The arm tattoo, depicting a heart and spine, inspires and guides Brayden Boehm and reminds him there are things of much greater importance in life than just hockey. The tattoo is inscribed with the dates in 2021 of the surgeries undergone by his father Dave, on his heart, and sister Hailey, on her spine.
The Nanaimo product has returned to play on the Island, as the newest member of the Victoria Royals, and skated in his first game with the club on Friday night against the Wenatchee Wild at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre. Boehm had a goal and an assist Friday but the Wild prevailed 4-3 in a shootout.
“My dad and sister are doing great now and things are looking up and that’s a blessing,” said Boehm.
“It’s been a long journey for me, being all the way out there [former WHL club in Medicine Hat], and not being able to help the family or do anything. It was a struggle but my family is my main motivation and they helped me through it.”
WHL teams are allowed three 20-year-old players and the Tigers were over the limit, while the Royals had only two, allowing Victoria to trade for Boehm last week. The six-foot forward, who has 31 goals and 39 assists for 70 points in 153 regular-season games for the Tigers, expressed a preference to return to the Island if he was to be moved.
“This [playing for the Royals] was something I looked forward to growing up but didn’t know if it was going to happen,” said Boehm, a rare five-season WHLer.
“I missed the Island and it’s good to be back. Playing in front of family and friends isn’t something I’ve done yet in the WHL and I look forward to having them around this season. It will be pretty cool.”
Not that any trade is ever easy: “There’s always mixed emotions. It was hard leaving the guys. I’ve been around them for 4 ½ years and you become close.”
But the situation set up in such a way that it almost had to be.
“We are excited to be able to bring him home to finish out his junior career,” said Royals GM Jake Heisinger.
Boehm rounds out Victoria’s cast of 20-year-olds with fellow-forwards Tanner Scott and Vaughn Watterodt.
Boehm’s invitation this year to the NHL rookie camp of the Edmonton Oilers is an indication that scouts like his pro-style game.
“I’m a fast, hard, physical forward who plays both ends of the ice,” he said.
“I come with a lot of knowledge. I’ve been in the WHL for a while so I hope I can add that leadership aspect to the Royals team. I look forward to the opportunity. I want to win. With the group we have, I think we can go far.”
Boehm had an assist this season in four games for the Tigers after missing most of last season to a knee injury and that limited him to just 12 games but he had an encouraging five goals and 10 points in that dozen outings.
“It was a long recovery but it [knee] is as good as new,” he said.
Rebounding from health setbacks runs in the family.
ON THE ICE: The Royals and Wild meet again in the Memorial Centre today at 4 p.m.
