After seeing clear-cut number one draft-pick Stephen Stamkos head to Tampa Bay, the Kings were on the clock. With the 2008 Draft crammed with defensemen, the Kings selected Drew Doughty, a Guelph Storm standout in the OHL. The Thrashers surveyed their opportunities, and landed on physical defenseman Zach Bogosian, another OHL standout. Playing with the Peterborourgh Petes, Zach was the only defenseman in the league to lead his team in points (61) and was named to the OHL First All-Star Team.
Zach made the roster almost with minimal effort in training camp, and looked to be one of the top rookies in the NHL. But things didn’t get off to the start he was hoping for. Just eight games into the 2008-09 NHL campaign, Zach suffered a broken leg when he was slammed into the boards by Flyers forward Darroll Powe on October 28th. Thrashers head coach John Anderson seemed to be more worried about his mental state at the time of the injury:
"We’ll monitor him more psychologically than anything right now. You don’t want to feel lonely and by yourself and abandoned because you get injured, especially at 18. We’re well aware of the possible mental things he could go through."
After a long 33-game absence, Bogosian returned to the ice on December 31st at Carolina, logging 13:15 throughout his first game back. Since that time, Zach seems to be playing more and more for the Thrashers, who have a very young defensive core. On March 26th, Zach saw a season-high 28:01 time played against the New York Rangers, which was a 5-4 OT winning effort by the Thrashers. Despite the time lost to injury, Zach’s seven goals leads all NHL rookie defensemen, and his 15 points places him in fourth in the rookie defenseman scoring race.
His play is not just measured by his offensive ability though; Zach was mostly drafted for his leadership skills and his nasty defensive play.
Last Wednesday in Atlanta, Buffalo Sabres’ center Dominic Moore and Bogosian were standing on the side boards with about two seconds remaining in the second period, when Bogosian stuck his hand out and slammed Moore to the ice. Moore did not like the hit and felt that it was unnecessary and complained to the official. Bogosian added his own retort to reporters after the game.
“He had the puck. I threw him down. I was playing hardnosed hockey,” the 6’2” 200 lb. defenseman said. “I guess he didn’t like that. It wasn’t cheap. He had the puck on his skates. That’s hockey. It’s not all skill out there. You’ve got to play nasty and put guys on their back. If he doesn’t like that style, I don’t know, too bad for him.”
The Thrashers as a whole have picked up their play as of late, going 5-2-0 in their last seven games. But more importantly for Bogosian, he has not seen a minus game in that whole span. He has averaged more ice-time as well, playing 21:35 in those seven games.
Bogosian is expected to be a leader on this young team in Atlanta, and he is already illustrating that responsibility at the tender age of 18. He will be a valuable defenseman for years to come. With two years left on his contract, GM Don Waddell needs to make sure to clear room for a big contract signing in the 2011 NHL off-season.
Keywords: Atlanta Thrashers, Dominic Moore, Don Waddell, Drew Doughty, John Anderson, NHL, OHL, Peterborourgh Petes, Stephen Stamkos, Zach Bogosian
