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Flathead
01-01-2006, 10:31 PM
2005 Flames' draft choice Dustin Boyd is making an impression for Canada at the World Junior Championships.
Boyd opening eyes
By Russ Cohen | NHL.com correspondent
Dec. 29, 2005



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VANCOUVER -- Team Canada forward Dustin Boyd didn't make the cut in the last World Junior Championships, but he's here in 2005 and has made quite an impression in the early going.

Boyd scored two goals in Canada' opening win and also had the most jump on the team, setting the tone for the team's eventual win over Finland.

At 19, Boyd has a very bright future ahead of him. The 6-foot, 185 pound bundle of energy can really get a team going with his solid skating ability and knack for keeping the puck in the opposing team's offensive zone.

"I think we are all fast," said a modest Boyd.

When you bring a team of stars together it takes a while for them to become familiar with each other as players. A few weeks ago, they played against each other and now players are teammates. It's a strange dynamic, but the one thing that they have in common is the willingness to put it all on the line for their country.

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NHL Draft page
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"We played together in the Canada-Russia exhibition game and for that we were on the same line," said linemate Blake Comeau.

That didn't give the line a lot of time to gell, but the line did produce four points in that first game. If that's sign of things to come, then Boyd's presence on that team is immense. He's a player who doesn't seem to be looking for fanfare, but rather just playing the game that he loves with a passion. So far this third-round selection of the Calgary Flames (98th overall in 2004) is exceeding what a mid-round pick is supposed to be. In what will likely be his last season in the WHL Boyd is averaging more than a point per game, second in the league in scoring, and has a great plus minus. He is maturing as a player and could be ready for the NHL in a few seasons.

Spending four years is invaluable for a developing player and Calgary was smart to not rush him. Every player has their own cycle that they must go through and it's up to the coaches to know when a player is ready for the NHL. Most players aren't Sidney Crosby and take a much longer to be NHL ready.

The exuberance that young hockey players have could power a town if there were a way to plug in that energy to a big generator. Boyd is a player who will get his nose dirty and do whatever it takes to get to the net. He isn't a selfish player and will dish the puck but he is a goal scorer. When you have skill, speed and you can put the puck in the net that makes you a dangerous player and that can cause some big problems for opposing goalies.

"The speed, I noticed that. The Canadian guys skate really hard. They move the puck really well and make great passes, so that's nothing what we have seen in Finland so much," said Tuukka Rask, Team Finland's goalie.

Boyd was at the top of the list of those hard skaters and he is the type of player who can unnerve a goalie and get into his head. Even the best of goalies go through this and good offensive players know it.

"We just wanted to get him early and we did that," said a happy Boyd. "To be a part of this is something special. You always want to put every puck in the net and bury it every chance you get."

The mentality of a sniper, a scorer, is hard to teach. They are the players that want the puck in key situations because they believe they can score the game-winner. They are the players who sometimes bang their sticks on the ice to get a player to pass it to them. Every team needs a few of these players to rely on and in the future the Flames will have him to go along with Jarome Iginla and company. He will fit right into the team's style of play and can be a nice third-line player to start with hopes of moving higher in the future.

There are a lot of big names on the 2006 roster for Team Canada and Boyd's isn't one that gets mentioned often. Star Forwards like Steve Downie, Andrew Cogliano, Benoit Pouliot and Jonathan Toews all get a lot more ink. Sometimes it's good for a player like Boyd to fly under the radar. There won't be as much pressure on him to perform and he can pleasantly surprise people who didn't have any previous expectations about him.