OTTAWA, ON – Selected in the 1st round of the 2022 Central Canada Hockey League Bantam Protected Draft by the Navan Grads, 2007 born Orleans, ON native Tyler Meireles has game in and game out shown high qualities of skill from the back-end in his rookie year of HEO U18 AAA.
Meireles is light on his feet and moves well in straight lines and laterally. The left-shot defender has an active and heavy stick, moves the puck quickly and confidently, handles the puck well at full speed and makes plays in stride. He is polished on the PP and quarterbacks the Grads top unit. Meireles keeps good gaps through the middle of the ice and forces opposing forwards into bad areas on the perimeter of the rink.
On the season, Meireles has 15 points (3G, 12A) in 23 games of action, placing him 4th among league rookie defensemen.
Prior to his time in HEO U18 AAA, Meireles came up through the Ottawa Jr 67’s AAA and Gloucester Rangers AA programs.