'Nothing Fazes' Tyler Brennan | PROSPECT WATCH

It's a long journey to get to the NHL but Tyler Brennan has already put serious milage on his odometer.
The Prince George Cougars goaltender, whom the Devils took in the fourth round (102nd overall) in last summer's NHL Draft, is an old hand at taking infamously long Western Hockey League bus trips.
The distance covered in the Dub is the stuff of legend. Twenty two teams play across four Canadian provinces and two U.S. states - an area about the size of continental Europe. Teams travel almost exclusively by bus.
"There's a lot of Netflix," says Brennan, of how to pass the time, "…I always download first, the Wifi can (be spotty)."

To wit, the Cougars play twice at home this weekend and then embark on a trip that will see them go through the league's U.S. division with five games in a nine-day stretch. They just returned from a "short trip" where they stayed within British Columbia's borders and notched a pair of key victories over the Vancouver Giants and Kamloops Blazers.
Brennan stopped 21 of 22 shots in a 5-1 win over the Giants in the first game of that 10-hour trip.
After returning to Prince George upon attending Devils rookie camp in Buffalo and then the main camp in Newark, he's played 210 minutes in four games with a 1.72 GAA and .937 SV%. That's a limited sampling but Brennan's work (and miles travelled) will likely increase as the meat of the schedule starts to take hold in November.
Last year, playing on a Cougars squad that won just 24 of 68 games and behind Pittsburgh Penguins prosect Taylor Gauthier, who was eventually moved to the Portland Winterhawks, Brennan had 3.58 GAA and .899 SV% in 38 games. He was outstanding in the playoffs despite the Cougars being swept by the Winterhawks, with a 1.86 GAA and .954 SV%.
The post-season solidified his draft status and he was the second goaltender taken in Montreal, though Brennan was some scouts' first choice between the pipes.
"He (was) the top goalie on our board," said Red Line Report chief scout Kyle Woodlief, "He has NHL size and athleticism."
The only knock against Brennan was that he didn't play consistently.
"He'll have to make-up (lost time) in the development curve," said Woodlief.
Cougars GM Mark Lamb, the former NHLer, says that having two capable goaltenders is a good problem to have.
"They both want to play," said Lamb, of his crowded crease that now includes Ty Young, who was drafted by the Vancouver Canucks, 42 picks after Brennan.
"That's understandable. But I think teams that don't have (two capable) goaltenders can (get into trouble), especially when you consider the travel and a lot of games back-to-back."
Having just turned 19, Brennan has sprouted to 6-4 and 190 pounds. The extra notches on the height chart since he arrived in Prince George before the pandemic have helped him cover more net. Possessing the classic goalie frame, just as important as his pro-level athletic ability and quickness, he doesn't panic and is good positionally. He's known for gobbling up hard shots without rebounds and has a good, active stick to knock away loose pucks in his crease and to distribute the disc when he leaves it.
The victory over the Giants was important for another reason: Hockey Canada staff were in Vancouver to witness it. Devils goaltending/development coach Scott Clemmensen has also made the trip to Prince George.
"I feel like I have more tools in the toolbox now," said Brennan of his experience so far with the Devils in camp and consulting with the club's development staff, "there are more (qualified) people now to help me."
Not long after the Devils selected him, Brennan played well at Team Canada's evaluation camp for the delayed 2022 World Junior that was eventually played in August. He was always in tough to make the eventual gold medalists having not yet turned 19. He's considered a lock to get an invite to Team Canada's final evaluation camp in December and has a good chance at making this year's World Junior.
"That's my goal… I think that is always the goal of any kid who grew up in Canada," he said.
For now, Brennan is splitting time with Young in the Cougars crease.
"There's a lot of back-to-back games," explains Brennan, "a lot of four- or five games in six nights…it's good to push each other."
Beyond the physical stature and ability, Brennan's greatest attribute is his calm demeanor. It's hard to fathom his heartrate ever going north of 60 BPM when you speak to him. He's not sleepy so much as stoic. Given the circumstances, playing with two other NHL prospects while still an amateur, will help Brennan before he gets to the pros. And he won't be fazed to show he belongs at whatever pro hockey throws at him.
"I know," says Lamb when told that some people find his goaltender's mood is always so calm it is hard-to-describe and sometimes tough to figure out.
"Nothing (fazes him), I see it every single day."