Tyler Motte (born on March 10, 1995 in Port Huron, Michigan) is an American ice hockey forward who currently plays for the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL while under contract with the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL).
He was drafted 121st overall by the Blackhawks in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.
Playing Career[]
Junior[]
During the 2010–11 season, Motte played for the Detroit Honeybaked U16 team of the Tier 1 Elite Hockey League. He recorded 22 goals and 14 assists in 33 games.
Honeybaked captured USA Hockey's Tier 1 national championship and Motte had three goals and three assists in six tournament games. He scored two third period goals for Honeybaked in the 3–2 comeback win over Shattuck St. Mary's in the championship game.
Motte trained with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program U-17 team during the 2011–12 season where he recorded 25 goals and 16 assists in 53 games. He played two games for the U-18 team, scoring once.
In two USHL playoff games, Motte scored two goals. During the 2012–13 season, he recorded 26 goals and 19 assists in 67 games for the U-18 team.
College[]
Motte began his collegiate career for the Michigan Wolverines during the 2013–14 season. During his freshman season, he recorded nine goals and nine assists in 34 games. He scored his first career goal on October 12, 2013, against Jordan Ruby of RIT.
Motte was named the Big Ten Second Star of the Week for the week ending October 20, 2013, making it his first career Big Ten weekly award.
Motte was named the Big Ten Second Star of the Week for the week ending November 26, 2013. He was awarded the conference's second star after he recorded his first career multiple-point effort with a goal and two assists against Niagara.
During the 2014–15 season, Motte recorded nine goals and 22 assists in 35 games, finishing third on the team in assists and fourth in points. He led all Michigan forwards with 43 blocked shots.
Motte was named the Big Ten Second Star of the Week for the week ending December 9, 2014.
Motte recorded his first career four-point night with four assists in an 8–3 win over Ohio State. He became the first Michigan player to record four assists in a game since Aaron Palushaj on February 13, 2009.
During the 2015–16 season, Motte recorded 32 goals and 24 assists in 38 games. His 56 points ranked third in the country in scoring. During the season opener on October 16, 2015, Motte scored the game-winning goal against Mercyhurst. He was named the Big Ten First Star of the Week, and NCAA Second Star of the Week, for the week ending January 19, 2016. He recorded four goals and three assists in two games against Ohio State.
On January 17, Motte recorded a career-high five points, including his first career hat-trick.
He was named the Big Ten First Star of the Week and NCAA First Star of the Week, for the week ending February 2, 2016. He recorded four goals and three assists, 17 shots on goal and a plus-5 rating in two wins against Penn State.
Motte matched a career-high with five points on January 28, and followed that up with two goals on January 30. Motte was named the Hockey Commissioners' Association National Player of the Month for the month of January. He recorded a goal in every game during the month and held lead the Wolverines to a 5–0–1 record in January.
Motte led the nation with 18 points and 10 goals in just six contests for an average of 3.00 points per game. By reaching 20 goals in 22 games, he and teammate Kyle Connor became the fastest Michigan players to reach 20 goals since Kevin Porter had 20 goals in 21 games during the 2007–08 season.
Motte was named the Big Ten First Star of the Week for the week ending February 9. He scored three of Michigan's six goals on the weekend for a total of four points. He joined Kyle Connor as the only players in the Big Ten to earn First Star of the Week honors three times this season.
During the 2016 Big Ten Men's Ice Hockey Tournament, Motte tied the Big Ten Tournament championship game record for most goals by an individual with two goals. With four points during the Big Ten Tournament, he surpassed 100 career points, becoming the 85th Michigan player to reach the milestone.
During the 2016 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament, Motte scored the overtime game-winning goal in the Regional Semifinals against Notre Dame, giving Michigan its first NCAA Tournament win since 2011.
Following an outstanding season with the Wolverines, Motte was named to the All-Big Ten First Team. He ranked No. 2 in the nation in goal scoring, and his 12-game goal scoring streak from December 30, 2015 to February 19, 2016, was the longest by a Michigan player in the Red Berenson coaching era, since 1984.
Motte led the team in blocked shots among forwards, and ranked No. 2 in the NCAA, with 70. He was named a top-ten finalist for the Hobey Baker Award and was also named an AHCA First Team All-American.
Professional[]
On April 6, 2016, Motte signed a three-year, entry level contract with the Chicago Blackhawks and was signed to an amateur tryout contract with the Rockford IceHogs, the AHL affiliate of the Chicago Blackhawks.
On October 12, 2016, he played in his first NHL game against the St. Louis Blues where he got an assist in the game.
On October 21, 2016, Motte scored his first NHL goal in a game against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Career Statistics[]
Regular season and playoffs[]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2011–12 | U.S. National Under-17 Team | USHL | 53 | 25 | 16 | 41 | 62 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | U.S. National Under-18 Team | USHL | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | U.S. National Under-18 Team | USHL | 67 | 26 | 19 | 45 | 50 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | University of Michigan | B1G | 34 | 9 | 9 | 18 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | University of Michigan | B1G | 35 | 9 | 22 | 31 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | University of Michigan | B1G | 38 | 32 | 24 | 56 | 36 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Rockford IceHogs | AHL | 5 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2016–17 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 33 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Rockford IceHogs | AHL | 43 | 10 | 6 | 16 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 33 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
International[]
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | United States | U17 | Template:Sica | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | |
| 2013 | United States | U18 | Template:Sica | 7 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 4 | |
| 2015 | United States | WJC | 5th | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 2016 | United States | WC | 4th | 10 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | |
| Junior totals | 17 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 12 | ||||
| Senior totals | 10 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | ||||
International Play[]
Motte represented the United States at the 2012 World U-17 Hockey Challenge, where he recorded one assist in five games, and won a silver medal.
He represented the United States at the 2013 IIHF World U18 Championships where he recorded five goals and two assist in seven five games and won a silver medal. His five goals led the team, while his seven points were tied with J. T. Compher for the team lead.
Motte represented the United States at the 2015 World Junior Ice Hockey Championship, where he recorded one assist in five games and finished in fifth place.
Motte represented the United States at the 2016 IIHF World Championship alongside line-mates J.T. Compher and Kyle Connor. He recorded one goal and two assists in ten games.
Accolades[]
| Awards | Year |
|---|---|
| U17 WHC Silver Medal | 2011-12 |
| U17 WHC Silver Medal | 2012-13 |
| HCA Player of the Month | January 2016 |
| All-Big Ten Conference | 2016 |
| American Hockey Coaches Association | 2016 |
Personal Life[]
Motte is the son of Steve and Nancy Motte. His older brother, C.J. Motte is currently playing hockey for the Quad City Mallards in the ECHL and was a goaltender for Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan. He is a graduate of Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
While attending the University of Michigan, Motte was a Sport Management major and enrolled in the School of Kinesiology.
Gallery[]
Headshots[]
