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Tyler Myers is big. Zdeno Chara big.

Myers, an 18-year-old defenseman from Calgary just completed his second full season with the Western Hockey League’s Kelowna Rockets, and if his 6-7 frame and 200+ pounds aren’t impressive enough, we need to be reminded that he is still growing.

Back in September, Myers ranked in the top 30 among draft-eligible skaters, but with decent WHL numbers for a big shut-down defenseman (6+13, 19 in 65 games), and added maturity to his game, Myers is likely to be one of the top 10 defenseman taken in June’s NHL entry draft.

Recently named to the Canadian National Team that will complete later this month in the Under-18 World Hockey Tournament in Russia, Myers took a few minutes to talk about the honor of playing for his country, the disappointment of losing a seven game series and his thoughts on the upcoming draft.

Q&A: Tyler Myers

Question: Game sevens are always exciting I suppose, except for the team that ends up losing.

Myers: It was a good series all the way through, I mean Seattle is a good team. We knew we had the capability to play right there with them and it was too bad with the end result. We competed hard and I think everyone on our team understands that come next year we have to compete even harder if we want to win.

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Question: Was it just a case of running into a hot goalie in game seven?

Myers: He played an amazing game.

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Question: What is it like to participate in a game seven?

Myers: The thing about a game seven in the playoffs is I’m sure a lot of guys were nervous, but we didn’t make the playoffs last season so this was a very new experience for a lot of us. It is just too bad it had to end the way it did.

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Question: You talked about this a little bit before, but what sorts of lessons do you take away from getting to a game seven?

Myers: It is just great to learn from these new experiences just so you can come in and be more prepared next year.

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Question: Colin Joe was your usual partner on defense, is there a typical approach to the game you take as a partnership that differs from an individual approach?

Myers: We just always make sure we are telling each other to communicate out on the ice. I think that is the biggest thing that we reiterate to each other, and always make sure that we are talking and being each other’s eyes out on the ice. I think that approach has helped us a lot.

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Question: Did you see some time both on the power play and penalty kill this season?

Myers: I was on the power play quite a bit and I saw some time on the penalty kill. Playing with the guys on the power play unit like Tyson Barrie who is just a tremendous young guy for us this year, and Colin Long and Jamie Benn who had great years, you just learn a lot and as the year went on I felt more and more comfortable on the power play and it helped a lot.

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Question: Was playing on the penalty kill a new experience for you or had you done that previously?

Myers: I had done a little bit of killing before, but it was still kind of a new experience for me. As the year went on I learned how you have to play and how hard you have to compete to keep the puck from going into the net.

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Question: What are some of the complexities for you on the penalty kill?

Myers: Obviously being a man down it makes things harder and you have to just focus on competing that much harder and making sure they don’t score.

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Question: You had a decent season from a statistical perspective, but as a shut-down defenseman the stats really don’t tell the whole story of your game do they?

Myers: There are lots of other things that go on. I just see myself as a big defenseman that skates well and can see the ice well. In the first half of the year I struggled a little defensively, but in working with Jeff Finley (defense coach) he helped me so much this year and I thought in the second half I really found out how I have to play the game and thought my defensive zone play improved quite a bit.

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Question: Being a big, tall defenseman, I suppose you get the Chara comparisons quite a bit?

Myers: Yeah, because of my height I do get that a lot. It is still nice to hear though, I mean he’s a great defenseman.

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Question: Talk a little bit about using your size to your advantage as a defenseman.

Myers: Being 6-7, my hockey stick is pretty long, so coach Finley helped me a lot this year with how to use the stick and my reach to my advantage, and just always have the stick on the puck.

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Question: One scouting report talks about your great skating and mobility. That’s not something you read a lot when they talk about tall, lanky hockey players.

Myers: My skating has always been something I’ve focused on because a guy my size, I need to be pretty mobile to deal with the more shifty guys and you’re constantly working on your footwork. I still have a long ways to go.

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Question: What is your mental approach to the game?

Myers: I just always tell myself before games to just don’t try and do too much and keep the game simple. I try and remind myself to play within myself and just go out there and play my game and let things just fall into place.

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Question: Are you full recovered from your shoulder injury you suffered in October?

Myers: Yeah, it has completely healed and I’ve been 100% for a while now.

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Question: Tell me about the honor of playing for Canada at the Under-18 World Tournament.

Myers: It really just sounds like it is going to be a great experience and the hockey is going to be good. It is going to be fun playing against guys from different countries and to compete for a gold medal is very exciting. Pat Quinn is the coach and it is going to be a great experience to play under him and to learn from him. It just sounds like it is going to be great for everybody.

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Question: How was it being scouted by NHL teams throughout the season?

Myers: I definitely talked with a few teams, but we really didn’t get into anything too specific. We mostly just talked about how the year was going and stuff like that, but it was still exciting just to talk to them. You try and put them out of your head and just go out there and play your game and not worry about that kind of stuff.

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Question: You sneaking a peek lately to see who is likely to pick where in the upcoming draft?

Myers: I see a list every once in a while when I’m watching Sports Center or something like that. I haven’t really been paying too much attention to it. I definitely know the teams that are going to be picking high.

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Question: Have you ever been out to California?

Myers: I have actually. I went to Anaheim for a trip.

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Question: Anaheim? I’m assuming it was a hockey tournament and not vacation?

Myers: It was my bantam hockey team that went down to play two exhibition games a few years back against a California team.

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Question: Did you wipe them out?

Myers: No, it was the California Wave, and they were really good at the time, so they wiped us out (laughs). Southern California just seemed like a great place to be. We all went down to the ocean, and a lot of the guys hadn’t even seen the ocean before and everybody was just all excited and going crazy.

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Question: Knowing that the Kings are kind of thin on defense, I’m curious if you’ve given any thought to possibility getting drafted by the Kings.

Myers: I haven’t thought too much about where I’m going to go yet. I really don’t mind where I go really. I’m just excited to find out what team takes me and go from there.