Sawyer Boulton has had a whirlwind year so far—after just one year with the OHL's London Knights, he has a championship under his belt and recently signed a two-way contract with the AHL's Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
Sawyer Boulton has had a whirlwind year so far—after just one year with the OHL's London Knights, he has a championship under his belt and recently signed a two-way contract with the AHL's Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
It may have been a bit of a surprise deal to fans, but Boulton revealed that his move to the AHL has been in the works for quite some time.
Knights teammate and fellow Flyers prospect Denver Barkey said that "we knew he had some AHL offers at the Memorial Cup...but he didn’t really give us any names."
"He was just like, ‘I kind of have to wait it out and see my options,’" he recalled. "Then the night before they released the [development camp] teams, he texted [Barkey and fellow Knight and Flyers prospect Oliver Bonk] and gave us a heads up that he was coming. That was a super fun moment."
Boulton confirmed that already having a connection with Barkey and Bonk (is that enough "B" names for you?) was part of the reason he decided to join the Flyers organization.
"When you know some familiar faces in the organization, it's a little more exciting to come," he said. "Those are two good hockey players, and I've enjoyed playing with them last year, and hopefully in a couple years playing for the Flyers with them."
Perhaps the biggest deciding factor in a process where he "couldn't really make up [his] mind until after the draft," was the fact that "everyone knows that [the Flyers] like to play a hard-nosed style of hockey and I felt like I fit that."
That's not much of a surprise, seeing as he's the spitting image of his father, former NHL enforcer Eric Boulton, in both appearance and playing style. His father has had a significant influence on his journey to this point, and has given Boulton plenty of pointers to help his game along.
"He's a tough guy, and he was a tough guy for a long time," he said. "He teaches me a lot of stuff to absorb and take in...He's always been a huge factor. He knows so much and has so much experience, so many tidbits to give [me]. It's been special...He was very happy, he was fired up. The whole family was fired up.
"It was always part of my life growing up. My dad would always take us to the locker rooms and say hi to all the players and stuff. [We saw] how the process went when I was younger, and it's always been cool."
Family is a huge part of Boulton's life. His younger brother, Ryder, is also a member of the London Knights, and while the two are "very competitive in a lot of ways," they're always rooting for each other when it comes to hockey.
"He's two years younger and he's got a long road of development ahead of him," Boulton said, smiling. "He's definitely going to be a good player as well."
Despite the fact that he'll be turning just 20 years old on July 12, Flyers fans will undoubtedly be itching to see Boulton in action for the Phantoms, and will likely be even more impatient to see him suit up for the Flyers in the future.
"I like to bring energy to the whole lineup," he described. "I like to stick up for my teammates and make sure they feel safe, make sure they have room, and try to be good defensively and keep the puck out of our net and play some gritty games."
The jump to the AHL after just a year of OHL hockey is a huge one to make in such a short period of time, and one that Boulton credits largely to the Knights organization.
"I owe it all to the Hunter brothers and the great staff they have in London," he said. "They really helped me develop my game and get better with all the little things, and now look at us here!"
"It’s his first year in the OHL and he signs a pro contract," Barkey noted. "It’s kind of what the game’s about. It was cool to see. It put a smile on my face to see someone like him work hard and earn a contract.”
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