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18 Days to Opening Night: Brock Boeser (18th All-Time Scoring)



18 Days to Opening Night: Brock Boeser (18th All-Time Scoring)

by Krapshoot

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  1. Krapshoot

    18. Brock Boeser — 479GP | 179G | 205A | 384P | 2017-Present

    Brock Boeser was born in Burnsville, Minnesota on February 25, 1997. Boeser was a prominent hockey player coming out of high-school. He was selected first overall in the USHL Draft by the Sioux City Musketeers. He was later traded to the Waterloo Blackhawks and led the league in his first season with 35-goals. He made the USHL All-Rookie team and was recognized as a First-Team All-Star. 

    In the summer of 2015, Boeser was selected by the Vancouver Canucks 23rd overall in the NHL Draft. Boeser had already committed to joining North Dakota University in the NCAA. Boeser impressed as a freshman scoring 27-goals and 60-points in 42-games. He had the option to go pro, but opted to return to North Dakota in pursuit of a national championship. Boeser had a wrist injury that limited his play time in the 2016-17 season. He played 32-games and registered 16-goals and 34-points. After North Dakota was eliminated, Boeser signed his entry-level contract with Vancouver and played 9-games to finish the season. He scored his first goal in his debut against his home state team, the Minnesota Wild. 

    Boeser’s official rookie season was a breath of fresh air for Canucks fans as the team lacked young talent from failing to rebuild through the mid-late 2010’s. Boeser emerged as an NHL star immediately. He had 29-goals and 55-points through 62-games as a rookie. He was recognized as a part of the NHL All-Rookie team and finished 2nd in Calder Trophy voting to Mathew Barzal. Boeser had a good shot at winning the Calder, but the end of his season was derailed after a collision with Cal Clutterbuck knocked Boeser back-first into the opening of his team’s bench, injuring his back and nearly ending his career. That season, Boeser also made the all-star game and was recognized as the MVP becoming the first rookie to do so since Mario Lemieux in 1985. 

    The following year, Boeser returned to the lineup and continued to score at the NHL level and had a 26-goal, 56-point season. In September, 2019, Boeser signed a three-year extension as an RFA valued at $17.625-Million. Boeser struggled in the 2019-20 season. He suffered a rib injury that took eight weeks to recover from. He had just 16-goals and 45-points through 57-regular season games. In the COVID playoffs, Boeser returned to action and registered 4-goals and 11-points through 17-playoff games before the Canucks were eliminated by the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 7 of the second round.

    Boeser has had to overcome adversity in his personal life from an early age. His father Duke was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2010 and suffered a severe brain injury a few years later in a car accident. One of Brock’s best friends was killed in a car accident in 2014. Brock’s father Duke lost his battle with Parkinson’s on May 26, 2022. 

    Brock fairly struggled in the NHL with what was going on in his personal life. After putting an emphasis on his mental health and taking the time to process his grief, Brock started to play some of his best hockey in the 2023-24 season. He finally surpassed the 30-goal mark last season and finished the year with 40-goals and a career-high 73-points in 81-games. The Canucks qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2019-20, and the first-time with fans in the building since 2015. 

    Boeser shined in the playoffs and played a massive role in Vancouver moving past Nashville in the first round. After being down 3-1 early into the 3rd Period of Game 4 of the series, Vancouver crawled back into the game with less than 3-minutes remaining when Boeser scored his second of the game to bring the score within a goal. In the final minute, Boeser found a loose puck in a scramble by the left side of the net and buried it past Jusse Sarros to tie the game and complete his hat-trick with 8-seconds remaining. Vancouver went on to win in overtime and later take the series in six games. Vancouver faced Edmonton in the 2nd round and although the series went to 7-games, Boeser was removed from the line-up after Game 6 when blood clots were discovered in Boeser’s leg. Boeser finished his second postseason with 7-goals and 12-points in 12-games. 

    Now having made a full recovery, Boeser heads into his final season of his contract ready to build on his previous season. Boeser currently ranks 18th in all-time scoring for the franchise. He’ll continue to climb the ranks this season and has a genuine shot at cracking the top-10 should he re-sign long-term in Vancouver.

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