Brock Michael Boeser[1] (/ˈbɛsər/ BESS-ər;[2][3] born February 25, 1997) is an American professional ice hockey player for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Brock Boeser
Boeser in 2023
Born (1997-02-25) February 25, 1997 (age 27)
Burnsville, Minnesota, U.S.
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 208 lb (94 kg; 14 st 12 lb)
Position Right wing
Shoots Right
NHL team Vancouver Canucks
NHL Draft 23rd overall, 2015
Vancouver Canucks
Playing career 2017–present

A top prospect with the Waterloo Black Hawks of the United States Hockey League (USHL), Boeser was selected 23rd overall in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft by the Canucks and spent the following two seasons with the University of North Dakota. He made his NHL debut in 2017 with Vancouver. Internationally, Boeser has played for the United States national junior team at the 2016 World Junior Championships, where he helped the team win a bronze medal.

Playing career edit

Amateur edit

While playing ice hockey at Burnsville High School, Boeser was drafted first overall by the Sioux City Musketeers in the United States Hockey League (USHL).[4] However, he was later traded to the Waterloo Black Hawks in exchange for Cooper Watson.[5] In his first season with the Black Hawks, the 2014–15 season, Boeser led the league with 35 goals and was named to both the 2014–15 USHL All-Rookie Team and First All-Star Team. In 2015 Boeser was picked to represent Team USA in the IIHF under-20 championships, as the team took bronze overall. During the 2015–16 season Brock started playing college hockey for the University of North Dakota. As a freshman, he led his team to win the NCAA Division I National Championship.[6] Boeser also finished the season as 3rd best in the nation for scoring with 60 points and was named a First Team All-American.[7] Brock declined leaving early for the NHL just yet however and opted to return to North Dakota for another season. He finished his sophomore year with 34 points and missed part of the 2016–17 season while sidelined with a wrist injury. Boeser then decided to make the jump for the NHL after North Dakota was eliminated in the NCAA tournament.

Professional edit

 
Boeser during his time at North Dakota in 2016

Boeser was selected 23rd overall by the Vancouver Canucks in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. He signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Canucks on March 25, 2017.[8] Later that same day, he made his NHL debut in his home state of Minnesota and scored his first NHL goal in the 4–2 win.[9]

On November 4, 2017, Boeser scored a hat trick, the first Canucks player age 20 or younger to do so since Trevor Linden on December 20, 1990, as well as the third youngest behind Linden and Tony Tanti.[10][11][12] All three goals came against Matt Murray of the Pittsburgh Penguins, allowing the Canucks to win 4–2.[13]

Boeser was named the league's Rookie of the Month for November after leading all skaters with 11 goals in 15 games.[10] He was again named Rookie of the Month for the month of December after scoring eight goals and 13 points in 13 games.[14] On January 10, 2018, Boeser was named to his first career NHL All-Star Game as a member of the Pacific Division roster.[15] With two goals and an assist in two games, Boeser was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2018 NHL All-Star Game becoming the first rookie to do so since Mario Lemieux in 1985.[16] Boeser also won the 2018 accuracy shooting contest, hitting all five targets in a time of 11.136 seconds.[17] Boeser was injured in a game against the New York Islanders on March 5, when he collided with Cal Clutterbuck and the Canucks bench.[18] It was later reported he suffered a back injury and would miss 4–6 weeks to recover.[18] At the time of his injury, he led the team in goals, points, shots on goal, and power-play points.[19] Despite missing the final 16 games of the season, Boeser was named a finalist for the Calder Memorial Trophy, which is awarded to the league's best rookie of the year.[20] The award was ultimately won by New York Islanders centre Mathew Barzal.[21]

Boeser recovered from his injury enough to join the Canucks for the 2018–19 season. He played 13 games and collected 11 points, despite injuring his groin in a game against the Winnipeg Jets on October 18, 2018. After missing two games in November due to his groin injury, Boeser was sent back to Vancouver to be examined by a specialist while the team was on a road trip.[22] After being assigned to the injured reserve for 11 games, Boeser was assigned back to the roster on November 27.[23]

On September 16, 2019, following the expiry of his entry-level contract after the previous season, Boeser signed a three-year, $17.625 million contract to remain with Vancouver.[24] However, his season was cut short in February 2020 due to a rib injury that was expected to take him eight weeks to recover.[25] Boeser would return from his injury for the final game of the Canucks regular season on March 10, against the New York Islanders.[26] In the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs, Boeser would record four goals and 11 points in 17 games, with his first playoff goal going against his hometown Minnesota Wild, as the Canucks made it within a win of the Western Conference Final.[citation needed]

On July 1, 2022, Boeser signed a new three-year, $19.95 million contract with Vancouver.[27]

