Tyler Sikura (born May 18, 1992) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who is currently an unrestricted free agent. He most recently played for HC Bolzano of the ICE Hockey League (ICEHL).
| Tyler Sikura | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Sikura with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in 2023 | |||
| Born |
May 18, 1992 Aurora, Ontario, Canada | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
| Weight | 194 lb (88 kg; 13 st 12 lb) | ||
| Position | Centre | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| team Former teams |
Free agent Springfield Falcons Portland Pirates Iowa Wild Rockford IceHogs Cleveland Monsters Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins HC Bolzano | ||
| NHL draft | Undrafted | ||
| Playing career | 2015–present | ||
Playing career
editTyler Sikura played midget hockey in the Markham Waxers system, then played two years of Junior A hockey with the Newmarket Hurricanes. Sikura played four years for the Dartmouth Big Green, where he was named a first team Ivy League All Star in 2013.[1] He captained the Big Green for his final two seasons.[1] Following his collegiate career, he played a pair of games for the Springfield Falcons of the American Hockey League (AHL).[2]
He spent most of the next two years with the Toledo Walleye of the ECHL before being traded to the Manchester Monarchs.[3] In 2017, Sikura landed a spot on the Rockford IceHogs, the AHL affiliate of the Chicago Blackhawks. He scored over 20 goals and earned a contract from the Blackhawks for the following season.[4][5] As well, he tied a franchise record for most consecutive games with goals scored with five.[6] At the conclusion of the 2017–18 season, Sikura was named the teams Most Valuable Player.[6]
On July 1, 2019, Sikura continued his tenure with the Rockford IceHogs, returning on a one-year AHL contract.[7] He was subsequently named an alternate captain alongside Jacob Nilsson and Matthew Highmore.[8] In the 2019–20 season, Sikura posted 14 goals and 20 assists for 34 points in 63 appearances with the IceHogs before the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
As a free agent, Sikura left the IceHogs to sign a one-year contract to continue in the AHL with the Cleveland Monsters on October 14, 2020.[9] In the pandemic shortened 2020–21 season, Sikura increased his offensive output, registering 21 points in just 29 regular season games. On July 28, 2021, he was signed by the Monsters' NHL affiliate, the Columbus Blue Jackets to a one-year, two-way contract.[10]
After two seasons within the Blue Jackets organization, Sikura left as a free agent and continued his career in the AHL, agreeing to a one-year contract with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, affiliate to the Pittsburgh Penguins, on October 3, 2022.[11]
Personal life
editSikura's brother Dylan was drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks in 2014 and is currently playing within the organization. Sikura is half Slovakian.[12] His grandfather escaped Czechoslovakia and arrived in Nova Scotia in the 1950s.[13] He ran a thoroughbred race horse breeding farm, Hill 'n' Dale Farms, until his death, in which it was taken over by Sikura's uncle and father.[13][14]
Career statistics
edit| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2008–09 | Markham Waxers | OJHL | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2009–10 | Newmarket Hurricanes | OJHL | 49 | 11 | 24 | 35 | 12 | 19 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 14 | ||
| 2010–11 | Newmarket Hurricanes | OJHL | 39 | 21 | 33 | 54 | 6 | 12 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 8 | ||
| 2011–12 | Dartmouth College | ECAC | 33 | 11 | 14 | 25 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Dartmouth College | ECAC | 34 | 12 | 20 | 32 | 25 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | Dartmouth College | ECAC | 25 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Dartmouth College | ECAC | 33 | 10 | 14 | 24 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Springfield Falcons | AHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Toledo Walleye | ECHL | 68 | 16 | 32 | 48 | 30 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 2015–16 | Portland Pirates | AHL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Toledo Walleye | ECHL | 39 | 13 | 16 | 29 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Iowa Wild | AHL | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Manchester Monarchs | ECHL | 8 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 19 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 10 | ||
| 2017–18 | Rockford IceHogs | AHL | 74 | 23 | 16 | 39 | 18 | 13 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 2 | ||
| 2018–19 | Rockford IceHogs | AHL | 50 | 7 | 12 | 19 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Rockford IceHogs | AHL | 63 | 14 | 20 | 34 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Cleveland Monsters | AHL | 29 | 11 | 10 | 21 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Cleveland Monsters | AHL | 75 | 15 | 21 | 36 | 45 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins | AHL | 71 | 9 | 24 | 33 | 31 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | HC Bolzano | ICEHL | 14 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| AHL totals | 384 | 79 | 103 | 182 | 146 | 13 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 2 | ||||
Awards and honours
edit| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| College | ||
| All-Ivy League First Team | 2013 | |
References
edit- ^ a b "Tyler Sikura". dartmouthsports.com. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
- ^ "TYLER SIKURA SIGNS ATO CONTRACT WITH SPRINGFIELD OF THE AHL". dartmouthsports.com. March 18, 2015. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
- ^ Monroe, Mark (March 6, 2018). "Former Walleye forward Tyler Sikura signs NHL contract". toledoblade.com. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
- ^ "Tyler Sikura". Eliteprospects.com. Retrieved April 7, 2017.
- ^ "Blackhawks agree to one-year contract with Tyler Sikura". sportsnet.ca. March 6, 2018. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
- ^ a b "ROCKFORD ANNOUNCES 2017-18 TEAM AWARDS". icehogs.com. April 13, 2018. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
- ^ "IceHogs agree to terms with Tyler Sikura". Rockford IceHogs. July 1, 2019. Retrieved July 1, 2019.
- ^ "Kris Versteeg Named 2019-20 Team Captain". icehogs.com. October 2, 2019. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
- ^ "Monsters sign Tyler Sikura to AHL contract". Cleveland Monsters. October 14, 2020. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
- ^ "Columbus Blue Jackets sign Tyler Sikura to a one-year contract". Columbus Blue Jackets. July 28, 2021. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
- ^ "Penguins sign centerman Tyler Sikura". Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. October 3, 2022. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
- ^ Wheeler, Scott (September 18, 2017). "Blackhawks' Sikura brothers take different paths to childhood team". theathletic.com. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
- ^ a b Wykes, Tris (December 1, 2012). "Dartmouth's Sikura Has 'Got That Vision'". The Valley News. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
- ^ "Hockey East roundup: Four assists from Sikura spark Northeastern". uscho.com. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
External links
edit- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or The Internet Hockey Database