CANADIENS ASSIGN FORWARD TIM BOZON TO THE KOOTENAY ICE OF THE WESTERN HOCKEY LEAGUE
MONTREAL (October 10, 2014) – Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin announced today that forward Tim Bozon has been assigned to his junior team, the Kootenay Ice of the Western Hockey League.
“Tim Bozon has come a long way. He fought a life-threatening disease with courage and determination and we are pleased with what he accomplished in the last few months. He was able to take part in the rookie camp, the Canadiens’ official camp and the Hamilton Bulldogs training camp. However, with his progression having been diminished due to illness, we feel that one of the priorities for his long term development is for him to fully regain his physical strength. We believe that joining the Kootenay Ice in the WHL is the right decision at this time as it will allow Tim to fully recover”, said Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin.
Bozon, 20, took part in the Canadiens’ rookie camp last September, as well as the Club’s main camp. The 6’01’’ and 189 lbs forward played in his first professional game on September 26 in Quebec City. Bozon was assigned to the AHL Hamilton Bulldogs on September 28. He played in all three preseason games with the Bulldogs against the St. John’s Icecaps.
In 63 games with Kamloops and Kootenay in the WHL in 2013-14, Bozon collected 69 points (33 goals, 36 assists). A native of St. Louis, Missouri, Bozon was selected in the third round, 64th overall by the Canadiens at the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.
============================
Analysis by Ben Kerr: The move certainly makes a lot of sense. Bozon is a highly skilled offensive prospect, but there is no telling what the ordeal he went through took out of him. There were genuine fears, not only for his hockey career, but for his life last spring. While Bozon has put back on most of the weight he lost fighting meningitis.. it would be tough to put on that much weight and have it be all muscle mass in such a short time, so he really needs a year to regain his strength. This shouldn’t be seen as a setback for Bozon, but a step on his road to recovery and expect to see him in Hamilton in 2015-16.
Thank you for reading. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter – @LastWordOnSport and @LWOSworld – and “liking” our Facebook page.
For the latest in sports injury news, check out our friends at Sports Injury Alert.
Have you tuned into Last Word On Sports Radio? LWOS is pleased to bring you 24/7 sports radio to your PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone. What are you waiting for?
