Zach Boychuk
Zachary Boychuk | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 4, 1989 Canada |
| Occupation | Professional ice hockey centre |
| Years active | 2005–present |
| Known for | Playing in NHL and European leagues, including Carolina Hurricanes, Pittsburgh Penguins, Nashville Predators, and HK Olimpija Ljubljana |
Zachary Boychuk (born October 4, 1989) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre currently playing for HK Olimpija Ljubljana in the ICE Hockey League (ICEHL). Selected 14th overall by the Carolina Hurricanes during the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, he has appeared in parts of seven NHL seasons with the Hurricanes, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Nashville Predators.
Boychuk's development took place in major junior hockey with the Lethbridge Hurricanes of the Western Hockey League (WHL). He spent three seasons competing in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) with HC Sibir Novosibirsk, Slovan Bratislava, and Severstal Cherepovets before transitioning to European leagues. There, he secured championship titles with SC Bern during the 2018–19 National League season and with Eisbären Berlin across the 2020–21, 2021–22, and 2023–24 DEL campaigns.
On the international stage, Boychuk represented Canada in three Spengler Cup tournaments, achieving victories in both 2017 and 2019.
Playing career
Boychuk commenced his major junior tenure in the 2005–06 season with the Lethbridge Hurricanes, improving his output from 51 points as a rookie to an impressive 91 points over 69 games the following year, which placed him third overall in WHL scoring. In his draft year, he tallied 33 goals and totaled 72 points, earning a spot on the WHL East Second All-Star Team while guiding Lethbridge to the 2008 WHL Finals.
Ranked eighth among North American skaters by Central Scouting, Boychuk was picked 14th overall by Carolina. Following wrist surgery after the draft, he inked a three-year entry-level contract on October 4, 2008. He debuted in the NHL on October 17, 2008, becoming the first Hurricanes player since Eric Staal in 2003 to appear during his draft year; however, he was reassigned to Lethbridge after two games.
He concluded his WHL career with notable playoff performances and received team MVP recognition. Internationally, he served as assistant captain for Canada at the 2009 World Junior Championship, where he helped secure a gold medal.
Boychuk transitioned to professional hockey in April 2009 with the Albany River Rats of the AHL. He netted his first NHL goal on February 13, 2010, against Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils and recorded his first multi-goal game on December 29, 2010.
During the abbreviated 2012–13 NHL season, Boychuk was claimed off waivers by the Pittsburgh Penguins on January 31, then by the Nashville Predators on March 5, before being re-acquired by Carolina on March 21. He was recalled from AHL duty on December 6, 2013.
On July 7, 2015, Boychuk agreed to a one-year two-way contract with Carolina valued at $600,000 at the NHL level and $200,000 at AHL level. Assigned to Charlotte Checkers (AHL) for the 2015–16 campaign, he tallied 25 points across 56 games before being loaned to Bakersfield Condors (AHL) in exchange for Andrew Miller on March 7, 2016.
As a free agent in September 2016, Boychuk attended Arizona Coyotes training camp on a professional tryout basis prior to signing overseas. He completed one KHL season with Sibir Novosibirsk followed by time with Slovak side Slovan Bratislava.
On June 1, 2018, Boychuk signed a one-year deal with Severstal Cherepovets (KHL). After producing just four points in 25 games there, he transferred mid-season to Swiss club SC Bern and played a role in their capture of the National League championship in 2019.
In December 2019, Boychuk joined HC Fribourg-Gottéron as an injury replacement for the remainder of that season.
On May 19, 2025, Boychuk committed to a one-year contract with HK Olimpija Ljubljana competing in the ICE Hockey League.
International competition
Before entering the 2007–08 NHL draft, Boychuk took part in the 2007 Super Series, an under-20 event consisting of eight games between Russia and Canada's junior squad, commemorating the 35th anniversary of the iconic 1972 Summit Series. Throughout seven appearances, Boychuk tallied four goals and two assists as Canada overwhelmingly prevailed with a 7–0–1 record.
Boychuk also represented Canada at the World Junior Ice Hockey Championships in both 2008 and 2009, playing a role in securing Canada's fourth and fifth consecutive gold medals at the tournament.
In December 2017, Boychuk contributed to Canada's triumph at the 2017 Spengler Cup, netting a goal during the final match.
Personal background
Boychuk's twin sister, Corissa, was a decorated international trampolinist who earned medals at world championships from 2009 through 2013 before retiring. Their younger sibling, Chelsie, is involved in competitive gymnastics.
Despite a relatively brief NHL tenure, Boychuk has cultivated a substantial social media following that surpasses many NHL players. He engages with hundreds of thousands of followers daily on X (formerly Twitter), utilizing this platform to expand his reach and secure sponsorships as an influencer. Furthermore, Boychuk actively participates in cryptocurrency trading.
