Who says that good things aren't worth a wait? Binghamton's rookie sensation, Brandon Bochenski, is parent club Ottawa’s gift for patience.
A seventh-round selection in 2001 by Ottawa, the left wing joined the AHL’s Binghamton Senators this year after three stellar seasons with the University of North Dakota.
In 2003-04, Brandon was a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award; leading North Dakota in goals, assists, points, powerplay goals, short-handed goals and was named first-team All American.
This year, Bochenski has made a smooth transition to the professional game, continuing his prolific scoring. Through 44 games played, he leads all AHL rookies with 38 points, split evenly between 19 goals and 19 assists.
During his career, Brandon has proven that he can score at every level, from juniors, to college and now the American Hockey League.
Bochenski has good size and strength, but still needs some work on his overall defense and skating ability before moving on to the next level.
With his nose for the net, expect Bochenski to make a nice addition to Ottawa’s power play after a little more AHL seasoning. Circumstances around the re-opening of the NHL that is likely in 2006 may open doors sooner. We see him as a strong candidate for a brief look towards the tail end of the 2006 season with a likely call-up in 2007.
