Sawyer Boulton

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Sawyer Boulton
Born (2004-07-12) July 12, 2004 (age 21)
Huntington, New York, USA
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb)
Position Forward
Shoots Right
ECHL team Reading Royals
Playing career 2023–present

Sawyer Boulton is an American ice hockey forward who plays for the Reading Royals of the ECHL while under contract to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the AHL. Both Reading and Lehigh Valley are minor league affiliates of the Philadelphia Flyers of the NHL.

Contents

Playing career

Junior

Boulton played one season of junior hockey for the London Knights of the OHL during the 2023-24 season. During his season with London he was a teammate of his brother Ryder Boulton and London won the OHL championship. [1] [2] [3] He scored 3 goals and 2 assists with 63 penalty minutes in 40 games one assist in 16 ganes during the OHL playoffs. [3] during the regular season and During the season, Boulton was suspended seven times, and was also suspended for a game during the Memorial Cup playoffs. [2] During the season he also engaged in six fights. [4]

Boulton's longest suspension was for 10 games, for making a hit to Bryce McConnell-Barker of the Soo Greyhounds "in direct contact to the head of a vulnerable opponent, resulting in injury.” [5] [6] McConnell-Barker ended up missing 14 games due to a concussion he suffered from the hit. [7] Greyhound coach John Dean said of the hit:

It was their game plan to come in here and drag the game into the gutter. They end up with, my guess is a huge suspension for their hit on Bryce. And that was just a result of style of play. The league has an opportunity to protect [one of its] best players. Bryce is a world-class player and it was an obvious attempt at the head. [5]

At that point in the season, Boulton had already been suspended twice before, once for two games for a high hit on Quentin Musty of the Sudbury Wolves and once for three games for a fight that the league deemed to have been staged with Jackson Stewart of the Owen Sound Attack. [5] [8] In the case of the latter suspension, Stewart claimed that the fight was not set up in advance. [8] As a result of these three suspensions, Bouton had been suspended for 15 games at a time he had played in 18. [6]

Two of Boulton's subsequent OHL suspensions were also against Greyhounds players. He was suspended in February for two games for actions to instigate a fight with Matthew Virgilio in February. [9] [10] [11] A month later he was suspended for another two games for slew footing Christopher Brown. [10] During the OHL playoffs, Boulton had to serve another two game suspension for slew footing in a playoff game against the Saginaw Spirit. [11] During the Memorial Cup playoffs, Boulton was suspended for one game for making "unnecessary contact with a Moose Jaw [Warriors] player while exiting the ice following the completion of the warm-up." [3] [12]

Professional

After the 2023-24 season, Boulton signed a professional contract with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the AHL. [2] [4] [13] He participated in the Philadelphia Flyers' 2024 development camp. [4] [14] He split the 2024-25 season between Lehigh Valley and the Reading Royals, playing 18 games for Lehigh Valley and 13 games for Reading. [15] He scored 1 goal for each team and accumulated 51 penalty minutes for each team. [15] He again spent time with each team in 2025-26. [15]

Playing style

Boulton stated that "I like to bring energy to the whole lineup. I like to stick up for my teammates, make sure they feel safe. Make sure they have room and try to be good defensively. Keep the puck out of our net and play gritty games." [4] [16] He also said that "[checking has] always been a big part of my game, my whole life. I like to use my body to create space for my teammates. I like to intimidate and I like to make my teammates feel comfortable out there." [14]

Personal

Sawyer's father Eric Boulton was also an aggressive hockey player, who played 15 seasons in the NHL. [2] [8] [16] [17] . His brother Ryder Boulton currently plays for the Brantford Bulldogs of the OHL. [18]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season TeamLeagueGP G A Pts PIM GPGAPtsPIM
2023–24 London Knights OHL 40325631601115
2024–25 Lehigh Valley Phantoms AHL 1810151—————
2024–25 Reading Royals ECHL 1310151—————

References

  1. ↑ Brown, Jared (November 28, 2024). "London Knights Ryder Boulton Handed Lengthy Suspension For Slashing Calgary Flames Top Prospect Zayne Parekh". The Hockey News. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Brown, Jared (July 4, 2024). "Sawyer Boulton Embodies What It Means to be a Broad Street Bully; Signs Two-year AHL Deal With Lehigh Valley Phantoms". Yahoo!. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 Varley, Kristylee (May 29, 2024). "Boulton suspended for Knights vs. Saginaw at Memorial Cup". CTV News. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Spiegel, Jackie (September 12, 2004). "Five things to watch as rookie camp opens". Philadelphia Daily News. pp. 29, 31. Retrieved November 3, 2025– via newspapers.com.
  5. 1 2 3 Pyette, Ryan (December 13, 2023). "OHL slaps 10-game ban on London Knights player over head hit". London Free Press. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
  6. 1 2 Pyette, Ryan (December 15, 2023). "'Mistakes happen': London Knights back Sawyer Boulton amid 10-game ban". London Free Press. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
  7. ↑ Anderson, Gordon (January 29, 2024). "Observations: Captain's comeback as the Soo slide by the Sting". Sault Star. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
  8. 1 2 3 Cowan, Greg (November 8, 2023). "An old-school heavyweight hockey fight leads to suspension for Attack brawler". The Sun Times. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
  9. ↑ Stockl, Joely (February 17, 2024). "Sawyer Boulton Suspended Indefinitely After Actions Against Soo Greyhounds Defenceman Matthew Virgilio". The Hockey News. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
  10. 1 2 Anderson, Gordon (March 16, 2024). "Observations: Two steps behind, turning point and Sawyer strikes again". The Sault Star. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
  11. 1 2 Stockl, Joely (May 3, 2024). "Sawyer Boulton Has Been Suspended (Again) For Two Games Due to Slew Footing in Game 4 Versus the Saginaw Spirit". The Hockey News. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
  12. ↑ Stockl, Joely (May 29, 2024). "Sawyer Boulton Suspended for One Game in the Memorial Cup Due to Pre-Game Warmup Violation". The Hockey News. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
  13. ↑ Nolan, Siobhan (July 6, 2024). "Sawyer Boulton Ready To Establish Himself At Flyers Development Camp After Signing With Phantoms". The Hockey News. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
  14. 1 2 Spiegel, Jackie (September 16, 2024). "Flyers who made an impression in the two-game rookie series". Philadelphia Inquirer. p. C5. Retrieved November 3, 2025– via newspapers.com.
  15. 1 2 3 "Sawyer Boulton". Elite Prospects. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
  16. 1 2 Spiegel, Jackie (July 7, 2024). "Ciernik hopes 'my work pays off' after injuries". Philadelphia Inquirer. p. C5. Retrieved November 3, 2025– via newspapers.com.
  17. ↑ "Eric Sawyer". Elite Prospects. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
  18. ↑ "Ryder Boulton". Elite Prospects. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
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