A pair of former BCHL players are facing off in the Stanley Cup Finals starting tonight in Boston. St. Louis Blues forward and Victoria Grizzlies alum Tyler Bozak will go up against former Surrey Eagles forward and current Boston Bruin Danton Heinen with both players searching for their first-ever Stanley Cup.
Bozak is now an NHL veteran in his 10th season in the league. In his fourth career postseason run, he has five goals and five assists in 19 playoff games, playing in an effective third-line role with Patrick Maroon and rookie winger Robert Thomas.
The 33-year-old from Regina, Sask. signed with the Blues as an unrestricted free agent last July after spending his first nine NHL seasons playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs. He’s played 666 regular-season games in his career and amassed 403 points.
Bozak played three years in the BCHL from 2004-2007, all in Victoria. His breakout season came in the 2006-07 season when he tied for second in league scoring with 111 points (41 goals, 77 assists) in 53 games. Over his three year career with the Grizzlies, he totaled 211 points in 164 regular-season games.
After his stint in the BCHL, Bozak went on to play two years at the University of Denver and, after putting up 57 points in 60 NCAA games, he signed a free-agent contract with Toronto.
On the other side, Heinen is in his third professional season in the Bruins organization and his second playoff run in the NHL. So far this postseason, the 23-year-old has two goals and five assists in 17 games. He’s also second on the Bruins with a plus-10 rating.
In his lone BCHL season with the Eagles in 2013-14, Heinen, who was named the team’s captain, tied for 10th in league scoring with 62 points (29 goals, 33 assists). He was then selected by the Bruins in the fourth round of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. Like Bozak, the Langley, B.C. native went on to play two seasons at the University of Denver where he put up 93 points in 81 games and was named the NCHC Forward of the Year in his final season.
In 2016-17, Heinen played the majority of his first professional season in the AHL for the Providence Bruins, but has been an NHL regular ever since. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound forward has played 162 regular-season games in the NHL and 81 points.
Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final goes tonight at 5 p.m. PT in Boston. See below for the full schedule.
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Game 1 – Monday, May 27: St. Louis @ Boston, 5 p.m. PT
Game 2 – Wednesday, May 29: St. Louis @ Boston, 5 p.m. PT
Game 3 – Saturday, June 1: Boston @ St. Louis, 5 p.m. PT
Game 4 – Monday, June 3: Boston @ St. Louis, 5 p.m. PT
Game 5 – Thursday, June 6: St. Louis @ Boston, 5 p.m. PT*
Game 6 – Sunday, June 9: Boston @ St. Louis, 5 p.m. PT*
Game 7 – Wednesday, June 12: St. Louis @ Boston, 5 p.m. PT*
*If necessary
