From Budaörs To Mississauga: A YaBoi Oven Biography

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From Budaörs To Mississauga: A YaBoi Oven Biography

 

Twenty three seasons ago, YaBoi Oven entered the world, the first child of Ildiko and Andor Oven in the town of Budaörs, just outside the capital city of Budapest. From the very beginning, YaBoi was in the spotlight, making national news as the largest baby ever delivered at Padányi Réka Fogászat. Despite this, he was still found to be perfectly healthy, and outside of being bigger than other children his size, he was able to live a normal life. However, sports was immediately his favorite activity, and his size allowed him to enjoy success in them. Whether it was football, rugby… it didn’t matter. YaBoi loved to compete, and loved to win. There was one sport, however, that enthralled him more than any other… ice hockey.

 

Despite the fact that Hungary is not a traditional powerhouse in the international culture of ice hockey, YaBoi took to skating, and eventually the game of hockey itself at a young age, and it wasn’t long before he was on skates and competing against other children his age. However, one thing became very apparent to his parents and coaches: YaBoi was absolutely massive. He was always the tallest and often the heaviest player in his age group, and when placed up with a higher age group out of necessity, the same was often true. Ildiko and Andor Oven frequently had to deal with accusations that YaBoi was not the age that he was claimed to be, in spite of how many times it was proven that he was in fact the correct age. From the first time he partook in a game of ice hockey, Oven stood out, and it turned out that it was for much more than his size.

 

 

With his size, YaBoi was an intimidating presence on the ice. Opposing skaters were afraid to cross him, and he soon discovered that he could use that same intimidation on offense as well. The same strength he used to box out defenders and clear the crease could be used just the same in the other end of the ice. Until he faced defenders willing to challenge him, YaBoi was an unstoppable freak of nature on the ice. However, his coaches noticed that while he did possess a powerful shot, he was much better suited as a defenseman, for even when opposing forwards were not afraid of him, he was still able to stop them with his skills, where he was unable to do so offensively. Solidifying himself as a defensemen cemented his status with U18 teams, and he prepared to advance to the next stage of his hockey career.

During this time, however, the career of another Hungarian, Kristof Welch, was capturing the imagination of YaBoi. The Victory Hockey League had not seen many Hungarian players, nevermind a successful one, but Kristof Welch changed that. At 5’10, 145 pounds, and hailing from a country that had yet to produce an elite talent in the VHL, Welch changed all of that. His tremendous success, highlighted by winning the Alexander Valiq Trophy in Season 80 as the top offensive defenseman in the VHL, proved to YaBoi that it was, in fact, possible for a Hungarian to succeed at the professional level, and he was determined to be the next star player that Hungary had produced in the VHL.

 

As a member of the HK Budapest U18 team, YaBoi Oven recognized that he was now playing a much higher quality opponent than he was used to. He simplified his game as a result, focusing on being a strong defensive presence that was not a liability to his team. As he grew more comfortable, he began to expand his game once again, utilizing his powerful slapshot to contribute offensively as well. Upon advancing to U21, Oven joined Budapest Jegkorong U21, a team which enjoyed considerable success in no small part to YaBoi. While he again seemed timid upon first advancing to a new tier, he quickly settled in and became a dominant physical force that opposing players dreaded playing against. Following his final season with the Budapest Jegkorong U21, which culminated in a league championship, Oven received the call he’d been working so hard to receive: VHL scouts had taken notice of him, and he was told he was eligible to join the VHLM immediately, even though it was later in the season. Oven was elated, and after discussions with several teams, decided to join the Mississauga Hounds, where he would immediately be receiving top pairing minutes and roles on special teams. Right off the bat, he would get a chance to show VHL scouts that he had what it took to be a great professional hockey player.

 

 

Oven did not disappoint, even though again he gave offensive production a backseat to playing strong defensively. YaBoi had no issue leaving the scoring to his linemate, Reginald the Dodo, while he would cover their backs defensively and play physically as well. Despite that, Oven’s two-way potential still shone through, scoring four goals and assisting on 15 others for 19 points in his first 22 games in the VHLM. More impressively, however, he blocked 33 shots and recorded 54 hits, with his contributions in both ends of the ice helping Mississauga to their first Prime Minister’s Cup with the top record in the VHLM since Season 79. In the playoffs, however, Oven became one of the key players in the Hounds’ opening round sweep of the Miami Marauders, scoring a goal and a playoff-high seven assists in four games, continuing his strong two-way play with eight shots blocked and ten hits. Needless to say, if any VHL scouts did not know who YaBoi Oven was before this playoff series, they certainly do now. His story may be just beginning in the VHL, but YaBoi Oven has quickly made a name for himself as he looks to prove that Hungary can, in fact, produce elite talent in the VHL.