A year-long hiatus from hockey has actually paid huge dividends for Perrysburg native Tanner Dickinson.

The coronavirus pandemic forced Dickinson off the ice for 13 months. So the speedy forward and fourth-round NHL draft pick of the St. Louis Blues got bigger and better.

On Sunday, Dickinson scored two goals for Team USA against Sweden in the World Junior Summer Showcase in Plymouth, Mich.

“It was awesome. I had only played in three games in a year's time. So to be able to just compete again, I felt really good,” he said.

Dickinson, a 19-year-old, was selected to represent his country at the elite tournament despite the lengthy layoff.

“A lot of the things that were my weaknesses are starting to become my strengths,” Dickinson said. “I'm starting to do better at some of the things I had struggled with.”

Dan Jones, the strength coach for the Toledo Walleye, has trained Dickinson at his facility in Sylvania. Jones, who works with many of the area's top athletes, said Dickinson's improvement both physically and mentally over the past year has been “beyond noteworthy.”

“He gained 23 pounds in a seven-month span last year from April to October alone,” Jones said. “He is much more explosive and faster since gaining the weight. He looks like a man now. Maybe more noteworthy is his mindset. He has built tremendous confidence.”

Dickinson was drafted by St. Louis with the 26th pick in the fourth round last October but then found himself, like many other athletes, sidelined due to circumstances beyond his control.

The forward had wrapped up a successful season with the Soo Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League. Dickinson produced 40 points in 64 games in the shortened season in 2019-20 with nine goals and 31 assists in the elite, major junior league. But OHL officials then canceled the 2020-21 season.

“It had been almost a full year since I last played,” he said. “But it did benefit me. I was focused on training and putting on muscle. It stunk not being able to play hockey, but I looked at it as a chance for me to bear down and get my weight and muscle up. I was able to do that and stay fast on the ice. So I knew I was prepared.”

Dickinson said he was caught a bit off guard when Team USA officials reached out to him to offer him a tryout for the World Junior Championships.

Dickinson led the U.S. attack with two goals in a 4-2 win over Sweden. Dickinson tied the game up with a power-play goal and then collected a loose puck in the waning seconds of play, firing the puck past Swedish netminder Calle Clang.

“It's great for me to play at this high level of competitive hockey, especially in front of the USA hockey staff and the Blues staff to see that I'm a guy they can rely on to help the team,” Dickinson said.

He ranks third among all goal scorers in the World Junior Summer Showcase entering Friday. The tournament, which includes two American teams and the top junior players from Finland and Sweden, wraps up this weekend.

After his OHL season was canceled, Dickinson made his pro debut with Utica of the American Hockey League. He signed an amateur tryout agreement with the Comets and appeared in three games in April but did not post a point.

“I was there for a little over a month. I thought it was great to see how pros prepare on and off the ice,” Dickinson said. “I saw the level I need to be at after transitioning to pro hockey.”

Dickinson, who is now 6-foot and 170 pounds, said it was great for his development.

“I was behind the eight ball by not getting in a full season like other guys did,” he said. “But being there for a month helped me see the level of the AHL and now I know the things I need to work on.”

Jones, a former local hockey ref, said he used to officiate games Dickinson played in when he was 10 and 11 years old.

“Tanner has been talented almost since Day One,” Jones said. “I told people then 'this kid is special.' His 'weak link' has always been his physicality. We were able to address that over the year. The COVID actually helped Tanner. Because he couldn't skate, he trained harder. It changed him physically and mentally.”

Jones said Dickinson has solid character and is extremely disciplined.

“I believe he is driven from having a dream to play in the NHL. That is his purpose. That is why he has sacrificed so much time,” Jones said.

Dickinson, who has yet to sign a contract with the Blues, has until next summer to sign with the NHL team.

“The goal is to play one more year [in the OHL] and then hopefully be in the Blues organization,” he said.

Dickinson said Blues officials, who are attending the international tournament in Michigan this week, have given him positive feedback.

He said it still sometimes hits him that he was one of the few to be selected in the NHL draft.

“I was very fortunate to be selected in the NHL draft. But at the same time, I think I deserved it with all the work I put in,” Dickinson said. “Now it's just about fighting for a contract and proving myself to the Blues organization that I can be a player they can count on to help their team succeed.”

Dickinson was the first player from the area to be chosen in the NHL draft since Monroe, Mich. native Matt Mahalak, a goaltender who was picked by the Carolina Hurricanes in 2011. Holland native Josh Unice, also a goaltender, was selected by the Chicago Blackhawks in the third round in 2007.

The website thehockeywriters.com said Dickinson has tremendous speed.

“His speed can help create a lot of chances for his team and was a reason why the Blues drafted him. Speed kills, and … skating is not an issue for him,” the website posted. “He has an explosive ability on his skates and is strong on them as well, especially for a player of his size.”

In a little less than a month, Dickinson will report to OHL camp with the Soo Greyhounds, where he will play one more season. He was named the team's rookie of the year in 2019-20.

“I not only want to play in the NHL, but ultimately the goal is to have a career in the NHL and stay there many years,” Dickinson said. “I'm confident in myself as a player and I'm confident that if I keep working hard on and off the ice, I can achieve that goal.”

First Published July 30, 2021, 2:40 p.m.