Focus on a Thrasher: Zach Bogosian
2007-08 Season...Thrashers suck, so we get a good shot in the draft. Thanks to the lottery we get the #3 pick. With that we select in the first round (3rd overall) Zack Bogosian.
Zach Bogosoian was born on July 15, 1990. *sob* That's when I graduated high school. Being that I'm from Alabama, he could technically be my kid. We won't think about that though...at least *I* won't think about that.
Born in Massena, New York, Zach is a good red blooded American boy. He is also very proud of his Armenian heritage. Zach made history when he was drafted by the Thrashers by becoming the first player of Armenian heritage to be drafted into the NHL.
Zack told the Blueland Blog:
My grandparents are really serious about their Armenian heritage and that makes it important to me.
You can read the entire interview here: http://bluelandblog.wordpress.com/2009/02/16/zach-bogosian-blogs-about-being-armenian/
Zach has a family of athletes. His father, Ike, was a football player at Syracuse University and his uncle Steve also played football at West Point. After going to an OHL game in Ottawa, Zach new what sport he wanted to play.
Zach played hockey in his hometown for a while, but with his skills was usually playing with older kids. To further his skill, Zach followed his older brother to Cushing Academy High School in Ashburnham, Massachusetts.
Not only did Bogo get to improve his skating and shooting while playing for Cushing, he got the opportunity to be tutored by one of the best NHL defensemen and Boston Bruins’ great, Ray Bourque.
Zach said:
“He really helped me out. He told me that hard work carries you far and to not stop until you get what you want.”
After Cushing Academy, Zach had to decide whether to play college hockey or major junior hockey. Zach chose to play major junior hockey and was drafted by the Peterborough Petes in the first round of the 2006 priority draft.
During his rookie season with the Petes, Zach played 67 games and recorded 33 points. The next year he improved to 61 points in 60 games, which ranked him fifth among OHL defensemen. Zach also represented Peterborough in the OHL All Star Classic. Zach was the only defensemen in the OHL to lead his team in points.
In June 2008 Bogosian was drafted in the first round (3rd over all) by the Atlanta Thrashers. We were all super excited.
After we drafted him there was a big question. Okay TWO big questions. First, would he make the team. Of course he did. The real question though....what's his nickname. The fans on the message board narrowed it down to:
* Bogey
* Bogo
* ZB0 (his autograph looks a bit like Zbo)
I like Bogo. I usually refer to him on the blog as Baby Bogo because he's so young.
In fact, Baby Bogo is so young that he became the youngest player in team history to appear in an NHL game at 18 years and 87 days old (Ilya Kovalchuk appeared in his first game with the Thrashers at 18 years and 172 days old)
This is the very first picture I ever took of Bogo. It's at prospect camp.
Zach Bogosian made his NHL debut on October 10, 2008 against the Washington Capitals. This is the first picture of him in a Thrashers uniform I took.
This is beginning to sound like a baby book....here is Bogo's first NHL penalty!
And, what Bogo will probably be known for for a while...his first fight. Our sweet little baby, barely 18 and playing in his first NHL game turns around to see who is harassing and BAM....it's Donald Brashear. GOD what an asshole. How dare you go after our new super star. Bogo stood up to him though and held his ground. Dirty Bastard.
Zach had a good start to the season, but on October 28 in a game against the Flyers, he suffered a broken leg and was out until December 31.
The two month injury did put a damper on his numbers for the season, but thanks to him blogging on the Blueland blog we did learn some fun stuff about Zach:
* He likes to make french fries that his mom taught him to make.
* He likes to go to Atlanta Hawks games, but isn't sure they know who he is.
* He drives a pimped out Cadillac Escalade with rims and a sound system.
* He likes ice cream.
* While in Chicago on a conditioning stint he roomed with Holzapfel and Machechek (that trio is a mouthful). At their cook out, he was responsible for cooking the green beans.
* He takes his Armenian heritage very seriously.
If you'd like to read these and other adorable blog posts, you can read them on the Blueland blog, just search "Bogosian." http://www.bluelandblog.com/
Due to his broken leg, Zach only played in 47 games this season. He did manage to score 9 goals and 10 assists for a total of 19 points. He had 1 game winning goal and one short handed goal. He finished the season as a +11.
Zach also made us proud by representing the United States in the World Championships.
Another important stat....Bogo had 47 penalty minutes.
I've really enjoyed watching Bogo's rookie season. Bogosian has already proven to be an integral part of the Thrashers lineup. He can put up points, isn’t afraid to play a physical game and has shown a great defensive upside. You can just see him getting better with every game.
Atlanta loves our new super star. Even though he predicted it would be Kovy, Zach's St. Patrick's Day jersey brought in the highest bid for charity. He is of course a hit with the young ladies. There are signs asking him to the prom and professing adoration. He's a guy's guy too though. You can't deny his talent and he's exciting to watch. I know I'm watching a future All Star every time he takes the ice.
1 comments:
At least you will have a hockey team for a while. its looking like they are going to move the team per judges orders. They offically announce the judges rulling tomorrow
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