On October 11, 2023, Boeser scored four goals and recorded his first NHL career natural hat-trick in the season-opening game against the Edmonton Oilers.[28] On December 12 versus the Tampa Bay Lightning, he recorded a second natural hat-trick and he became the first Canucks player since Petri Skriko in 1986–87 to record at least two natural hat-tricks during a season.[29] On January 13, 2024, Boeser was named an NHL All-Star for the second time in his career.[30]

International play edit

Medal record
Representing   United States
Men's ice hockey
World Junior Championship
  2016 Finland

Boeser has played with the United States national junior team, first at the 2014 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament and later with the U.S. Junior Select Team at the 2014 World Junior A Challenge.[31]

His first International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF)-sanctioned tournament was the 2016 World Junior Championships, where he had three points in seven games as the United States won the bronze medal. He missed the 2017 World Junior Championships due to a wrist injury.[32]

Personal life edit

Boeser, who grew up in Burnsville, Minnesota, is the youngest of three children to Duke and Laurie Boeser; he has a half brother and a sister, who has a developmental disability.[33] Duke was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2010; he would also have a severe brain injury from a car accident a few years later, forcing him to stop working. To help support the family Laurie worked up to three jobs, including serving in a restaurant, office administration, and preparing tax returns.[34] In early August 2014, while Boeser was in Slovakia for the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, a tragic car accident south of Minneapolis–St. Paul killed one of his closest friends and severely injured another, both fellow students and athletes at Burnsville High School. This followed the death of his grandfather prior to his first game in the USHL.[35] His father, Duke died on May 26, 2022.[36]

Career statistics edit

Regular season and playoffs edit

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2012–13 Burnsville High School MSHSL 16 12 17 29 4 3 0 5 5 2
2013–14 Burnsville High School MSHSL 24 21 25 46 25 2 2 2 4 0
2013–14 Sioux City Musketeers USHL 8 3 1 4 2 8 1 0 1 0
2014–15 Waterloo Black Hawks USHL 57 35 33 68 30
2015–16 University of North Dakota NCHC 42 27 33 60 26
2016–17 University of North Dakota NCHC 32 16 18 34 24
2016–17 Vancouver Canucks NHL 9 4 1 5 0
2017–18 Vancouver Canucks NHL 62 29 26 55 16
2018–19 Vancouver Canucks NHL 69 26 30 56 22
2019–20 Vancouver Canucks NHL 57 16 29 45 14 17 4 7 11 10
2020–21 Vancouver Canucks NHL 56 23 26 49 16
2021–22 Vancouver Canucks NHL 71 23 23 46 20
2022–23 Vancouver Canucks NHL 74 18 37 55 24
NHL totals 398 139 172 311 112 17 4 7 11 10

International edit

Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2014 United States IH18   5 6 2 8 10
2014 United States WJAC   4 4 1 5 6
2016 United States WJC   7 1 2 3 2
Junior totals 12 7 4 11 12

Awards and honors edit

Award Year Ref
USHL
All-Rookie Team 2015 [37]
First All-Star Team 2015 [38]
College
NCHC Rookie of the Year 2016
NCHC First All-Star Team 2016
NCHC All Rookie Team 2016
NCHC Three Stars Award 2016 [39]
NHL
Rookie of the Month, November and December 2018 [10][14]
NHL All-Rookie Team 2018
NHL All-Star Game 2018, 2024 [40]
NHL All-Star Game SuperSkills Accuracy Winner 2018 [41]
NHL All-Star Game Tournament MVP 2018 [16]
Vancouver Canucks
Cyclone Taylor Trophy 2018
Cyrus H. McLean Trophy 2018, 2021
Pavel Bure Most Exciting Player Award 2018

