DollarAndADream

116 Reign 5 vs Wranglers 2

2

Game 46: Rush vs Red Wolves Game 48: Lynx vs Storm Game 49: Blades vs Gladiators Game 50: Watchmen vs Outlaws

Game 47: Royals 3 Vs. Wild 1

61 Bears vs Express 63 Reign vs Titans 64 Americans vs Meute 65 Iron Eagles vs HC Dynamo

62 Legion 5 vs Wranglers 1

I was AT that game, boys...... It was awesome during the 2nd intermission. 3-0 lead, yeah! BOOM....gong show in the 3rd. The guy in the Tavares jersey was getting made fun of all game, I guess he got the last word.

Travis Boychuk Drafted to the Turku Outlaws The VHLM Dispersal Draft was underway today and Travis Boychuk found his team for the year. He was drafted 6th overall to the Turku Outlaws, along with plenty others. The team looks to be heading fast into contention on paper, but we will wait to see what happens once the season begins. With many top players heading to Turku, it will be difficult to find ice time. Turku had 3 picks in the 1st Round and 6 in the 2nd Round, so it is needless to say that there is a ton of talent heading there. Boychuk will play the year in Turku before heading up to Calgary in the VHL. -------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------- It should be challenging for the coach to find the right line combinations heading forward, with all of the skill in the line up. Many think that Boychuk should be a shoe in for 1st line duties, but nothing is certain. He has improved a ton this off-season with a lot of training involved. It will be interesting to see what he can accomplish without being in the shadow of a more developed, bigger superstar. We caught up with TB for an interview on the topic: " I am extremely pleased to come to Turku for next season. It might take a little bit to find which players I play better with, but I am sure with all the talent here we can succeed with plenty of combinations. I have worked hard all off-season to become a better player on the ice, and I really think it will pay off. All of these new players coming to the Outlaws, we need to get familiar with each other quickly. I have already been to training camp with the VHL Calgary club, and came straight to Turku as soon as I got signed to be with this training camp. I am very excited to start the season. "

+5 Face Offs +5 Strength

OUTLAWS, baby.

Lots of fun with KJA!

The season has come and gone, and the off season is underway. After amazing efforts by many players in the VHLM, the S37 VHL Entry Draft was an exciting time for all. The top picks were all but settled before the draft, but the big questions came in the latter half of the 1st round. Team needs had to be addressed for the VHL clubs and the stars were predictably selected with the first picks. It seemed like the biggest questions came after the first three selections. ----------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------- With all of the mock drafts in mind, Travis Boychuk had no idea where he would be selected. Many teams had taken interest and contacted him. " With all of the teams who have called me about my feelings towards them, it was difficult to figure out where I would end up. I could not get my hopes up about any location. All I could do was wait and get excited about being selected in general. It has been an exciting week for me leading up to the draft. " Travis Boychuk was selected 8th overall to the Calgary Wranglers in the North American Conference of the VHL. His teammates from the Ottawa Lynx were selected also. Konstantin Azhishchenkov was selected at number 5 to the Riga Reign and Jack Ryan was selected at 15th overall to the Calgary Wranglers also. Boychuk and Ryan may one day be teammates in the VHL. The wait during the draft is the most nerve-racking for a lot of prospects. You never know where you might land during the draft, with every GM having their own opinion of each player. Various times we have seen players fall or rise in the draft. We have asked Travis Boychuk about his thoughts on the experience of the draft. ------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------ " It was an amazing experience for me. I was expecting to maybe go around 10th or later, but I was not sure. Hearing each name being called before me was something else. I was sitting there ready to wait and my name was called at 8th. Obviously, I was at the draft for that exact reason but when the time comes reality hits you. This is the moment I have been waiting my whole life for. It is why I go to the rink every day and why I work so hard. The Calgary Wranglers are a good team and I feel like in a couple years when I get there I can make a difference. I am excited to play for whichever team picks me for another year in the minors. I want to push for that Cup. " With the excitement of the VHL Draft in the past, the VHLM Dispersal Draft is up next. Travis Boychuk will be playing in the minors next season, and it will be a great time for any VHLM team to snag a player who wants a cup there. Without a doubt, Boychuk will bring talent and scoring prowess to any club and depth for whoever needs it. Boychuk had a great season in his 1st in the M and has only gotten better since then. It is easy to assume that he will produce a lot more next season.

I wanted to be with KJA again.

Hope to find my VHLM team soon. Excited to produce in the M once again!

Excited to be a Wrangler! Woo!

