HOCKEY DAILY REPORT : Slowly but Surely, Tsulygin Made It

Mighty Duck defenseman Nikolai Tsulygin made his NHL debut Tuesday against the Philadelphia Flyers--two or three years later than expected.

Jason Marshall, Tsulygin’s defense partner, understands. Marshall was drafted ninth overall in 1989 by St. Louis. Six years later, he had played only three NHL games before becoming a regular with the Ducks late last season.

“I think especially in the NHL, where kids are drafted around 18 years old, for myself I was really young,” Marshall said. “There are a lot of expectations on you and you’re so young, you’re disappointed when people think you should be doing a lot better. I wasn’t mature enough, and I didn’t have much confidence.”

Tsulygin was the second draft pick in Duck history, one round after Paul Kariya became the franchise’s first pick in 1993. But difficulty with the language and timid play delayed his development until he made a big jump last season playing with Marshall for the minor league Baltimore Bandits.

“I saw him improve a lot,” Marshall said.

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At 6 feet 3 and 230 pounds, Roman Oksiuta is nicknamed “Ox.” On Tuesday, Oksiuta’s wife, Natalie, welcomed Ox Jr. to the world--an 11-pound son named Pavel.