References edit

  1. ^ Murphy, Dan (December 15, 2020). "Murphy's Mailbag: Could Canucks shed a bad contract in expansion draft?". Sportsnet.ca. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
  2. ^ 2015 National Hockey League Top Prospects Pronunciations.
  3. ^ "2021-22 NHL Pronunciation Guide" (PDF). media.nhl.com.
  4. ^ "Boeser is Musketeers' first pick in USHL Phase 1 Draft". Sioux Falls Journal. May 6, 2013. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  5. ^ Nelson, Jim (February 6, 2015). "USHL: Boeser shines in the face of adversity". The Courier. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  6. ^ Iversen, Patrick (April 9, 2016). "North Dakota wins 2016 NCAA hockey championship". SBNation.com. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
  7. ^ "2016 All-American Teams". American Hockey Coaches Association. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
  8. ^ "Canucks sign Brock Boeser". NHL.com. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  9. ^ "Wild fail to clinch playoff berth again". nhl.com. March 25, 2017. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  10. ^ a b c "Boeser named NHL's top rookie in November". NHL.com. NHL. December 1, 2017. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  11. ^ @SNstats (November 5, 2017). "Brock Boeser becomes the first #Canucks player Age 20 or younger to record a Hat Trick since Trevor Linden on Dec 20, 1990" (Tweet). Retrieved December 13, 2023 – via Twitter.
  12. ^ @PR_NHL (November 5, 2017). "Per @MoreEliasSports: @BBoeser16 is the third-youngest player in @Canucks history to score a hat trick. #NHLStats #PITvsVAN" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  13. ^ "Brock Boeser scores first hat trick of his NHL career". Daily Hive Vancouver. November 4, 2017.
  14. ^ a b "Boeser named NHL's Rookie of Month for December". NHL.com. New York: NHL. January 2, 2018. Retrieved January 5, 2018.
  15. ^ "NHL reveals All-Star Game rosters". NHL.com. New York: NHL. January 10, 2018. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
  16. ^ a b "Oh, Boeser! Canucks rookie plays All-Starring role at NHL showcase". The Province. January 29, 2018. Retrieved January 29, 2018.
  17. ^ "Canucks rookie Brock Boeser named NHL All-Star MVP". Sportsnet.ca. Retrieved January 29, 2018.
  18. ^ a b "Boeser could miss remainder of season for Canucks with back injury". NHL.com. March 6, 2018. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
  19. ^ Reese, Rob (March 6, 2018). "Fantasy buzz: Impact of McAvoy, Bishop, Boeser injuries". NHL.com. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
  20. ^ "Calder Trophy finalists unveiled". NHL.com. April 22, 2018. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
  21. ^ "Mathew Barzal wins Calder Memorial Trophy as NHL's top rookie". Sportsnet.ca. June 20, 2018. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  22. ^ Benjamin, Amalie (November 8, 2018). "Boeser sent home by Canucks with groin injury". NHL.com. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
  23. ^ Williams, Rob (November 27, 2018). "Boeser will play first game for Canucks in almost a month". Daily Hive. Retrieved November 27, 2018.
  24. ^ "Canucks re-sign Brock Boeser". nhl.com. September 16, 2019. Retrieved September 16, 2019.
  25. ^ Schram, Carol (February 18, 2020). "Canucks' Brock Boeser to be sidelined 8 weeks with rib injury". cbc.ca. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  26. ^ "Canucks' Brock Boeser returning to lineup vs. Islanders". www.sportsnet.ca. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
  27. ^ McIntyre, Iain (July 1, 2022). "Canucks, Boeser take gamble, demonstrate mutual belief with three-year deal". sportsnet.ca. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  28. ^ Schlossman, Brad Elliott (October 12, 2023). "Brock Boeser scores four goals in Vancouver's season opener". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  29. ^ Horsting, Lindsey (December 13, 2023). "Boeser's Hat Trick Lifts Canucks Past Tampa Bay Lightning". NHL.com. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  30. ^ Johnston, Patrick (January 13, 2024). "Call it the Canuck-Star game: five players and coach Rick Tocchet named as All-Stars". TheProvince.com. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  31. ^ "USHL Players to Represent United States at World Junior A Challenge". musketeershockey.com. November 12, 2014. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  32. ^ NHL (December 14, 2016). "Canucks prospect Brock Boeser out of WJC". NHL.com. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  33. ^ Russo, Michael (June 24, 2015). "Life has tested Burnsville's Brock Boeser, a likely NHL first-round pick". Star Tribune. Minneapolis, Minnesota. Retrieved December 2, 2017.
  34. ^ MacIntyre, Iain (March 30, 2017). "Sacrifice, love and uncommon maturity: Brock Boeser's NHL arrival a 'bigger-than-hockey moment'". The Province. Vancouver. Retrieved December 2, 2017.
  35. ^ Mooney, Harrison (November 24, 2017). "Five things to know about Brock Boeser, Canucks superstar rookie". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
  36. ^ @Canucks (May 27, 2022). "Sending our love to the Boeser family 💙" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  37. ^ "Waterloo's Boeser named to USHL All-Rookie Team". National Hockey League. May 22, 2015. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  38. ^ "Black Hawks rookies earn League Honors". wcfcourier.com. April 1, 2015. Retrieved June 21, 2014.
  39. ^ Hajdu, Jason (March 17, 2016). "Berry, Boeser honored at NCHC Awards Celebration". undsports.com. UNDSports. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  40. ^ "NHL announces 2018 All-Star rosters". Sportsnet.ca. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  41. ^ Mooney, Harrison (January 27, 2018). "Canucks All-Star Brock Boeser wins NHL shooting accuracy competition". The Province. Retrieved January 28, 2018.

External links edit

Awards and achievements
Preceded by Vancouver Canucks first round draft pick
2015
Succeeded by
Preceded by NCHC Rookie of the Year
2015–16
Succeeded by
Preceded by
Award created
NCHC Three Stars Award
2015–16
Succeeded by