Tyler Bozak

Last updated

Tyler Bozak
Tyler Bozak 2017-12-09 1.jpg
Bozak with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2017
Born (1986-03-19) March 19, 1986 (age 37)
Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
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.

Contents

Playing career

Amateur

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]

Professional

Toronto Maple Leafs

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 beats Martin Brodeur to score against the New Jersey Devils in a game during the 2010-11 season. Marty gets beat New Jersey Devils vs. Toronto Maple Leafs - April 6th, 11.jpg
Bozak beats Martin Brodeur to score against the New Jersey Devils in a game during the 2010–11 season.

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.

St. Louis Blues

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.

Personal life

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]

Career statistics

Regular season Playoffs
Season TeamLeagueGP G A Pts PIM GPGAPtsPIM
2004–05Regina Pat Canadians SHA 4217193640—————
2004–05 Victoria Salsa BCHL 5515163124—————
2005–06Victoria SalsaBCHL5631386926—————
2006–07 Victoria Grizzlies BCHL59458312845—————
2007–08 University of Denver WCHA 4118163422—————
2008–09 University of DenverWCHA198152310—————
2009–10 Toronto Marlies AHL 32416206—————
2009–10 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 37819276—————
2010–11 Toronto Maple LeafsNHL8215173214—————
2011–12 Toronto Maple LeafsNHL7318294722—————
2012–13 Toronto Maple LeafsNHL46121628651124
2013–14 Toronto Maple LeafsNHL5819304914—————
2014–15 Toronto Maple LeafsNHL8223264944—————
2015–16 Toronto Maple LeafsNHL5712233518—————
2016–17 Toronto Maple LeafsNHL781837553062244
2017–18 Toronto Maple LeafsNHL811132432872246
2018–19 St. Louis Blues NHL72132538202658138
2019–20 St. Louis BluesNHL671316291080222
2020–21 St. Louis BluesNHL31512171041120
2021–22 St. Louis BluesNHL50391214122020
NHL totals8141702914612366813162924

Awards

Junior

AwardDate
Brett Hull Trophy as BCHL Top Scorer2006–07 season [2]

NCAA

AwardDate
Red Baron WCHA Rookie of the WeekNovember 6, 2007 [4]
December 18, 2007 [4]
January 2, 2008 [4]
February 12, 2008 [4]
HCA Rookie of the MonthDecember 2007 [4]
All-WCHA Third Team 2007–08 [4]
All-WCHA Rookie Team 2007–08 [4]
All-WCHA Academic Team2008–09 [4]

NHL

AwardDate
Stanley Cup champion 2019

Notes

  1. ↑ In an interview with The Score, Bozak said his favourite food was perogies, and when asked, stated that he is Ukrainian (and jokingly agreed to have his birthplace set to Ukraine in his biography). [25]

Related Research Articles

Jason Wayne Blake is an American former professional ice hockey forward who played in the National Hockey League (NHL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leo Komarov</span> Finnish ice hockey player (born 1987)

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phil Kessel</span> American ice hockey player (born 1987)

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James van Riemsdyk</span> American ice hockey player (born 1989)

James van Riemsdyk, often known by his initials JVR, is an American professional ice hockey left winger for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL). Between 2012 and 2018, he played in the NHL for the Toronto Maple Leafs, and played with the Philadelphia Flyers until 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nikolay Kulemin</span> Russian ice hockey player (born 1986)

Nikolay Vladimirovich Kulemin is a Russian professional ice hockey player who is currently playing for Salavat Yulaev Ufa of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carl Gunnarsson</span> Swedish ice hockey player

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).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tyler Ennis (ice hockey)</span> Canadian ice hockey player (born 1989)

Tyler Foster Ennis is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Colborne</span> Canadian ice hockey player (born 1990)

Joseph William Colborne is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward. Colborne was a first round selection, 16th overall, of the Boston Bruins at the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, but never played for the team. He was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2011 and spent parts of three seasons in the Toronto organization before joining the Calgary Flames in a 2013 trade. After three seasons with the Flames, Colborne signed as a free agent with the Colorado Avalanche in the 2016 off-season. He played in the Avalanche organization for parts of two seasons before a concussion abruptly ended his career partway through the 2017–18 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jake Gardiner</span> American ice hockey player (born 1990)

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trevor Smith (ice hockey)</span> Ice hockey player

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).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nazem Kadri</span> Canadian ice hockey player (born 1990)

Nazem Kadri is a Canadian professional ice hockey player for the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs seventh overall in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. He played his junior career in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), first with the Kitchener Rangers and then the London Knights. He won the J. Ross Robertson Cup with Kitchener and was part of the Rangers team that lost to the Spokane Chiefs in the final of the 2008 Memorial Cup. Kadri has also represented Canada internationally at the 2010 World Junior Championships, where the team received the silver medal after losing the final to the United States 6–5.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryan O'Reilly</span> Canadian ice hockey player (born 1991)

