Boychuk nets two in Hurricanes camp scrimmage

Peter Koutroumpis, Triangle Sports Network
Peter Koutroumpis, Triangle Sports Network

RALEIGH, N.C. – After an energetic and physical camp scrimmage the day before on the smaller rink surface at Raleigh Center Ice, the Carolina Hurricanes continued their training camp at PNC Arena on Saturday.

Once Eric Staal’s group finished with their practice session, players from both groups came onto the ice for another scrimmage, but no sooner had it started than it was forced to stop due to a sudden power surge that blackened the entire arena bowl and ice surface.

Once power was restored, the intra-squad game continued and it was forward Zach Boychuk who lit up the scoreboard, scoring two goals and finishing as top scorer in a 2-1 victory for Team Eric.

“Everyone has different qualities that they bring to the table,” head coach Kirk Muller said about Boychuk’s play.

“Not everyone’s gonna’ be a guy that’s gonna’ play a physical game, take guys out hard or fight – just competing like skating, taking time and space away, lots of areas to do it in. That’s the type of game he has to play.”

Boychuk and the Hurricanes agreed to terms fairly late in the summer, in late August, on a one-year, two-way deal that will keep him with the organization who drafted him first in the 2008 NHL Entry draft (14th overall), at least for another season.

After going through an eventful year in 2012-2013 that had him placed on waivers three times and sending him to Pittsburgh, Nashville, and back to Carolina, Muller and his staff are giving Boychuk the same chance that everyone else currently has at training camp.

“He’s gone through a lot, going to Pittsburgh and Nashville, coming back here,” Muller said.

“It’s like a circle for him and just like everybody else we’re like, ‘hey, we’re givin’ everyone a chance to evaluate’. I’m sure he’s trying to find his place again, and where he can help is that he can score goals.”

For Boychuk, regardless of where’s he’s been and had to come back to, his positive attitude and work ethic continues to drive him in showing that he deserves to play in the National Hockey League (NHL) and with the Carolina Hurricanes.

“You gotta’ come every day, ready to work,” Boychuk said.

“I feel like everybody’s getting better every day and today went pretty well, scored a couple of goals, which feels good and now I just gotta’ keep buildin’ on it.”

For those watching closely, Boychuk’s play in both scrimmages to date have shown him stickhandling the puck in much tighter space and releasing the puck to make passes or take quick shots in a much smoother fashion.

He accounts that to a few changes he made to the stick he’s using, cutting it down a few inches and using a toe or Semin curve, as he described it.

In addition to coming into camp as one of the better conditioned players on the team according to head athletic trainer and strength coach Peter Friesen, it seems that Boychuk is looking to establish his scoring touch as a factor for Muller to consider in keeping him on the team.

“You saw today, a couple of mishaps out there and he puts the puck in the net,” Muller said.

“He has to continue to do that to show that that’s the part of the game he can bring to this hockey club and this organization.”