A Comparison of Players: Boychuk and Zherdev Edition The draft is coming up, and with that there are a lot of questions regarding who each team will pick for their futures. It will be a big day for each franchise as they try and land a player who they hope will bring many successes in the years to come. Travis Boychuk is gearing himself up for the moment his name gets called to be placed into his next VHLM team. It will be a memorable time, indeed. One thing that has not gone unnoticed, is the comparisons that Boychuk has been receiving to a certain player who has been through the NHL. That player is Nikolai Zherdev. It is no surprise to Boychuk that the name gets thrown around with his, as he has modeled his play after him. Both being from the Ukraine, Travis Boychuk chose Zherdev as his idol. "I watched a lot of his games growing up while playing hockey myself. My father would always tell me that one day I can be as successful as Zherdev is in his career. I hope to be that, plus more. It is nice to be compared to someone as skilled as he is, and I am working to get to that level." Boychuk said about the comparison. ---------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------- Anybody will notice one major similarity between the two players, and that is their skating. The strides in their legs look eerily similar and the power in which they push is a thing to watch. When Zherdev broke into the NHL, he was a speedy winger. Much of the same will be in Boychuk's game. He obtains top speed in quick fashion and surprisingly handles the puck well in this situation. Many players have troubles early on in their career keeping their stick up with foot speed. This is not something to worry about in TB's career thus far. Travis Boychuk possesses a quick wrister not far off from Zherdev's either. The release of which can startle goaltenders in different ways. Being mostly a playmaker in his first VHLM season in Ottawa, he takes many goaltenders off guard. He sat in the shadows of a superstar on the Ottawa Lynx, and with that developed a pass-first mentality. In the upcoming season after he finds his next team, we hope to see him release his shot more. -------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------- Another thing that Nikolai Zherdev has is personality. He has a certain swagger to his stride and is a great teammate to have in the locker room. Much of Boychuk's game in the juniors you could see he was waiting to burst when he got the puck. Teammates on any club that Travis Boychuk is on have said nothing but good things about his confidence and loyalty to his team. It is not difficult to predict that there will be good things to come in Boychuk's future.

Couldn't have asked for a better GM as well! Good luck to Ottawa in the future.

Into the Future of Boychuk With the season over and the playoffs beginning the the VHLM, the players of the Ottawa Lynx are done for the year. Bags have been packed, flights have been taken, and there is nothing left to do but look ahead towards the draft. The Ottawa Lynx had a disappointing season to say the least, but there is much to take from the season. It has been quite the learning experience for players and the organization, and everyone will come out stronger from it. One player that many were taking long looks at had a great rookie VHLM season, albeit on a lackluster squad that could not seem to get the wins together. Travis Boychuk was not a superstar by any means, but he was a reliable forward for his team to put on the ice. It remains to be seen what his future holds but it will be an exciting one for sure. If anything can be taken from last season, it will be experience. Experience is a valuable asset to any team and looking ahead it will do nothing but good things for the mind of a player. ---------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------- Travis Boychuk started late in the season playing 56 games, which is a good amount in any regard. In those games, he was mainly a play maker for the team especially for his line mate Konstantin Azhishchenkov. Boychuk had 30 assists in 56 games, many of which were on goals scored by the star in "KJA". We have seen what kind of vision TB has in his skill set and know it will only get better as time goes on. Not only assists, but he managed to score 14 goals for a total of 44 points in 56 games on the club. For a team as inconsistent as the Lynx were, those are great numbers for a rookie especially. The goals were harder to come by in early parts of the year, but he got better in the latter half. Travis Boychuk has a wicked shot which could find the net more often if used. Many scouts believe if he lessened his tendency to pass the puck so much, he could have more goals and scoring opportunities. He was also pretty good on the face off circle, and he looks to get better than the 49.02% that he boasted in the season. As a centerman face offs are a valuable skill for the position. Much of his year was spent away from center where he is most comfortable. He played along KJA's wing in strides. We will see where he ends up on his next club in the upcoming draft. ------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------ Something he was not used to in junior was the physicality of the game. When he arrived in the VHLM he noticed a big change in scenery. Bodies were bigger and the players were stronger. Boychuk learned from that and managed 102 hits, which was uncommon for him in the past. In a recent interview with Travis Boychuk, we grabbed his thoughts on what's to come: "I think I had a pretty good season. It was not up to par with what I am used to, though. I want to be able to score more. I want my team to be more consistent. I hate losing. I hope with the upcoming draft I find a team that can utilize my skills correctly. No matter where I end up, I will do my best to perform up to standards." We look forward to hearing more from Travis Boychuk and watching his career unfold.

+2 please.

NA Game 3: Rush vs Wild EU Game 3: Iron Eagles vs Royal ------------------------------------------------------ NA Game 4: Rush vs Wild EU Game 4: Iron Eagles vs Royals

Game 5: Iron Eagles 3 vs 2 Royals

Close, But Not Good Enough The Ottawa Lynx had an up and down season, with mostly downs along the way. They stayed within grasp of a playoff spot for most of the season, but they just couldn't make the big push in the final stages. The Lynx and the Wild were in a close race in the remaining 20 games, and in the end the Wild were the ones who were victorious to make the playoffs. The team had confidence going into the push, but the Wild prevailed. The Lynx missed the playoffs by a measly 3 points. Although, for a team with more than double the amount of losses than wins they can't be overly disappointed in the outcome. They just were not good enough. The team lost 12 of the last 13 games to close out the season. At the wrong time, the players just could not get the team to score when it was needed the most. We have asked Travis Boychuk of the Lynx on his thoughts: "It sucks, it really does. We were really hoping to make the post-season this year but we couldn't seem to get a win when we needed it. We wanted to at least close out the season on a positive note, but we lost 7 in a row. To think we only missed the playoffs by 3 points, it's very disappointing. All we needed was a couple wins and we just could not do it. Losing is not something I am used to, and this will definitely be hard to get over."

Game 3: Meute @ Bears Game 3: Titans @ Express Game 4: Titans @ Express Game 5: Express @ Titans

Meute 4-2

Travis Boychuk Forward Assists Points