Tyler Bozak | |||
---|---|---|---|
Born | Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada | March 19, 1986||
Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) | ||
Weight | 195 lb (88 kg; 13 st 13 lb) | ||
Position | Centre | ||
Shoots | Right | ||
NHL team Former teams | Free Agent Toronto Maple Leafs St. Louis Blues | ||
NHL draft | Undrafted | ||
Playing career | 2009–present |
Tyler Bozak (born March 19, 1986) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre. He most recently played for the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League (NHL). Bozak has also previously played for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Prior to being signed by the Maple Leafs as a free agent, Bozak had played two seasons at the University of Denver in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). In 2018, after nine seasons with the Maple Leafs, Bozak signed with the Blues in free agency. In his first season with the Blues, Bozak won the Stanley Cup, defeating the Boston Bruins in 2019.
Bozak started playing in the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) for the Victoria Salsa in the 2004–05 season, after unsuccessful training camps at the top tier junior league, the Western Hockey League (WHL) level. [1] He spent three seasons in the BCHL with the Victoria franchise. In his final season, Bozak recorded 128 points (45 goals and 83 assists), and was awarded the Brett Hull Trophy as the BCHL's top scorer. [2]
On December 11, 2006, the University of Denver Pioneers announced that Bozak had signed a letter of intent to play hockey for the school. [3] He joined the Pioneers for the 2007–08 season. During his freshman year with the team, Bozak played in all 41 games and led the team in scoring with 34 points (18 goals and 16 assists). [1] He was second in the country with five shorthanded goals. [4] During the season, Bozak was named the Red Baron Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) Rookie of the Week four times and was named the Hockey Commissioner's Association (HCA) Rookie of the Month for December. [4] At the end of the season, Bozak was named to the All-WCHA third team and to the All-WCHA Rookie Team. [4]
Heading into his sophomore season with the Pioneers, Bozak was named to the College Hockey News Preseason All-America Team. [4] On December 12, he tore the meniscus in his left knee in a game against the Minnesota State Mavericks, causing him to miss more than half of the Pioneers' season. [4] After the season, Bozak was named to the All-WCHA Academic Team. [4]
After his sophomore season, Bozak was a heavily pursued free agent despite never being drafted by an NHL team. On April 3, 2009, he signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs. [5] Exact financial details of the contract were not released, but it has been rumoured to be worth close to $4 million per season if all performance bonuses were to be reached. [6] After signing, Bozak did not play for the Leafs during the remainder of the 2008–09 season, instead taking the time to further rehabilitate his injured knee. [7]
Bozak attended the Maple Leafs' training camp prior to the 2009–10 season. He had a strong training camp, though due to salary cap constraints, he was sent down to the Leafs' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Toronto Marlies. Then-Maple Leafs head coach Ron Wilson admitted that Bozak indeed had a strong camp, stating, "He'll probably have to go down because of numbers. Based on the way he played in training camp, he's certainly worthy of playing in the NHL, but we may not have room at the beginning." [8] Bozak was eventually recalled on October 13, 2009, [9] and made his NHL debut the same night against the Colorado Avalanche. During the game, he recorded his first NHL point, an assist on a goal scored by defenceman François Beauchemin. [10] After playing one game for Toronto, Bozak was returned to the Marlies on October 15. [9] Later in the season, on January 12, 2010, he was again called by the Maple Leafs, [9] where two days later, on January 14, he scored his first career NHL goal in a 4–0 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers. [11] Bozak had his first career two-goal game on January 1, 2011, against the Ottawa Senators as part of a 5–1 win. In the following off-season, on July 5, he then agreed to terms on a two-year contract extension with the Maple Leafs. On July 5, 2013, he signed a five-year, $21 million contract extension with Toronto.
On March 28, 2015, towards the conclusion of the 2014–15 season, Bozak scored his first career NHL hat-trick, as well as recording one assist to cap off a four-point performance, contributing to all four Toronto goals. [12] Bozak would finish the season with a career-high 23 goals while tying his career-high of 49 total points. During the season, future superstar Connor McDavid, who was drafted in June 2015, stated that Bozak was his most comparable player due to the centre's good skating and "pass first" mentality. [13]
The 2015 off-season saw the Maple Leafs trade away star winger Phil Kessel to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Bozak had spent much of his NHL career playing on a line with Kessel, and many fans and media outlets predicted that Bozak's offensive production would decline significantly in his absence, with some even saying Bozak's point totals would resemble bottom line players (Bozak had spent most of his career on Toronto's top line). [14] [15] To the surprise of many, Bozak experienced career years following Kessel's departure, scoring at a pace much higher than predicted, and remaining on Toronto's top two lines. [16] [17] [18] In an ironic turn of events, both Bozak and James van Riemsdyk (who also shared top line duties since joining the team) had more points and better analytics than Kessel at the Christmas break. After the holiday hiatus concluded, Bozak was named one of the NHL's three stars of the week for the period of December 21–28. [19] Bozak had five points in this three-game span, also scoring his second career hat-trick en route in a 7–4 win over the Avalanche on December 21. The following season, 2016–17, Bozak scored a career-high 55 points on a line with van Riemsdyk and rookie Mitch Marner, helping the team make the playoffs for the second time in his career.
