Brock Boeser

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.

Brock Boeser
Boeser in 2023
Born (1997-02-25) February 25, 1997 (age 27)
Burnsville, Minnesota, U.S.
Height6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight208 lb (94 kg; 14 st 12 lb)
PositionRight wing
ShootsRight
NHL teamVancouver Canucks
NHL draft23rd overall, 2015
Vancouver Canucks
Playing career2017–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

Amateur

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

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

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

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

Regular season and playoffs

Regular seasonPlayoffs
SeasonTeamLeagueGPGAPtsPIMGPGAPtsPIM
2012–13Burnsville High SchoolMSHSL16121729430552
2013–14Burnsville High SchoolMSHSL242125462522240
2013–14Sioux City MusketeersUSHL8314281010
2014–15Waterloo Black HawksUSHL5735336830
2015–16University of North DakotaNCHC4227336026
2016–17University of North DakotaNCHC3216183424
2016–17Vancouver CanucksNHL94150
2017–18Vancouver CanucksNHL6229265516
2018–19Vancouver CanucksNHL6926305622
2019–20Vancouver CanucksNHL571629451417471110
2020–21Vancouver CanucksNHL5623264916
2021–22Vancouver CanucksNHL7123234620
2022–23Vancouver CanucksNHL7418375524
2023–24Vancouver CanucksNHL81403373141275128
NHL totals4791792053841262911122318

International

YearTeamEventResultGPGAPtsPIM
2014United StatesIH18 562810
2014United StatesWJAC 44156
2016United StatesWJC 71232
Junior totals12741112

Awards and honors

AwardYearRef
USHL
All-Rookie Team2015[37]
First All-Star Team2015[38]
College
NCHC Rookie of the Year2016
NCHC First All-Star Team2016
NCHC All Rookie Team2016
NCHC Three Stars Award2016[39]
NHL
Rookie of the Month, November and December2018[10][14]
NHL All-Rookie Team2018
NHL All-Star Game2018, 2024[40]
NHL All-Star Game SuperSkills Accuracy Winner2018[41]
NHL All-Star Game Tournament MVP2018[16]
Vancouver Canucks
Cyclone Taylor Trophy2018
Cyrus H. McLean Trophy2018, 2021
Pavel Bure Most Exciting Player Award2018

References

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
Ben Blacker