Johnny Boychuk

John Paul Boychuk (born January 19, 1984) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. Drafted 61st overall in 2002 by the Colorado Avalanche, he played for the Avalanche, the Boston Bruins and New York Islanders. In 2011, he was a part of the Bruins' Stanley Cup championship team. He was traded to the Islanders prior to the 2014–15 season, where he would finish his career after six seasons with the team.

Johnny Boychuk
Boychuk with the Boston Bruins in 2013
Born (1984-01-19) January 19, 1984
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight 225 lb (102 kg; 16 st 1 lb)
Position Defence
Shot Right
Played for Colorado Avalanche
Boston Bruins
New York Islanders
NHL Draft 61st overall, 2002
Colorado Avalanche
Playing career 2004–2020

Playing career

Boychuk was born in Canada. As a youth, Boychuk played in the 1997 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a minor ice hockey team from Edmonton.[1]

Boychuk was drafted 61st overall in the National Hockey League's (NHL) 2002 Entry Draft by the Avalanche of Colorado. Prior to being drafted, he played with the Western Hockey League's (WHL) Calgary Hitmen. Boychuk made his professional debut with the Hershey Bears in the 2004–05 season. Boychuk spent the next four years in the Avalanche organization playing primarily for their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliates. He made his NHL debut in the 2007–08 season on January 5, 2008, against the New York Islanders. Boychuk made his debut as a forward playing on the wing rather than his usual defenceman position.[2]

Boychuk with the Boston Bruins in 2010

On June 24, 2008, Boychuk was traded to the Boston Bruins in exchange for Matt Hendricks.[3] He was assigned to their AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins, to start the 2008–09 season and in his first week was named "AHL Player of the Week."[4] On December 1, 2008, Boychuk was recalled to Boston[5] and made his Bruins debut in a 3–1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on December 4, 2008.[6] Boychuk was then returned to Providence for the rest of the season, where he played a break-out season,[7] capturing the Eddie Shore Award by leading the league with 20 goals and 45 assists among defenceman and being named to the AHL's First All-Star Team.[8][9]

On July 1, 2009, Boychuk secured his first one-way contract when he re-signed with the Bruins for the 2009–10 season.[10] After initially making the Bruins opening night roster, Boychuk was primarily a healthy scratch in the first months of the season. After returning from a conditioning assignment in Providence, he established himself within the Bruins as a two-way defenceman to finish with 15 points in 51 games to earn a two-year contract extension on June 24, 2010.[11]

Boychuk with the New York Islanders in November 2017.

He was a member of the Bruins when they defeated the Vancouver Canucks to win the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals.[12]

The following season, Boychuk was rewarded with a three-year contract extension to remain a fixture on the Stanley Cup-winning Bruins blueline.[13] Despite an inability to successfully defend the Stanley Cup, Boychuk produced 15 points in 77 games.

During the 2012–13 NHL lock-out, Boychuk ventured to Europe and signed a temporary contract in Austria with EC Red Bull Salzburg of the EBEL on November 16, 2012.[14][15] He scored two goals and posted eight points in 15 games before he returned to the Bruins for the shortened 2012–13 season.

On October 4, 2014, due to salary cap constraints, Boychuk was traded to the New York Islanders in exchange for two second-round draft picks in the 2015 (previously acquired from the Philadelphia Flyers, later used to select Brandon Carlo) and 2016 NHL Entry Drafts (used on Ryan Lindgren), as well as a conditional third-rounder in the 2015 Draft (condition was never met).[16] In his Islanders debut, Boychuk scored a goal and two assists against the Carolina Hurricanes. On March 12, 2015, he signed a seven-year, $42 million contract extension with the Islanders, lasting through the 2021–22 season.[17][18]

On November 25, 2020, the Islanders announced that Boychuk would be retiring due to an eye injury that he suffered in a game against the Montreal Canadiens on March 3, 2020.[19][20]

Personal life

In the summer of 2011, Boychuk married Sheena Burletoff.[18] The couple have twin daughters. And son Brody Boychuk [21][22] John Quenneville, who was drafted by the New Jersey Devils in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, is his nephew by marriage. 2018

