For Zach Boychuk a hockey career was inevitable. Hockey runs deep within the Boychuk family and a professional career was always the end goal.

“My dad played all the way up to college hockey in Canada so that was passed on to me. When I was a year or two old I was always playing around with the ball and always had a stick in my hand,” Boychuk said. “A professional career was the goal all along. A lot of people will tell you that playing pro isn’t possible, but I was young and didn’t know any better at the time.”

Boychuk was constantly playing hockey, “I played year-round, in the summer, street hockey, I played every type of hockey you could play.”

His first step towards his professional career came in his teens when he was drafted to the Western Hockey League by the Lethbridge Hurricanes. It was at this point that his path to the NHL had been determined.

“I talked to my dad and he told me he thought the best way for me to play was in the Canadian Hockey League. I was always good at school so I probably could have gone the college route and played in the NCAA but once I got drafted at 14-years-old I just went from there and college hockey wasn’t really an option anymore.”

Boychuk further commented on the added bonuses of using the CHL as a pathway to the pro’s as opposed to the NCAA.

“I think it would have worked out either way,” Boychuk said. “In the CHL you get more experience and get to play more games. Obviously in college you get an education but I just wanted to get to the NHL as fast as possible and I felt that the CHL was the best way to do that.”

Boychuk began his junior career in 2005–06 with Lethbridge and made an impact right away, establishing himself as a prolific scorer. Something that remained true all three years he spent in Lethbridge.

“Playing with good linemen, being on good teams, that definitely helps,” Boychuk said, “But for me, being a young guy I got opportunities you usually don’t get. I got time on the power play and I was put on the first line early in my first year, got my first goal and never really left that spot the rest of my time in Lethbridge,”

 In his first year, at just 16-years-old, he recorded an astounding 51 points (18 goals, 33 assists) in 64 games. The following year he improved to 91 points in 69 games (31 goals, 60 assists), making him a top three scorer in the WHL. His third and final year in Lethbridge he experienced a slight drop in scoring but was impressive nonetheless. Boychuk tallied 72 points (33 goals and 39 assists) in 61 games helping Lethbridge to the 2008 WHL Finals. As a result he was voted to the WHL East Second All-Star Team.

The statistics speak for themselves. In three years with Lethbridge Boychuk remained healthy, playing in more than 60 regular-season games each season and establishing himself as a consistent scorer. In three seasons Boychuk recorded 82 goals and 132 assists over three seasons playing in 194 regular season games, averaging out to 1.1 points per game over a three year span.

Of his junior experience, Boychuk said “I had some great years in Lethbridge. Being only a couple hours away from my family in Calgary meant they were able to watch me play a lot of games,” Boychuk continued, “ I made some great friends there and was able to create some great opportunities for myself.”

Boychuk did indeed create some great opportunities for himself. In fact he got the opportunity to represent his country and play for team Canada on two separate occasions during the World Junior Championships in 2008 and 2009. Both times, Boychuk walked away with a gold medal.

Boychuk’s success in the WHL and internationally did not go unnoticed by NHL brass.

“I was fairly highly ranked,” remembers Boychuk. “I’m not sure where I was ranked in the entire world, but I think I was a top ten player in North America and had a strong chance of getting drafted in the first round so I definitely wanted to be there for that.”

That “strong chance” turned into a reality when the Carolina Hurricanes selected the young center from Airdrie, Alberta, Canada, with the 14th overall pick in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, capping off a truly special day for the family and friends who made the trip to Ottawa for the occasion.

“Going through the draft process was great,” Boychuk said. “Watching guys like (Steven) Stamkos, (Drew) Doughty, (Luke) Schenn, guys I played World Juniors with go and then for Ron Francis to get up to the mic and call my name and then get my picture with Jim Rutherford and the rest of the (Hurricanes) brass. It was a really special day for my family and me. It’s something I’ll remember forever.”

On October 4, 2008, three months after being drafted, Boychuk got probably the best birthday present any 19-year-old could ask for: signing your first professional contract.

“It all happened pretty fast. I went through training camp and couldn’t fully participate because I was recovering from surgery, but they wanted to get me out there,” Boychuk said. “Then they signed me on my birthday, October 4^th that was a great birthday present to get.”

Not only did they sign Boychuk to his rookie contract, but two weeks later he was traveling with the club and made his NHL debut in Los Angeles against the Kings and friends and family were in attendance at The Staples Center for his professional debut. Boychuk, just 19 at the time was the first person since current Carolina Hurricanes captain Eric Staal to make his NHL debut in his Draft year. Staal did the same in 2003. Boychuk’s NHL call up only lasted two games but still proved invaluable to see some NHL action as a teenager.

“It was great to get those two games with Carolina. I played pretty well.  I missed an open-netter against Anaheim, but got my first assist in my second game which was pretty cool,” Boychuk said. “Then they decided to send me down to get some more experience and play a season in the WHL and play with Team Canada in the World Juniors in Ottawa. It was a great experience for me to keep developing and focus on getting faster and stronger.”

