British Columbia Hockey League graduate Tyler Bozak began his NHL career on a high note on Tuesday, picking up a point in his first career game after signing with the Toronto Maple Leafs in April.
Bozak assisted on a power-play goal by Francois Beauchemin at the 3:33 mark of the second period during a 6-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche at the Air Canada Centre. The 23-year old played a total of 17:07 in the contest, including significant time both on the man advantage and the penalty kill.
Bozak began the season with the Toronto Marlies, the Leafs' AHL affiliate, and posted an assist in three games before getting the call to join the big club.
It was just three seasons ago that the Regina, Saskatchewan native led the BCHL in scoring after a 128-point season with the Victoria Grizzlies. Bozak scored 45 goals and added 83 assists that season, edging out third overall NHL draft pick Kyle Turris for the scoring title. He completed his BCHL career with 91 goals and 228 points in 170 games.
He then put in two highly successful seasons at the University of Denver, where he totalled 26 goals and 31 assists in 60 games. Bozak was a highly sought after free agent following his sophomore season despite missing more than 20 games with a knee injury. Ultimately, he chose to sign with the Maple Leafs on April 2nd.