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs
    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1999–2000 MLAC AAA AMHL 35 6 17 23 59 — — — — —
1999–2000 Calgary Hitmen WHL 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2000–01 Calgary Hitmen WHL 66 4 8 12 61 12 1 1 2 17
2001–02 Calgary Hitmen WHL 70 8 32 40 85 7 1 1 2 6
2002–03 Calgary Hitmen WHL 40 8 18 26 58 — — — — —
2002–03 Moose Jaw Warriors WHL 27 5 17 22 32 13 2 6 8 29
2003–04 Moose Jaw Warriors WHL 62 13 20 33 71 10 1 9 10 9
2004–05 Hershey Bears AHL 80 3 12 15 69 — — — — —
2005–06 Lowell Lock Monsters AHL 74 6 26 32 73 — — — — —
2006–07 Albany River Rats AHL 80 10 18 28 125 5 1 1 2 4
2007–08 Colorado Avalanche NHL 4 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2007–08 Lake Erie Monsters AHL 60 8 18 26 63 — — — — —
2008–09 Boston Bruins NHL 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2008–09 Providence Bruins AHL 78 20 46 66 61 16 3 5 8 19
2009–10 Boston Bruins NHL 51 5 10 15 43 13 2 4 6 6
2009–10 Providence Bruins AHL 2 1 0 1 0 — — — — —
2010–11 Boston Bruins NHL 69 3 13 16 45 25 3 6 9 12
2011–12 Boston Bruins NHL 77 5 10 15 53 7 1 2 3 4
2012–13 EC Red Bull Salzburg EBEL 15 2 6 8 2 — — — — —
2012–13 Boston Bruins NHL 44 1 5 6 12 22 6 1 7 10
2013–14 Boston Bruins NHL 75 5 18 23 45 12 1 1 2 2
2014–15 New York Islanders NHL 72 9 26 35 14 7 0 2 2 2
2015–16 New York Islanders NHL 70 9 16 25 31 11 0 0 0 4
2016–17 New York Islanders NHL 66 6 17 23 19 — — — — —
2017–18 New York Islanders NHL 58 6 12 18 30 — — — — —
2018–19 New York Islanders NHL 74 3 16 19 25 4 0 1 1 0
2019–20 New York Islanders NHL 64 2 9 11 14 3 0 0 0 0
NHL totals 725 54 152 206 331 104 13 17 30 40

International
Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2002 Canada WJC18 6th 5 1 0 1 8
Junior totals 5 1 0 1 8

Awards and honours
Award Year
AHL
First All-Star Team 2009 [9]
Eddie Shore Award 2009 [8]
NHL
Stanley Cup 2011

References
  1. "Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA" (PDF). Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2018. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  2. Dater, Adrian (January 6, 2008). "Once again, Clark's "D" impressive". Denver Post. Archived from the original on October 23, 2014. Retrieved October 22, 2014.
  3. "Boston acquires Johnny Boychuk". National Hockey League. June 24, 2008. Archived from the original on October 23, 2014. Retrieved October 22, 2014.
  4. "Bruins defenseman Boychuk named Player of the Week". American Hockey League. October 20, 2008. Archived from the original on October 23, 2014. Retrieved October 22, 2014.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  5. "Bruins recall Boychuk and Lashoff from AHL". National Hockey League. December 2, 2008. Retrieved October 22, 2014.
  6. Dupont, Kevin Paul (December 6, 2008). "The kids were all right against Lightning". Boston.com. Archived from the original on December 7, 2008. Retrieved December 6, 2008.
  7. Kalman, Matt (April 4, 2009). "Boychuk's manly performance has powered Providence". thebruinsblog.net. Archived from the original on October 22, 2014. Retrieved May 31, 2009.
  8. "Bruins' Boychuk captures Eddie Shore Award". American Hockey League. April 3, 2009. Archived from the original on October 22, 2014. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
  9. "First and Second AHL All-Star Teams unveiled". American Hockey League. April 2, 2009. Archived from the original on October 22, 2014. Retrieved October 22, 2014.
  10. Shinzawa, Fluto (September 4, 2009). "Boychuk is next in line on Bruins' blue line". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on September 10, 2009. Retrieved September 4, 2009.
  11. "Boston inks D Boychuk to two-year contract". The Sports Network. The Associated Press. June 24, 2010. Archived from the original on January 16, 2014. Retrieved October 22, 2014.
  12. Curle, Brad (June 16, 2011). "Johnny Boychuk and the Boston Bruins win the Stanley Cup". Calgary Hitmen. Archived from the original on October 23, 2014. Retrieved October 22, 2014.
  13. "B's Sign Boychuk to Extension". Boston Bruins. February 14, 2012. Archived from the original on April 19, 2012. Retrieved February 14, 2012.
  14. Blanchard, Chris (November 16, 2012). "Johnny Boychuk: Boston Bruins Defenseman Signs in Austrian League". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on October 23, 2014. Retrieved October 22, 2014.
  15. "EC Red Bulls sign Stanley Cup winner Boychuk" (in German). Facebook. November 16, 2012. Retrieved November 16, 2012.
  16. "Islanders acquire defencemen Boychuk, Leddy". The Sports Network. October 4, 2014. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 22, 2014.
  17. "Boychuk Agrees to Seven-Year Deal". National Hockey League. March 12, 2015. Retrieved March 12, 2015.
  18. "Johnny Boychuk's Wedding Made Offseason Even More Exciting, But Bruins Defenseman Ready to Have Fun Going for Stanley Cup Repeat". nesn.com. September 14, 2011. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 22, 2014.
  19. "Recent Eye Injury Ends Boychuk Career". NHL.com. November 25, 2020. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  20. "Eye injury ends Islanders D Boychuk's career". TSN.ca. November 25, 2020. Archived from the original on November 25, 2020. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  21. Haggerty, Joe (January 17, 2014). "NHL Notes: Canucks flap a wakeup for Marchand?". Comcast SportsNet New England. Archived from the original on October 23, 2014. Retrieved October 22, 2014.
  22. "Bruins defenseman welcomes twin package". Boston Bruins. January 13, 2014. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
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