHL. With Louisiana, Lyon has played in 40 games and racked up an additional 21 points this season.
He looks forward to continuing his professional career and advancing through the minor league hockey system in the years to come.
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