After nine seasons with the Maple Leafs, Bozak left the club as a free agent, signing a three-year, $15 million contract with the St. Louis Blues on July 1, 2018. [20] Bozak won a Stanley Cup with the Blues on June 12, 2019. [21]
On September 14, 2021, Bozak re-signed with the Blues on a one-year, $750,000 contract.
Bozak's parents are Mitch and Karon, [22] and he has one brother, Justin. [23] He graduated from Sheldon-Williams Collegiate in Regina, Saskatchewan. [4] While in high school, he volunteered for the Raise a Reader program and was on the honour roll all three years. [4] While at the University of Denver, Bozak majored in Business. [4] [24]
Bozak is a Ukrainian-Canadian. [nb 1]
Bozak is married to Molly Robinson. The couple were married on July 22, 2017, and have three children together. [26]
Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
2004–05 | Regina Pat Canadians | SHA | 42 | 17 | 19 | 36 | 40 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2004–05 | Victoria Salsa | BCHL | 55 | 15 | 16 | 31 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2005–06 | Victoria Salsa | BCHL | 56 | 31 | 38 | 69 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2006–07 | Victoria Grizzlies | BCHL | 59 | 45 | 83 | 128 | 45 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2007–08 | University of Denver | WCHA | 41 | 18 | 16 | 34 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2008–09 | University of Denver | WCHA | 19 | 8 | 15 | 23 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2009–10 | Toronto Marlies | AHL | 32 | 4 | 16 | 20 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2009–10 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 37 | 8 | 19 | 27 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2010–11 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 82 | 15 | 17 | 32 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2011–12 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 73 | 18 | 29 | 47 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2012–13 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 46 | 12 | 16 | 28 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ||
2013–14 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 58 | 19 | 30 | 49 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2014–15 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 82 | 23 | 26 | 49 | 44 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2015–16 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 57 | 12 | 23 | 35 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2016–17 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 78 | 18 | 37 | 55 | 30 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | ||
2017–18 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 81 | 11 | 32 | 43 | 28 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | ||
2018–19 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 72 | 13 | 25 | 38 | 20 | 26 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 8 | ||
2019–20 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 67 | 13 | 16 | 29 | 10 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||
2020–21 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 31 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||
2021–22 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 50 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 14 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
NHL totals | 814 | 170 | 291 | 461 | 236 | 68 | 13 | 16 | 29 | 24 |
Award | Date |
---|---|
Brett Hull Trophy as BCHL Top Scorer | 2006–07 season [2] |
Award | Date |
---|---|
Red Baron WCHA Rookie of the Week | November 6, 2007 [4] December 18, 2007 [4] January 2, 2008 [4] February 12, 2008 [4] |
HCA Rookie of the Month | December 2007 [4] |
All-WCHA Third Team | 2007–08 [4] |
All-WCHA Rookie Team | 2007–08 [4] |
All-WCHA Academic Team | 2008–09 [4] |
Award | Date |
---|---|
Stanley Cup champion | 2019 |
Jason Wayne Blake is an American former professional ice hockey forward who played in the National Hockey League (NHL).
Leonid Aleksandrovich Komarov is a professional ice hockey centre for HIFK of the SM-liiga. Born to an ethnic Russian–Finnish family in Estonia, and raised in Finland, Komarov plays for Finland internationally. A natural centre early in his career, Komarov has made the transition to being able to play all three forward positions.
Philip Joseph Kessel Jr. is an American professional ice hockey winger who is an unrestricted free agent. He has previously played for the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Pittsburgh Penguins, Arizona Coyotes, and the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL). Kessel is a three-time Stanley Cup champion, winning back-to-back championships with the Penguins in 2016 and 2017 and with the Golden Knights in 2023.
