NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Tigers defenceman Pasha Bocharov carries the puck out of the Tigers end in the first period of the Tigers 2-0 loss to the Swift Current Broncos on Mar. 19.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
Pasha Bocharov will enjoy a stereotypical Californian summer and he’s not afraid to own it.
His routine away from the rink and working out in Escondido, Calif., 40 minutes north of San Diego, is pretty simple.
“I’m usually grabbing a burrito and crushing that on the beach. Get together a couple of friends and maybe play some spike ball or volleyball,” Bocharov said. “Grab a skateboard go down the coast. It’s pretty easy going around, so it’s not too bad.”
The 18-year-old defenceman joined the Tigers on Dec. 28 from the Saskatoon Blades in the three-way trade that included the Prince George Cougars. In 39 games donning the orange and black, Bocharov had two goals and seven points.
In January, Bocharov was listed 157th on the National Hockey League’s Central Scouting’s mid-term ranking of the top North American skaters.
Thursday morning the NHL central scouting released their final rankings and Bocharov was listed at 185. Fellow Tigers d-man Bogdans Hodass, who was listed at 173rd in January, also made the final rankings at 181.
When speaking with the News in the final week of the Tigers season, Bocharov said he’s not thinking about his NHL draft ranking too much and is instead focused on getting better for next season.
“I just try to go do what you can in the summer to get ready for the next season because it needs to be a big one,” Bocharov said. “Obviously it’s in the back of my head a little bit and just pretty excited to see what goes down.”
There are 224 draft picks in the 2022 NHL draft scheduled to be held at the Bell Centre in Montreal, with the first round on July 7 and rounds 2-7 on July 8. Bocharov said whether he hears his named selected, his work is just starting.
“You get drafted and it doesn’t really mean much, you’re just in an organization, you’re trying to work for that contract,” Bocharov said. “You don’t get drafted, same thing, you’re trying to get noticed to get that contract, maybe a little further down. But it’s kind of hard to think about.”
Bocharov said his focus is getting faster for the season ahead and said he’s excited to see how the Tigers improve over the summer from last year.
“We have a fire under us getting ready for the next season,” Bocharov said. “I’m just looking around and seeing all us young guys and all the potential we have. Just from when I’ve been here and seeing that development already go through, it’s kind of exciting and that’s what I’m looking forward to most for sure.”
In between working out and enjoying burritos on the beach, Bocharov said his family will visit other relatives in Massachusetts and may make a trip to Sweden with a friend. Those plans are still up in the air but Bocharov said if they make it to Sweden they’ll still train and see what Sweden has to offer.
With Tigers captain Daniel Baker aging out of the WHL last season, the team’s back end will be without a number one guy. Bocharov said he would want to be the guy but said it’s too early to tell who will step into the role.
“We have a lot of talented defenceman and you just want to do what you can to improve and be the best you can for next year,” Bocharov said. “If that’s what that brings then so be it, but that’s definitely something I’ll be pushing for.”