Regular season and playoffs
2009–10 AHL season Albany River Rats AHL 52||15||21||36||24 8||3||2||5||4 2010–11 AHL season Charlotte Checkers AHL 60||22||43||65||48 16||3||6||9||14 2010–11 NHL season Carolina Hurricanes NHL 23||4||3||7||4 — — — — — 2011–12 AHL season Charlotte Checkers AHL 64||21||23||44||46 — — — — — 2011–12 NHL season Carolina Hurricanes NHL 16||0||2||2||0 — — — — — 2012–13 AHL season Charlotte Checkers AHL 49||23||20||43||16 5||3||3||6||4 2012–13 NHL season Carolina Hurricanes NHL 1||0||0||0||0 — — — — — 2012–13 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 7||0||0||0||2 — — — — — 2012–13 Nashville Predators NHL 5||1||1||2||4 — — — — — 2013–14 AHL season Charlotte Checkers AHL 69||36||38||74||55 — — — — — 2013–14 NHL season Carolina Hurricanes NHL 11||1||3||4||0 — — — — — 2014–15 NHL season Carolina Hurricanes NHL 31||3||3||6||4 — — — — — 2014–15 AHL season Charlotte Checkers AHL 39||12||12||24||14 — — — — — 2015–16 AHL season Charlotte Checkers AHL 56||9||16||25||24 — — — — — 2015–16 Bakersfield Condors AHL 16||3||2||5||16 — — — — — 2016–17 KHL seasonHC Sibir Novosibirsk KHL 35||7||8||15||20 — — — — — 2017–18 KHL seasonHC Slovan Bratislava KHL 35||11||13||24||38 — — — — — 2018–19 KHL seasonSeverstal Cherepovets KHL 25||2||2||4||8 — --- --- --- --- 2018–19 National League (ice hockey) seasonSC Bern NL 22|||5|||6|||11|||12 8|||0|||3|||3|||4 2019–20 National League (ice hockey) seasonHC Fribourg–Gottéron NL 15|||3|||10|||13|||2 — --- --- --- --- 2020–21 DEL seasonEisbären Berlin DEL 26|||12|||13|||25|||20 8|||3|||6|||9|||4 2021–22 DEL season Eisbären Berlin DEL 36|||15|||10|||25|||32 11|||7|||2|||9|||8 2022–23 DEL season Eisbären Berlin DEL 56|||17|||29|||46|||56 — --- --- --- --- 2023–24 DEL season Eisbären Berlin DEL 51|||23|||21|||44|||61 15|||3|||8|||11|||12 2024–25 DEL season Eisbären Berlin DEL 46|||12|||23|||35|||32 10|||4|||1|||5|||31| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2004–05 | UFA Bisons AAA | AMHL | 36 | 13 | 14 | 27 | 18 | 16 | 10 | 5 | 15 | 0 | ||
| 2005–06 | Lethbridge Hurricanes | WHL | 64 | 18 | 33 | 51 | 30 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 2 | ||
| 2006–07 | Lethbridge Hurricanes | WHL | 69 | 31 | 60 | 91 | 52 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | Lethbridge Hurricanes | WHL | 61 | 33 | 39 | 72 | 80 | 18 | 13 | 8 | 21 | 6 | ||
| 2008–09 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | Lethbridge Hurricanes | WHL | 43 | 28 | 29 | 57 | 22 | 11 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 12 | ||
| 2008–09 | Albany River Rats | AHL | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 31 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 127 | 12 | 18 | 30 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| KHL totals | 95 | 20 | 24 | 44 | 66 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| NL totals | 37 | 8 | 16 | 24 | 14 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 | ||||
| DEL totals | 215 | 79 | 96 | 175 | 201 | 44 | 17 | 17 | 34 | 57 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Tournament | Outcome | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Canada Pacific | U17 | 4th place | 6 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | |
| 2006 | Canada | IH18 | Template:Gold1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | |
| 2007 | Canada | WJC18 | Fourth place | 6 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 4 | |
| 2008 | Canada | WJC | Template:Gold1 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 2009 | Canada | WJC | Template:Gold1 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 0 | |
| Overall junior statistics | 29 | 8 | 12 | 20 | 14 | ||||
Awards and honours
| Award | Year |
|---|---|
| WHL | |
| East Division Second All-Star Team | 2007, 2008 |
| AHL | |
| Second All-Star Team selection | 2014 |
| NL | |
| League Champion | 2019 |
| DEL | |
| Title winner | 2021, 2022, 2024 |