NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Tigers forward Brayden Bohem flips a puck towards the boards in warmup ahead of the Tigers 6-1 loss against the Lethbridge Hurricanes on April 2.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
Brayden Boehm’s game is at its best when he’s just having fun.
“I just have a smile on my face out there,” Boehm said. “It’s just the game that we all love playing, and you know, obviously when it’s fun it’s kind of easier to play. But I also definitely want to work hard and all that stuff.”
He says his second year in the WHL has had its ups and downs as he and the team begin looking toward next season.
“Definitely an interesting year for a lot of guys here, not the year that we all hoped for,” Boehm said. “Obviously we have to kind of forget about it almost and just work hard this summer and be ready to go next year.”
The 18-year-old has worked his way to the Tigers first line alongside veteran forward Logan Barlage, showing he belonged there with a goal and three assists in the Tigers home-and-home series with the Lethbridge Hurricanes last weekend. He has seven goals and 19 points in 61 games this season.
One of Boehm’s strongest abilities is his speed, and he’s often regarded as the fastest skater on the team. In a mid-March practice, the Tigers split in two groups and raced in waves where the losing side had to do pushups. An unnamed Tiger jokingly voiced his displeasure that Boehm should not be allowed to compete before completing his pushups.
The Nanaimo, B.C. product said it’s fun being able to have that speed to hold over guys’ heads.
“Definitely adds a bit of versatility to your game, especially with being able to get in the play a little bit more and just being able to not go as hard and be able to keep up with some guys, I think is a very good asset,” Boehm said.
Tigers associate coach Joe Frazer thinks the trio of Boehm, Barlage and Ashton Ferster was their best line against the Hurricanes. He said Boehm’s speed opens the ice for his linemates.
“When he’s using it consistently, it just pushes d-men back,” Frazer said. “Now, whether it’s your line mates or the other lines, they get more ice. So you have to you have to use your speed when you have it and that’s why you have to be fast.”
Boehm said he’s always been the fastest player on his team and credited his time as a short distance track runner for the speed.
“It’s been something that I’ve always been good at, especially growing up with track and field and all that stuff, I was always kind of a good runner and skating just kind of came easy to me,” Boehm said.
That speed and the rest of his game has helped propel Boehm into more playing time on both the Tigers power play and penalty kill. He says it’s really nice to get the extra responsibility.
“You come from a midget team where you get all that opportunity and you’re thrown in all those spots and you come here, it’s not given right away,” Boehm said. “You have to learn that, it’s nice to have that reward and be able to express my skill and use all my attributes to their full power.”
As the Tigers hit the road for Manitoba, their final road trip of the season, Boehm will be downloading comedy movies to combat the eight-hour bus ride to Brandon. Whether it be a Will Ferrell or Adam Sandler movie, that’s his way of keeping it light while on the bus.
