RANGERS ACQUIRE TYLER MOTTE
NEW YORK, March 21, 2022 – New York Rangers President and General Manager Chris Drury announced today that the team has acquired forward Tyler Motte from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for a fourth-round selection in the 2023 NHL Draft.
Motte, 27, has recorded seven goals and eight assists for 15 points and a plus-3 rating in 49 games with the Canucks this season. His eight assists are a career-high and his 15 points are the second most in a single season in his career. He ranks fifth on the Canucks with 90 hits, sixth in blocked shots (51) and tied for sixth in takeaways (27).
The St. Clair, Michigan native has skated in 260 career NHL games with the Canucks, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Chicago Blackhawks, registering 35 goals and 27 assists for 62 points. Since 2017-18, Motte leads all Canucks skaters with 555 hits. Last season, Motte led all Canucks skaters in hits (100) despite missing 32 games due to injury. In 2020-21, he was awarded the Fred J. Hume Award as “Unsung Hero” as voted by the Canucks fans and was also named the winner of the Daniel & Henrik Sedin Award for “Community Leadership”.
A 5-10, 192 pounder, Motte began his career with the Blackhawks, the team that drafted him with a fourth round selection, 121st overall, in the 2013 NHL Draft. On June 23, 2017, he was traded to the Blue Jackets along with Artemi Panarin. After playing 31 games with Columbus, he was traded to Vancouver on February 26, 2018 where he spent his last five seasons.
Prior to going pro, Motte played three seasons for the University of Michigan (2013-14 – 2015-16), notching 105 points (50G-55A) in 107 games. In 2015-16, he was named a Hobey Baker Award (top collegiate player) finalist after recording 32 goals and 24 assists for 56 points in 38 games for the Big Ten Champion Wolverines. Internationally, Motte represented the United States at several tournaments including the 2016 IIHF World Championship and 2015 World Junior Championship.