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By: Andrew Lindroth | Follow me on Twitter @andrewlindrothh

Happy 38th Birthday To Former Boston Bruins Forward Brandon Bochenski!

Brandon Bochenski was born on April 4th, 1982, in Blaine, Minnesota, and was drafted in 2001 by the Ottawa Senators in the seventh round. As an 18-year-old forward, he played for the Lincoln Stars (USHL) for one season and caught the Senators’ attention after he led the league with 47 goals. After being drafted, Bochenski played three seasons with the University of North Dakota, and in each of his final two years, he led his team in goals, power-play goals, and points.

After the 2003-2004 season, the 6’0 187-pound forward signed with the Ottawa Senators and played for the Binghampton Senators (AHL) from 2004-2006. Bochenski put up impressive numbers his rookie year, tallying 34 goals and 70 points in 75 games played. The next season he played just 33 games with 22-24-46 numbers before being called up for his first National Hockey League appearance with the Ottawa Senators. He appeared in his first 20 games with the Senators and put up 6-7-13 numbers before being traded to the Chicago Blackhawks for the remainder of the season. In 2006-2007 though, Bochenski struggled to cement his position in the line-up with Chicago, and just after ten games, he was traded to the Boston Bruins in exchange for forward Kris Versteeg and a conditional draft pick.

During the 2006-2007 season, Bochenski suited up for 31 games with the Bruins and scored 11 goals and 22 points. After a promising start, Bochenski inked a one-year deal with the Bruins during the 2007 off-season. Still, his journey in Boston lasted only 20 games that season, notching only two assists before he was dealt to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for defenseman Shane Hnidy and a sixth-round draft pick. He continued playing in the NHL until 2010 and finished his career playing for a total of six different NHL teams. He played 156 career games and posted 28-40-68 numbers.

After his five-year tenure in the NHL, Bochenski relocated across the world to play in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) in 2010. He played with Barys Astana (KHL) and served as captain of the team for several seasons. He made his first retirement announcement in May of 2017, but later returned to the team in 2018 for one more season, then officially retired from hockey in July of 2019. He played 419 career games in the KHL, posting 169-237-406 numbers.