2018 Draft diary: Brady Tkachuk

Boston University freshman left wing Brady Tkachuk (6-foot-3, 196 pounds), an A rated skater in NHL Central Scouting's November players to watch list for the 2018 NHL Draft, has 14 points (four goals, 10 assists), 71 shots on goal and a plus-9 rating in 20 games this season. He's the son of United States Hockey Hall of Fame member Keith Tkachuk and the younger brother of Calgary Flames forward Matthew Tkachuk. Brady has offered to maintain a draft diary for NHL.com, leading up to the NHL Draft in Dallas on June 22-23. In his fifth entry, Tkachuk discusses his experience in winning the bronze medal for the United States at the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship in Buffalo, and what's on tap for BU this weekend.

Hello hockey fans!
Well, I'm back in my dorm room at Boston University after winning a bronze medal at the World Juniors. The tournament was an awesome experience because you're playing against the best junior-aged players in the world. To play with the guys I did, see some old faces, was just so memorable. It still stings that we didn't win gold, but looking back it was an honor to bring back bronze.
I learned that I need to keep playing with more confidence and believe in myself. I know I can make plays and be a factor out there, create chances.

After the win against Czech Republic in the bronze medal game, we hung out at the hotel and played Xbox. USA Hockey set up a dinner for the players and their families at a nearby restaurant, so it was nice to interact with everyone on the final night in Buffalo.
The gold medal game (Canada-Sweden) was on television at the time, and I glanced over but I didn't really want to watch because I was still a little bitter about the semifinal loss to Sweden. It was an open wound I didn't want to get going. I was just mainly hanging out with the guys, cherishing our last time together as a team. It's a group that came together as a team, and I'm going to miss all of them.
The most memorable part of the tournament for me was the whole outdoor game experience at New Era Field against Canada. From the snow to all the people who attended the game, and then us winning in a shootout in the end, you could feel the energy on the ice. I had a lot of fun out there.

There was a moment in the overtime when the song "Crazy Train" by Ozzy Osbourne was played over the sound system in the stadium. I remember growing up to that song, it would get me going when I used to play youth hockey. That used to be my go-to song and it would pump me up. You kind of hear that and you kind of heard the crowd going with it too, so I was kind of in the moment (bopping my head up and down) because it was halfway through overtime. I was just getting geared up for what was to come.
When we entered the shootout, I wanted to take a shot. It's an awesome opportunity, and I was confident in myself that I could score and put the team in a good position. I practiced that move the past month and a half before the tournament started; you could ask [goaltender] Jake Oettinger, who's also a teammate at BU. He didn't like it at our practices when I kept doing it, but I was super-pumped and I knew I was doing that move all along. I'm just glad it went in.
I got on a 6:30 a.m. flight the morning after the bronze medal game and was in the lineup for Boston University that night against Maine. Jeremy Swayman, our third-string goalie with the U.S. team, shut us out 3-0. It was awesome for Jeremy. I was talking to him in warmups and during the game; he played well and deserved it. He was lights out all game and came up with some big saves. It stinks we didn't win, but it was awesome for Jeremy.
We have a big weekend coming up with games against the University of New Hampshire on Friday and Providence on Saturday. The biggest thing is playing with passion and enthusiasm. If we do that it'll transfer over to each individual and we'll play a lot better. For us, it's all about working for the guy next to you. Our team is coming together and we're excited for these next couple of games because we know we can make a big push.