Zachary Boychuk is a professional ice hockey center from Canada who now represents Eisbären Berlin in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). When he played in the United States National Hockey League (NHL) he played for the Carolina Hurricanes and was selected 14th overall in the first round of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. As a junior, he was a member of the Western Hockey League’s (WHL) Lethbridge Hurricanes.
Boychuk began his junior career in the 2005–06 season with the Lethbridge Hurricanes of the WHL. After his rookie season, he became third overall in the WHL. He shared the Harry Ingarfield Memorial Award as Lethbridge team’s Most Valuable Player and won the team’s plus/minus award. On October 17, 2008, he made his NHL debut against the Los Angeles Kings, becoming the first Hurricanes player since Eric Staal in 2003 to do it in his draft year. He was an assistant captain for Team Canada at the 2009 U-20 World Junior Championship in Ottawa, which was his second WJC, and he helped Canada win gold for the second year in a row.
During his tenure as a professional hockey player, Boychuk has won several awards and honors including the WHL’s East Second All-Star Team in 2007 and 2008, in the AHL he won the Second All-Star Team in the 2013-2014 season, In the NL he won the Champions award in 2019 for SC Bern, and in the DEL He won the Champions award in 2021 for Eisbären Berlin.