James van Riemsdyk, often known by his initials JVR, is an American professional ice hockey left winger who is currently a free agent. Between 2012 and 2018, he played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Toronto Maple Leafs, before joining the Philadelphia Flyers until 2023.
Nikolay Vladimirovich Kulemin is a Russian professional ice hockey player who is currently playing for the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL) on a professional try-out agreement (PTO). Kulemin previously played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Islanders, the former of which drafted him in the second round, 44th overall, in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.
Carl Gunnarsson is a Swedish former professional ice hockey defenceman. He played for Linköpings HC of the Elitserien (SEL) and the Toronto Maple Leafs and St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League (NHL).
Jake William Gardiner is an American professional ice hockey defenseman who is currently an unrestricted free agent. He has previously played for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted 17th overall by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.
Trevor Smith is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre. He most recently played with the San Antonio Rampage in the American Hockey League (AHL).
Nazem Kadri is a Canadian professional ice hockey player for the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League (NHL). Kadri won the Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche in 2022, becoming the first Muslim player to hoist the Cup.
Ryan O'Reilly is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and alternate captain for the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has previously played for the Colorado Avalanche, Buffalo Sabres, St. Louis Blues and the Toronto Maple Leafs in the NHL. O'Reilly was drafted 33rd overall in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft by the Colorado Avalanche, with whom he spent the first six seasons of his NHL career. Nicknamed "the Factor", he is frequently referred to as one of the NHL's best two-way forwards, winning the Frank J. Selke Trophy in 2019.
Kyle Frank Clifford is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward for the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League (AHL). He was selected by the Los Angeles Kings in the second round of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. Clifford is a two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Kings.
Matthew Frattin is a Canadian professional ice hockey right winger for HC Bolzano of the ICE Hockey League (ICEHL). He began his NHL career with the Toronto Maple Leafs, the organization that drafted him 99th overall in 2007. Frattin also played in the NHL for the Los Angeles Kings and Columbus Blue Jackets before rejoining Toronto in 2014 via a trade. Frattin spent a further season and a half in the Maple Leafs organization before being included in a nine-player trade with the Ottawa Senators.
The 2011–12 Toronto Maple Leafs season was the 95th season for the National Hockey League (NHL) franchise that was established on November 22, 1917. The team failed to make the Stanley Cup playoffs for the seventh-straight season.
Tyler Austin Biggs is an American former professional ice hockey player. Biggs was selected in the first round, 22nd overall, in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The 2014 NHL Winter Classic was an outdoor ice hockey game played in the National Hockey League (NHL) on January 1, 2014, at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The sixth edition of the Winter Classic, it matched the Toronto Maple Leafs against the Detroit Red Wings; the Maple Leafs defeated the Red Wings, 3–2, in a shootout to move past the Red Wings in the Atlantic Division. The game was televised nationally in Canada on CBC and nationally in the United States on NBC. The game set an NHL attendance record of 105,491, surpassing the previous record set during the 2008 NHL Winter Classic.
The 2013–14 Toronto Maple Leafs season was the 97th season for the National Hockey League (NHL) franchise that was established on November 22, 1917. Due to a realignment that was approved on March 14, 2013, by the NHL's Board of Governors, the Maple Leafs played this season in the eight-team Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. For the first time since the 1997–98 season, they played every team in the league at least once both home and away. In fact, they played the Montreal Canadiens and the Buffalo Sabres five times each, every other team in their own division four times each, teams in the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference three times each, and every team from the Western Conference twice.
Mitchell Marner is a Canadian professional ice hockey right winger and alternate captain for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected fourth overall by the Maple Leafs in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.
The 2015–16 Toronto Maple Leafs season was the 99th season for the National Hockey League franchise that was established on November 22, 1917. The season officially began its regular games on October 7, 2015, with a 3–1 loss against the Montreal Canadiens.
The 2016–17 Toronto Maple Leafs season was the 100th season for the National Hockey League franchise that was established on November 22, 1917. The Maple Leafs finished the season with 95 points and qualified for the playoffs for the first time since the 2012–13 season. The Leafs lost two games to four in the first round against the Washington Capitals.
The 2018–19 Toronto Maple Leafs season was the 102nd season for the National Hockey League franchise that was established on November 22, 1917. The Maple Leafs forward group changed significantly before the season, losing team veterans Tyler Bozak, James van Riemsdyk and Leo Komarov while adding all-star centre John Tavares in free agency, which many publications called one of the biggest signings in NHL history. On April 1, 2019, the Maple Leafs clinched a playoff spot after a 2–1 win over the New York Islanders.