Burnsville Native, NHLer Brock Boeser Isn't Taking Summer Off
EDINA, Minn. (WCCO) -- In Edina they play hockey, and that gives us a chance to catch up with some of the locals that have gone onto the NHL. Players like Burnsville's Brock Boeser.
He had quite a finish to his college career, and quite a start to his professional career.
It's the summer time for Brock Boeser, a critical time to take his game to another level -- to learn the NHL.
"First to get in shape and other than that I think skillwise coming out here with all these NHL guys, it's kind of nice to be able to play with them," Boeser said.
He's working toward what they want him to become. He was drafted in the first round by Vancouver, then attended the University of North Dakota, where his game and his personality started to flourish.
"It meant a lot. I'm still sad when I think about them, not going back. But that's what I have to do, and I need to take the next step personally," he said.
He left after the college season and the next day was playing at the Xcel Energy Center against the Wild, where the magical moment came to pass: He scored his first NHL goal in his first NHL game against his hometown team.
"It was a unbelievable experience. Just that whole day, I really can't put into words how it was. It was the greatest day of my life for sure. It went by fast but I just was really happy to be able to play my first game in front of all my family and friends," Boeser said.
What he needs to stay in the league is to score. For him that means shooting the puck. It has been his ticket to this level -- repetition, hard work.
"He's a scorer, so he's got to shoot the puck and it's no different out here than on the college rink or the NHL rink. It's about finding holes and shooting the puck and creating good habits," Boeser's agent Ben Hankinson said.
And that's why he's here. To play, to work, to learn.
"Just watching all these guys I work out with, how hard they work in the summer and the time they put into themselves and how they eat and how they take care of their bodies," Boeser said.