FUTURE WATCH: Tullio tying it all together

EDMONTON, AB - Patience, pride and painstaking persistence at honing his craft in preparation for playing in the National Hockey League help make up the ethos of forward Ty Tullio.
The Lakeshore, Ont. product has never had it easy as a smaller forward with ambitions of making it to the highest levels, but with his determination and professionalism toward navigating the ranks as a young pro, he's never backed away from the challenge.
"I'm not the biggest guy. I'm not the strongest guy on the team," he said. "But I definitely think my work ethic is something that I've kind of had my whole career and my whole life as something my parents kind of brought upon me growing up. It's kind of never left my side."
Now, more than halfway through his first full professional season in Bakersfield, these strong character traits engrained in Tullio are what's helping him tie it all together during his most-productive stretch for the Condors following a tempered start to his rookie pro campaign.
After posting eight points over his first 28 AHL games, Tullio has seemingly turned a corner in the second half of this season, posting nine goals and 17 points in his last 20 contests. The winger found himself a healthy scratch on a few occasions early in the season, but has since risen from the adversity to accrue more valuable minutes for Bakersfield and help drive offence when given the opportunity.
"For myself, it was kind of just a lot of hard work, a lot of dedication, and there were a lot of ups and downs for sure at the beginning," he said. "But I think now I've kind of really put myself in a steady position and I just look to keep going."

Tullio's growing game as a professional has helped him land on Bakersfield's top power-play unit in recent games, while taking on more penalty-killing responsibilities. He's utilizing his wicked release in better positions, improving his vision for passes, contributing strong defence and playing with more of a swagger, even flashing the San Diego Gulls fans at Pechanga Arena the 'quiet down' motion after burying his first professional hat-trick in a four-point performance on Feb. 19 in an 8-4 Condors victory.
"Being able to play and work into a steady role has been really fun and it's been a really positive outcome so far. I'm just looking to keep going forward," he said.
Treating every roadblock along the way as a learning opportunity has been central to Tullio's growth as a player and Bakersfield's rise back into the Pacific Division playoff picture with an 12-6-1-2 record in their last 21 games.

"I kind of look at a season month-by-month, day-by-day," he said. "I don't look too far ahead or too far into the past. Obviously the first half of the season there were a lot of ups and downs with our team, but I think where it's led us to now, it's all positive."
The humble 20-year-old waited until the fifth round to hear his name called by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2020 NHL Draft following a 66-point sophomore season with the OHL's Oshawa Generals. That year, Tullio made the most of the OHL's cancellation during the COVID-challenged 2020-21 season by playing 19 games of professional hockey in Slovakia's Tipos Extraliga with HK 32 Liptovsky Mikulas.
After his time in Slovakia was through, he signed an ATO (amateur tryout) with the Bakersfield Condors a few days later so he could go get the lay of the land for where he would begin his professional career in two seasons time despite not appearing in any games for the Condors in their Pacific Division title run.
"Coming in as a first-year guy in a pro hockey league, it's a lot of touch-and-feel early on, but I was here a few summers before getting a little taste of what Bakersfield and the pro hockey life is about," he said.

Tullio attended Hockey Canada's Summer Showcase and his first Oilers Rookie Camp later in September, establishing relationships with players, management and the coaching staff in the organization before signing his three-year entry-level contract that Fall.
Back in the OHL for the following season, Tullio captained the Oshawa Generals and led the junior club with 42 goals and 86 points before making the permanent jump to professional hockey this season after another stop in Bakersfield for the 2022 Calder Cup Playoffs.
When things got tough for Tullio early on this season, the 20-year-old relied on his persistence both on and off the ice to improve as a player and break through offensively to produce 16 points in his last 18 games and take on more responsibilities for the Condors.
"That's something I take a lot of pride in -- coming to the rink for workouts, practices and games," he said. "For me, it's all about the effort you put in, the way you practice, and the way you're going to play, so putting in 100 percent on and off the ice will lead to a good outcome."
Tullio carries the same patience for the Condors as a team, who are back to a .500 record (23-23-4) and currently occupying a playoff position with 14-of-20 of their remaining games after this weekend's road swing through Texas set to take place in Bakersfield at Mechanics Bank Arena.
"Obviously after the Christmas break, we've kind of picked up our game and I think that's something that happens with a lot of teams," Tullio said. "Maybe had a tougher start to the season, but I think we know what's up for grabs right now and I think we're going to really push for that playoff spot. I wouldn't count us out."