After the call up, Boychuk was sent back to the WHL with Lethbridge where he would finish his fourth season of competition. An opportunity Boychuk fully embraced, giving him a much needed chance to improve his game.

“Being sent back down was definitely a positive for me. Maybe if I was a top three pick, I would have been a little more upset by being sent down, but as the 14^th overall pick, I definitely needed to work on my game.”

Working on his game is exactly what Boychuk was able to do. After 43 regular-season games he had 57 points (28 goals, 29 assists) and led the team in scoring during playoffs with 13 points (7 goals, 6 assists) in 11 playoff contests. His performance earned him a share of the Harry Ingarfield Memorial Award as Lethbridge’s team MVP.

Later that year, Boychuk was an assistant captain for Team Canada in the 2009 U-20 World Junior Championship in Ottawa, where he won his second World Junior Championship gold medal.

After a strong training camp with Carolina, Boychuk started the 2009-2010 season in the NHL, seeing action in 31 NHL games that year. Along the way, he notched his first NHL goal February 13, 2010 against the New Jersey Devils. It was the opening goal of the game and scored against goaltender Martin Brodeur.

“Brodeur was a pretty neat goalie to get my first goal on, probably one of the best goalies of all time,” Boychuk recalled. “The Devils are my uncle’s favorite team, and Brodeur is his favorite goalie so it was pretty cool that I was able to do that.”

It wasn’t until the shortened 2012-13 season that Boychuk got to see the ugly side of sports that is almost unavoidable for many professional athletes. On January 31, 2013 he was claimed off waivers from the Hurricanes by the Pittsburgh Penguins. After just seven games with the Penguins, he was again placed on waivers and claimed by the Nashville Predators on March 5, 2013.  On March 21, 2013 he was re-claimed by the Hurricanes.

“It’s definitely the tough part of the business. As a young kid you think you’ll get drafted at 18 and have a 15 or 20 year career, but that’s not how it works. It takes some time,” Boychuk said. “It’s hard being sent down, put on waivers, or traded, but it’s part of the business. You just have to work your way back to the NHL and being a full-time contributor.”

Boychuk does not harbor any resentment about being waived by Carolina, knowing that being traded and waived by clubs is the nature of professional sports.  However, he could not be any happier to be back in the Hurricanes organization where it all began eight years ago in 2008, contributing to the success of the Hurricanes’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers, where the team currently sits second in the Western Conference standings.

Regardless of where Boychuk is living or what roster he finds himself on, the end goal is always the same. “I want to work hard, get better, and be a full-time NHL player,” Boychuk said.

Now eight years into his professional hockey career, Boychuk, who is still just 26-years-young  says that there are still some players who can make him feel star struck at times. Specifically, players like Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, Jaromir Jagr, and Minnesota Wild star Zach Parise, who Boychuk tries to model his own game after. He also remains humble and thankful for the opportunity to play hockey as a career.

“I’m incredibly thankful for this opportunity and to my friends and family who have been with me through all of this,” Boychuk said. “I still have friends in school and trying to figure out what they want to do and here I am getting to do what I love everyday playing professionally and not having to worry about working nine to five. I definitely feel very lucky.” 

Boychuk, a smaller player who brings a lot of speed, toughness, and energy sees himself as a player who can play on any team and do whatever is needed to help the team win whether at the AHL level or the NHL level displaying characteristics of a true team player, one who puts the team before himself in every aspect of his game.

Looking back on his career thus far with Carolina, Boychuk had nothing but positive things to say.

 “We’ve been through a lot in my years in Carolina. There’s been a lot of turnover, Cam Ward and Eric Staal are the only two guys left from when I made my debut,” Boychuk remembers. “It’s been great to see the team grow and improve so much and to be a part of that is amazing. We want to be a team that is tough to beat and in the playoffs every year. We are certainly headed in that direction. It’s great to be playing with the organization that drafted me and that has shown they wanted me back year after year.”

Boychuk has already accomplished things during his hockey career that many can only dream of. Despite early success he still remains as hungry and determined today as he was eight years ago when his career was just beginning, still eagerly working towards being a full-time NHL player and eventually the right to hopefully be called a Stanley Cup champion one day.

Although he hasn’t given much thought to his career after his playing days have concluded, a day in which Boychuk feels is very far away, he is confident that he will stay in the game.

“I haven’t given much thought to my career after hockey, I’m still pretty young and feel like I have a lot of years left,” Boychuk said. “I’m not sure if it’ll be coaching, scouting, or broadcasting. I haven’t given it a lot of thought, but I’d like to stay in the game if I could.”

One thing Boychuk has learned throughout his career is the importance of growth both personally and athletically.

“Every year is a new year where you can learn, practice, and become a better player. I still have a lot of years left to do that and play consistently in the NHL.”

With an attitude like that, so early in his career, coupled with obvious talent and passion for the game he loves so much, the game he has been playing since before he could walk, it would not be a surprise for Zach Boychuk to be a consistent contributor in the NHL one day very soon.