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kyle Clifford</span> Canadian ice hockey player (born 1991)

Kyle Frank Clifford is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward currently playing for the Toronto Marlies in the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL). 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Frattin</span> Canadian ice hockey player (born 1988)

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tyler Biggs</span> American ice hockey player (born 1993)

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morgan Rielly</span> Canadian ice hockey player (born 1994)

Morgan Frederick Rielly is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman and alternate captain for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted by the Maple Leafs in the first round, fifth overall, of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. Before being drafted, Rielly played with the Moose Jaw Warriors of the Western Hockey League. He has represented Canada internationally on several occasions, most notably at the 2016 World Championship, where he won a gold medal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 NHL Winter Classic</span> Outdoor National Hockey League game in Ann Arbor, Michigan

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mitch Marner</span> Canadian ice hockey player (born 1997)

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Justin Holl</span> American ice hockey player (born 1992)

Justin Holl is an American professional ice hockey defenseman for the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was originally drafted in the second round, 54th overall, by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.

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.

References

  1. 1 2 "Tyler Bozak". HockeyDB.com. Retrieved January 24, 2010.
  2. 1 2 "Brett Hull Trophy". British Columbia Hockey League. Archived from the original on July 18, 2011. Retrieved January 24, 2010.
  3. ↑ "DU Hockey Signs Two Student Athletes". Western Collegiate Hockey Association. December 11, 2006. Retrieved January 24, 2010.[ dead link ]
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 "Tyler Bozak". University of Denver. Archived from the original on July 26, 2011. Retrieved January 24, 2010.
  5. ↑ "Bozak decides to sign on with Leafs". Rogers SportsNet. April 3, 2009. Archived from the original on August 6, 2009. Retrieved January 24, 2010.
  6. ↑ "Victoria's $4-Million Man Heads To Leafs". Victoria Grizzlies. April 4, 2009. Archived from the original on July 17, 2011. Retrieved January 24, 2010.
  7. ↑ "Tyler Bozak joins Maple Leafs, looks forward to next season". The Canadian Press. April 4, 2009. Retrieved January 24, 2010.
  8. ↑ McGran, Kevin (September 30, 2009). "Leafs' salary cap crunch clips Bozak". Toronto Star. Retrieved January 24, 2010.
  9. 1 2 3 "Tyler Bozak". The Sports Network . Retrieved January 24, 2010.
  10. ↑ "Regina-born Bozak picks up an assist in NHL debut". The Leader Post. October 14, 2009. Retrieved January 24, 2010.[ dead link ]
  11. ↑ "Tyler Bozak scores first NHL goal, Maple Leafs beat Philadelphia 4–0". National Hockey League. January 14, 2010. Retrieved January 24, 2010.
  12. ↑ Brophy, Mike (March 28, 2015). "Senators caught by Maple Leafs, lose in overtime". NHL. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  13. ↑ Cuthbert, Justin (March 28, 2015). "Connor McDavid compares game to Tyler Bozak's in self-evaluation". theScore . Retrieved October 12, 2018.
  14. ↑ Willis, Jonathan (September 9, 2015). "Five players who won't score as often in 2015-16". Sportsnet. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
  15. ↑ Burtch, Stephen (September 12, 2015). "Projecting how Bozak and van Riemsdyk will do without Kessel". Sportsnet. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
  16. ↑ Cullun, Scott (December 22, 2015). "Statistically Speaking: Toronto's surprising scorers". TSN. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
  17. ↑ Siegel, Jonas (November 24, 2015). "Bozak finding success without longtime running mates". TSN. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
  18. ↑ Matisz, John (December 23, 2015). "Numbers prove Bozak's doing just fine without Kessel". Toronto Sun. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
  19. ↑ NHL Staff (December 28, 2015). "Gaudreau, Niemi, Bozak named NHL's Three Stars". NHL . Retrieved January 4, 2010.
  20. ↑ "Blues sign Bozak to three-year deal". St. Louis Blues. July 1, 2018. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
  21. ↑ McGran, Kevin (October 7, 2019). "Lifting a Stanley Cup? Former Leaf Tyler Bozak could get used to that". Toronto Star. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  22. ↑ Chris Lomon (March 26, 2013). "A True Team Effort". NHLPA.
  23. ↑ Andrew Matte Bridges (September 5, 2012). "Boys of winter enjoy the summer". Saskatoon Star Phoenix.
  24. ↑ "Leafs' Bozak buzzing ahead of Carolina clash | Sports | Toronto Sun". m.torontosun.com. November 20, 2015. Retrieved January 2, 2016.
  25. ↑ "The Score interview". YouTube . Archived from the original on December 20, 2021. Retrieved September 24, 2009.
  26. ↑ "Tyler Bozak, baby son share adorable warmup moment". NHL.com. November 11, 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.