By:John Sparenberg

Some super elite players are put into the perfect position from the first time that they step onto the ice in the American Hockey League. They are surrounded and supported by other players who also possess an equal or above average skill level, or other skaters who have learned and are willing to share the valuable lessons that they have learned skating in what many call the second best hockey league in the world.

But there is no substitute for experience, and for Hershey Bears’ rookie forward Travis Boyd, a 6th round draft pick of the Capitals in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, the combination of the valuable lessons that he has absorbed from his relatively short time in the Washington Capitals’ organization, combined with the knowledge that he has gained from his college days and his late season experience with the Bears last season, has led to him having a solid start to his first professional season in Chocolatetown.

Boyd, 22, was born in the “State of Hockey,” Minnesota, in Edina, but grew up in Hopkins, located about a 25-minute drive west of Minneapolis, and played his college hockey at the University of Minnesota.

“Growing up in Minnesota, it’s pretty much every kid’s dream to play for the Gophers,” said Boyd, who was assisted in his development by Golden Gophers’ assistant coach, Grant Potulny, a former Bear. “I had four great years there and was able to play on some really good teams.   I had a lot of fun both on and off the ice there. Those are times I won’t forget.”

Despite the fact that the Gophers never won the NCAA title during Boyd’s four-year tenure, the team enjoyed much success, appearing in the NCAA tournament each year including two appearances in the Frozen Four, capturing the conference championship crown in each campaign. Yet through all of that team success that saw the Gophers soar above the rest of any Division 1 team and accumulate 105 wins over those four campaigns, Boyd was still able to keep himself grounded and concentrate on his studies, winning a couple of academic awards on his way to earning a degree at Minnesota.

“At certain times of the year, it was definitely challenging trying to balance everything that goes along with it-school, practice, games, travel, and also finding time to enjoy yourself.  That’s something you learn as a freshman and sophomore, and by the time you get into your last two years, you pretty much have it figured out in terms of time management.  You obviously want to do well at hockey and become a better player, but it can’t be at the expense of your studies.”

In April of last season, after he had established career highs in goals (9), assists (23), and points in his senior season at Minnesota, and shortly after the Gophers were bitten by the University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs and their head coach, former Bear Scott Sandelin, in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, Boyd joined the Bears and appeared in two games, both against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, thus gaining some valuable bonus professional experience, as well as garnering his first goal as a pro.

“That experience was really important for me.  It was just about getting myself comfortable at this level and getting some confidence that I could play at this level.  So when I came and started this season, I knew I could play here. Obviously, this league is a big step up from college, but having played those couple games last year, I had experience of what this level was all about.”

Even with that bonus experience obtained last season and the lessons learned from that brief stint with the Bears, this season has still had its share of challenges for Boyd. He started the season by accumulating nine points in twenty games on three goals and six assists, but was held scoreless in fourteen outings. However, over the next twenty games, he substantially picked up the offensive pace by notching fifteen points and was only held off the scoresheet only seven times as he continues on his inaugural journey through an American Hockey League season, and adjusts to the life of a professional hockey player.

"There are a couple things that really stand out as being different” (from college), said Boyd. “One of them is the travel, which in this league can get challenging at times.  We have some long bus rides, and some of them are even the night before games.  We could be playing in Syracuse on a Saturday night and have to bus four and a half hours back home and play the next day (at 5 P.M.) after you got home at three in the morning.  You have to learn that no matter how much sleep you get, you just have to get yourself ready to play each game and really take care of your body to make sure you’re ready to go.”

One of other adjustments to the pro game, and one that doesn’t always lead to a goal being scored either for or against but is still vital in how the game plays out, is learning to read the play. When you talk to a player who has made the leap from one level of play to a higher level, they always say it’s the speed of the game that they notice and identify as being the biggest adjustment that they have to make, and Boyd has seemingly made that adjustment in the second quarter of this season, reading the play faster and better in the defensive or neutral zone, and then parlaying that recognition into recent success in the offensive zone.

“Things are slowing down, and I’m able to get a better read on the play and feel more confident each and every game, and I think that’s just a time and experience thing.  We’re halfway through the season now, and I’m pretty used to seeing what this league is all about and what it takes to be successful.”

