Zach Bogosian

At 34 years old, Zach Bogosian has this physical status:

Zachary M. Bogosian (born July 15, 1990) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman for the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Bogosian was considered a complete, physical defenseman who could play on both offense and defense, and he was rated as one of the top players in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, where the Atlanta Thrashers selected him third overall.

Bogosian was the first to play in an international tournament before joining the American national team at the 2009 IIHF World Championship.

Personal life

In Massena, New York, a town of 13,000 people near the Saint Lawrence River, Bogosian was born to Ike and Vicky Bogosian. Zach is the first NBA player of Armenian descent; his great-grandfather, Stephen Bogosian, left Western Armenia in 1923 at the age of 16 as a result of the Armenian genocide. Ike's father, Zach, was a star at the University of Syracuse University from 1979 to 1981, and was a student footballer. Joe Morris, a senior at Syracuse, was co-captain of the team with future New York Giants running back Joe Morris. In Massena, he and his brother run a carpet and floor cleaning firm. Vicky works as a hairdresser. Ike Jr. and Aaron are Zach's two older brothers. Aaron was also a professional ice hockey player who played four seasons with the Saints and served as team captain. Aaron played in the ECHL for the Florida Everblades most recently.

Bogosian joined the Massena Minor Hockey Association when he was three years old, and the team continued in it until he was 14 years old, when he left for Cushing Academy. Bogosian was the first person to play defense at Squirt (under ten years old), and although he was smaller than most of his peers, he was a natural skater. Throughout minor hockey, he alternated between forward and defense. He was a forward the first year before converting to a defender full time when he first started attending Cushing Academy. Bogosian took courses on the internet after leaving the classroom and heading to Canada with two years of high school to complete.

Bogosian is married to Boston Breakers and former United States women's national under-23 soccer team midfielder Bianca D'Agostino. In August 2015, the two were married. They met in Winnipeg.

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Playing career

Bogosian attended high school at Cushing Academy, a Massachusetts prep school. Ray Bourque, a former NHL defenseman who was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, was the assistant coach of the school's hockey team. Aaron, Bogosian's older brother, and Ryan, the boy of Bourque's uncle, were among Bogosian's coworkers. He was mostly used as a fifth or sixth defenseman at Cushing but he played little minutes as a result. Bogosian was selected 19th overall in the 2006 Ontario Hockey League's Priority Draft, rather than going to the NCAA, differed from most of his teammates, including his brother. Bogosian was expected to follow him in college as his father and uncle had both played college football in the NCAA. He cited watching Ottawa 67's games at age nine as a major factor in his decision to play in Canada.

Bogosian debuted with the Petes in 2006–07. He appeared in 67 games for the team and finished with 7 goals and 26 assists for 33 points, finishing second on the team in points for both rookies and defensemen. He was selected to the OHL's Second All-Rookie Team as one of the top four rookie defensemen in the league in honor of his season. Bogosian appeared in 60 games for the Petes this season. With 61 points (11 goals, 50 assists), the only defenseman in the league to do so; his 50 assists were second in the league among defensemen. After missing the previous season, the Petes advanced to the playoffs, and Bogosian added two more assists in five games. During the season, he appeared in both the OHL All-Star Classic and the CHL Top Prospects Game, an all-star game of prospects from the three leagues in the Canadian Hockey League (Western Hockey League, Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, and OHL). Bogosian was selected as one of the top five draft-eligible finalists for the Red Tilson Trophy as the highest offensive player in the OHL, and he was also named as one of the top defensemen in the league at the end of the season.

Bogosian was rated as the second best North American skater for the draft by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau prior to the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, and as the third best North American skater for the draft and the third ranked prospect out of the OHL. He was drafted third overall by the Atlanta Thrashers behind Steven Stamkos and Drew Doughty. Vince Malette, his son's coach, praised him as a "very physical defenseman" and defensively solid who can skate effectively with the puck and not lose speed. Don Waddell, the team's general manager, loved the physical appearance of Bogosian, as well as his ability to help score goals while still stopping other teams' top players. Bogosian had been praised early for the draft for his dedication to fitness, as he travelled more than 90 minutes to Ottawa to get a better job done.

