Tyler Bozak: Is He the Real Deal?

Tyler Bozak, a 6'1", 195-pound, 24-year-old rookie from Regina, Saskatchewan, has shown glimpses of what he can do in the National Hockey League since his permanent call up from the Toronto Marlies on January 12.

In the American Hockey League, he scored four goals, adding 16 assists and six penalty minutes in 32 games.

The question Brian Burke and Leafs management faces: Is he the real deal?

In my opinion, he is a great candidate to become a solid top-six player in the NHL.

Off the Ice

First, let's look at Bozak away from the ice rink.

During his time at the University of Denver, he majored in business and was named to the All-WCHA Academic Team for the 2008-09 season.

He also excelled in golf, volleyball and badminton. As listed on the University of Denver Pioneers' website, he enjoys golf, fishing and water activities in his spare time.

His favorite athletes were Alexander Ovechkin (NHL), Rafael Nadal (pro tennis player and thorn in the side of Roger Federer) and Sergio Garcia (PGA Tour).

Path to the Pros

His route to the NHL?

Bozak was a member of the Victoria Salsa of the British Columbia Hockey League from the 2004-05 to the 2006-07 seasons. (The team changed its name to the Grizzlies for the 2006-07 season.)

He played 170 games, scoring 91 goals, adding 137 assists, and tallying 95 minutes in penalties. He was awarded the Brett Hull Trophy in 2006-07 as the BCHL top scorer.

In 2007, he began playing NCAA hockey at the University of Denver.

He played there through 2008-09. In 60 games, he tallied 26 goals, 31 assists, and 32 minutes in penalties.

He was named WCHA Rookie of the Week four times during the 2007-08 season, HCA Rookie of the Month once, and All-WCHA Rookie Team and the All-WCHA Third Team at the end of 2007-08.

He passed up the opportunity to turn pro in 2008.  At the time, he did not believe he was physically ready to play pro hockey. 

He was named to the College Hockey News Preseason All-America Team prior to the 2008-09 season, but his playing time was cut to 19 games because of a knee injury in December.

He was then signed by the Toronto Maple Leafs to a two-year, entry-level contract on April 3, 2009. The contract is rumored to be close to $4 million per season if all bonuses are achieved.

NHL Debut

This season in the NHL, he has played 29 games, scoring seven goals and adding 15 assists. He has also accumulated six minutes of penalties and is a minus-1.

Over an 82-game season, that pace would have him on track to tally 20 goals and 42 assists for 62 points. Not bad for an NHL rookie.

What can be expected from Bozak in the 2010-11 NHL season?

He is almost a guarantee to make the Leafs' NHL roster out of training camp next season. His production will likely fall somewhere in the 40 to 50-point range over the course of his first full NHL season.

There's a reason for a lower projected point production.

In the past several seasons, he has played 59 games at most. The NHL season is a long, grueling schedule, and Bozak will need to add more muscle to his 6'1" frame in order to thrive.

Potential Impact

Is this the center needed to play with Phil Kessel?

Bozak has shown he is a very intelligent player at both ends of the ice. He also seems to see the ice extremely well while on the attack.

He will never light up the league in terms of goals, but he will be a quality set-up man if he has a winger with finishing capabilities.

In short, Bozak has shown that he is a good fit with Kessel.

Even if Kadri is up with the Leafs next season, I would still put Kessel and Bozak together at the beginning to see if some magic can unfold.

Tyler Bozak should be an exciting player to watch in Toronto for years to come.

Look for him to eventually settle into a second-line center role.

He has shown his intelligent play and positioning. He will eventually play on the power play and the penalty kill.

I see him becoming a very valuable player for Toronto. Will he be the second coming of Mats Sundin, Doug Gilmour or Darryl Sittler?

No.

But he will be a valuable player, who will work his way into the hearts and minds of Leafs' Nation.