Throughout his relatively brief time with the Bears, the only head coach that Boyd has known is the club’s current head coach, Troy Mann. Part of Mann’s responsibility to both Boyd and the Capitals’ organization in developing the 5’11” forward is to put him into as many situations as possible.  That means that he has been slotted by Mann and his staff in both offensive and defensive roles, from the power play unit or a spot on the top line in a scoring role, to the penalty killing unit or a spot on the fourth line in a checking role, responsible for creating energy or shutting down the opponent's top line.

A peek at Boyd’s stats provides convincing evidence of the various players that he has been on the ice with as he learns the professional ropes. His goals have been assisted on by the likes of Austin Fyten, a role player who has spent time with the Bears this season, but has spent most of the season in the East Coast Hockey League, as well as top line players like Chandler Stephenson and Chris Bourque, who usually play on the top line in addition to quarterbacking the Bears’ number one power play unit.

“It seems like whenever I play with Bourque, we seem to get things accomplished and put up some points,” said Boyd, who has assisted on five on Bourque’s goals to date and has received a helping hand from the Bears’ top scorer on both of the power play goals he has struck this season. “Chris is a great player, and it’s pretty easy to play with him.  He knows the system and generates a lot of offense. It’s always fun when I’m out there with him.”

Through forty-three games, Boyd is the only player who has suited up for each game that the Bears have played this season, but that’s not to say that he has been 100% healthy every night on the ice. Case in point, Boyd recently had a close call that would have relatively incapacitated mostly non-hockey playing folks for a day or so at the least, but not so for him. (Editor's note: Boyd was the only Bear to appear in all 76 of their regular season outings, and he has also appeared in all 12 of their post-season outings.)

“I took a puck to the face on a Thursday and broke my jaw, but I was able to fly up to Rochester and play all three games that weekend,” said Boyd who notched an assist on a goal by Connor Carrick in the Rochester game.

During his final three seasons at Minnesota, Boyd appeared in over 95% of the Gophers’ games, and missed only seven games, all in succession and the result of a broken foot, so it certainly comes as no surprise that he has been the Bears’ ironman this season.

“Throughout my career, I’ve always been a pretty healthy player, I guess you could say.  I’ve never had too many injuries. In college, the only games that I missed in those last three years were the ones as a result of the broken foot, but otherwise, I played every night. Being in the lineup every night is something I definitely take pride in. It’s just part of being a professional, making sure you’re ready for each game and making sure you perform to the best of your capabilities. Whether you’re 80% or 100%, you still have to find a way to go out there and give all you got to help the team get a win.”

Obviously, Boyd, who was only 17 years and five months old, and the youngest player available in the draft when the Capitals selected him in 2011 draft, is a prized prospect who will undoubtedly be given a shot in the NHL.  But for now, he must bide his time in the AHL in Hershey and continue his professional hockey development, learning and honing his hockey skills, under the tutelage of Mann and his staff.

“I’ve been in the lineup every game, so I can’t complain about that,” said Boyd, when asked about how he has been handled by Mann. “Troy does a great job of communicating with me.  If there’s a part of my game that he’s not liking and feels that I need to work on, he lays it out there, brings me into the office sits me down and talks to me about it.  He meets with each of us every ten or so games.  I just try to take those things in and work on the things that he says and try to work on that in games and practices.”

Away from the rink, Boyd is a reflection of what he is on the ice, an individual who relies on not one particular thing to obtain his goal.  He is simply a down to earth, hard-working Minnesota boy who has many elements that make make up his persona.

“I live with Caleb Herbert, and we have some good chemistry. We always have a good time, whether it’s just hanging out and playing video games or going out to find stuff to do.  There’s not one specific thing that I do to get my mind off the game and relax.  It’s just about getting your mind away from the rink, which is really important because it’s a long season,” said Boyd, a rookie who speaks like a true veteran.

(Editor's note: Herbert was assigned to the South Carolina Stingrays of the ECHL on March 24, and is currently with them in their quest for the Kelly Cup).