Boychuk gets taste of past in Global Series Challenge against Sharks

BERLIN --
Zach Boychuk
was sitting at home in December 2020 without a contract.

The forward didn't believe he was done with the game yet, but he didn't have anywhere to play. He had bounced around the past half-dozen seasons, from Charlotte and Bakersfield of the American Hockey League to the Sibir Novosibirsk and Slovan Bratislava and Severstal Cherepovets of the Kontinental Hockey League, to Bern SC and Fribourg-Gotteron HC in Switzerland.
Then his phone rang.
"I was just kind of waiting, seeing what was happening, and then the coach here called and said they wanted to bring in a center," Boychuk said. "I'm really happy that I got that call. It's been awesome ever since."
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Boychuk, who turned 33 Tuesday and last played in the NHL for the Carolina Hurricanes in 2014-15, arrived at the right time. Eisbaren Berlin has won the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL), the top professional league in Germany, each of the past two seasons, including in a completely empty building in 2021 because of COVID-19. He has found a home here, far from his native Airdrie, Alberta.
"It's nice to stay in one spot for a little while because I've played in Russia, I've played in Switzerland, Slovakia, kind of bounced around the last few years," he said. "Nice to stay in a great city in Germany."
He got to revisit his past Tuesday, when Eisbaren Berlin lost 3-1 to the San Jose Sharks in the NHL Global Series Challenge at Mercedes-Benz Arena.
Boychuk knew some of his opponents, having played with Sharks forward Logan Couture when he was young, along with goalie Aaron Dell. He was picked No. 14 by the Hurricanes in the 2008 NHL Draft, one spot ahead of defenseman Erik Karlsson. He played seven seasons in the NHL with the Hurricanes, Pittsburgh Penguins and Nashville Predators, and had 30 points (12 goals, 18 assists) in 127 games.

Part of what has eased Boychuk's transition to the DEL has been the number of North American players on the team. While the KHL has strict limits on foreigners, with five allowed to dress each game, the DEL limit is much higher.
"It helps a lot," he said. "To have people from Canada and the U.S. kind of just makes it feel more like home. When I was in Russia, you're only allowed five imports, and some could be from Sweden or Finland. Here you're allowed up to 11."
The coaches also are from Canada, including head coach Serge Aubin.
"It feels like we're playing a North American style, but over in Europe on the big ice," Boychuk said. "It took a while for me to get adjusted. I think I probably prefer the smaller ice still. You can kind of shoot from anywhere and have a chance to get a rebound or a goal.
"Here it's a lot more thinking, not as much dumping of the puck. More puck possession but you can get pretty tired out there sometimes when you're stuck out there for two or three minutes because the ice is so big."
It seems he has adjusted well.
"Tremendous work ethic," Aubin said. "Zach obviously played at the highest level, understands what it's all about. A guy with decent skill, but it's how he conducts himself, how he attacks each and every day. He's just a pro. He's a good influence on our young guys and is an important player for us."