Notre Dame hockey: Tynan taking Irish to the next level

Notre Dame hockey coach Jeff Jackson has no trouble admitting he nearly made a big mistake that could have greatly affected the ninth-ranked Irish’s fortunes this season.

Freshman center T.J. Tynan was really not in Jackson’s plans for this season late last summer.

“We would have looked pretty foolish if he hadn’t been here,” Jackson says of the move in late August to invite Tynan to join the team for this season.

It came on the heels of Anaheim Ducks first round pick and Irish sophomore-to-be Kyle Palmieri opting to sign with the NHL team in August, which opened up a spot on the Irish roster.

All the 5-foot-8, 156-pound Tynan has done is lead the Irish in scoring with 46 points on 19 goals and 27 assists, while at times looking like a magician with the puck. Only fellow rookie Anders Lee has scored more goals with 21.

“Our intentions were good,” Jackson said, citing Tynan’s weight. “I want to make sure kids are physically ready, not just talent-wise.

“And he was ready to go back to junior hockey. In fact, I gave him the choice to make the decision because it was only a week out of school.”

Tynan, who had signed a letter-of-intent with Notre Dame the previous fall, had planned on going back for a second season with the Des Moines Buccaneers of the United States Hockey League even though he had tallied 72 points on 17 goals and 55 assists in 55 games there.

But the 20-year-old from Orland Park near Chicago had no trouble deciding what to do.

“It was a surprise that he called me because, obviously, it was so late,” said Tynan, whose fiery red hair is in stark contrast with his calm, even demeanor. “But, obviously, I wanted to come in as soon as possible and help the team as much as I could. So it was a no-brainer.”

It’s a move that has paid huge dividends for the Irish (21-10-5), who were idle this past weekend before hosting a second round Central Collegiate Hockey Association playoff series starting Friday.

“He proved right away from an offensive perspective he was going to be ready,” Jackson said. “Right out of the gate he proved that.”

Tynan had a goal in his first game and two assists in his second, and those numbers have increased consistently throughout the season. He is even among the team leaders with a plus-21 for the season.

Tynan says his teammates, many of whom had been on campus working out the whole summer, embraced him quickly, making for a smooth transition.

“The guys did such a good job of bringing me in,” he said. “It wasn’t even like it was a tough transition at all. They are all great guys, and it’s been a lot of fun to be a part of it all.”

It helps that Tynan is so dynamic with the puck. Whether it’s the spin-oramma he performed in the Irish exhibition game or his uncanny ability to get passes through to teammates almost out of nowhere, seeing Tynan is like watching an NBA point guard on skates.

“The thing that makes him such an impact player with those skills and instincts is the fact that he competes so hard,” Jackson said. “Because there are a lot of smaller players that have good instincts and good skills. But the thing that kind of puts him above is he works hard. He competes extremely hard.

“He doesn’t play 5-foot whatever. He plays bigger than that.”

Tynan has put up with comments about his size so long, he says, he no longer even has a chip on his shoulder about it.

“Everyone has always been bigger than me,” Tynan said.