Bogosian attended the Thrashers prospect development camp in July 2008. He stood out as one of the best players on the team and effectively guaranteed himself a roster spot on the team. Bogosian signed a three-year, entry-level deal with the Thrashers worth $2.625 million on September 4, 2008. In the first game of the season against the Washington Capitals on October 10, he was drafted to the team's opening day lineup and made his NHL debut in the team's first game of the season. Bogosian was the youngest person to play for the Thrashers in 18 years and 87 days, beating Ilya Kovalchuk (18 years, 172 days). Bogosian was called for a holding penalty early in his first shift, but later in the game, he clashed with Capitals enforcer Donald Brashear. Bogosian broke his left leg in a game against the Philadelphia Flyers on October 28, eight games into the season. Bogosian was sent by the Chicago Wolves, their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, for conditioning prior to returning to the Thrashers for the second time. Bogosian returned to the Thrashers for the remainder of the season after playing five games with the Wolves, including scoring his first professional goal against the Rockford IceHogs on January 3, 2009. In his twelfth game against the Nashville Predators, he scored his first NHL goal and recorded his first assist. The Thrashers lost their playoffs after Bogosian finished his first professional season with 19 points in 47 NHL games and 1 goal in 5 AHL games.

Bogosian was plagued by injury from 2009-2010. Bogosian fell behind his team's net during a game against the Ottawa Senators on October 31, 2009; with his left hand lying on the net's iron frame along the ice, another player fell on top of him. The crash fractured his left thumb and injured his wrist. Even if he didn't miss any time from his injury, it had an effect on his offensive play; Bogosian was reported to be more hesitant with the puck, preferring to pass it more often than firing. He had scored eight goals in the first 17 games of the season, but then went 29 games without scoring in the first 17 games. He only scored 2 goals in the final 64 games. Bogosian said he did not play at full speed after recovering, but he did not tell the team until the season ended in April 2010. Despite his injury, Bogosian played just one game this season, against the Phoenix Coyotes on March 14. Despite these setbacks, Bogosian set career records for games played (81), goals (10), assists (13) and points (23). He scored ten goals, tied for most defenseman in a season, first set by Yannick Tremblay in 1999–2000, the Thrashers' inaugural year. With 196 hits, he tied for the most hits on a team. The Thrashers lost the playoffs once more. Since the Atlanta Thrashers were sold to True North Sports & Entertainment and relocated to Winnipeg, Bogosian agreed to terms on a new two-year, $5 million deal with the Winnipeg Jets on September 14, 2011.

Bogosian was traded by Evander Kane and the rights to Jason Kasdorf in exchange for Tyler Myers, Drew Stafford, Brendan Lemieux, Joel Armia, and a conditional first-round pick (Jack Roslovic) in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, during the 2014-15 season, his seventh appearance with the Thrashers/Jets franchise.

The Sabres put Bogosian on waivers on February 14, 2020. He was assigned to the Rochester Americans the next day after going unclaimed. Bogosian was suspended by the Sabres for failing to notify Rochester three days earlier. Bogosian was granted unconditional waivers for the purpose of a job reversing on February 21.

Bogosian, a free agent, drew league attention before committing to a one-year, $1.3 million deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning on February 23, 2020. Bogosian played in his first NHL playoff game on August 3, 2020. In a 3–2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on August 15, 2020, Bogosian recorded his first NHL playoff assist and point. Bogosian claimed the Stanley Cup for the first time on September 28, 2020.

On October 10, 2020, Bogosian, a free agent, agreed to a one-year, $1 million deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Bogosian was a regular physical presence on the Maple Leafs' blueline in the 2020–21 season, scoring 4 assists in 45 regular season games. In a 7-game first-round series loss to the Montreal Canadiens in the post-season, he had 1 assist. Analysts praised Bogosian's work in a depth role, and the team made attempts to re-sign him, but was unable to do anything about reports that Bogosian was unhappy with the Canadian and Ontario governments' public health restrictions in reaction to COVID-19.

Bogosian, a free agent with the Maple Leafs, chose to return to the defending Tampa Bay Lightning by agreeing to a three-year, $2.55 million deal on July 28, 2021.

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