"I was really, really wanting to somehow tie that game up late and Dvorak did," Tkachuk said. "When that happens, you have all the momentum and we could have scored three or four goals in the last two minutes (of regulation). The momentum carried over into overtime and it was back and forth, run-and-gun. Somebody was going to score and I was just thankful that it was our team that came out on top."
Tkachuk, who said his two favorite players growing up were Sidney Crosby and David Backes (who lived with his family for a year-and-a-half), has spent his summer in Toronto training and after taking part in the Flames prospects camp, shut it down for a few weeks. He was recovering from several injuries and has returned stronger than ever.
Being the son of a former NHL player, Tkachuk said he values his father's advice.
"He always says the same two things: 'Compete and be a good teammate. If you do that, you'll be alright,'" Tkachuk said. "He told me the summer leading up to his first NHL training camp was the hardest he has ever worked, but it put him in a position to make the team and I kind of took that as motivation."
Dvorak believes Tkachuk is headed for a long and successful professional career.
"He's one of those guys you hate to play against, but love to play with," Dvorak said. "It was great to have him on my line with [Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Mitchell Marner] and he's a phenomenal player. He's great in front of the net, can make plays and puck the puck in the net."
Will the NHL soon see the second coming of Keith Tkachuk?
"There are definitely a lot of similarities in our games," the younger Tkachuk said. "We're both big, strong guys who like to score goals and play around the net. We ultimately make our teammates better and he was obviously a really tough player, a really physical player and a good shooter and goal scorer. I also have that kind of multi-threat with shooting and passing and play-making."
