SASKATOON, Saskatchewan — “This is a very exciting signing,” Colin Priestner, the general manager of the Saskatoon Blades, said about Pavel Bocharov after the young defender signed a Western Hockey League Standard Player Agreement with the Blades in the 2020-21 regular season. 

The signing of Pavel Bocharov (aka Pasha) is an exciting one for the Blades, not just because he is from the United States of America (a fact that can bring a level of prestige to the club), but because Pasha is a quality defensive player. He made his mark on the ice of play in the previous clubs he played for before joining the Blades. 

Born on Feb. 21, 2004 (17 years old), in Escondido, California, Pasha made his debut at the Los Angeles Jr. Kings 13U AAA in the 2017-18 season. He is a left-shooter and plays defense. The 6-foot tall teenager weighs 81 kilograms, and he uses that as an excellent defensive strategy. 

He spent a total of two seasons with Los Angeles Jr. Kings. In his first season, he played 41 games, scored 19 goals, and provided 14 assists. Only one player (Justin Scarbrough) had better total points than him in the Tier 1 Elite Hockey League 13U that season.

In 2018-19, Pasha was simply dazzling in front of the goal. He played 53 games, scored 24 goals and provided 30 assists. This means the young defender made a goal contribution for each game played in the season. He, therefore, made the highest total points for the season. No player exceeded him in assists, and only Luke Baker had three more goals than him. But in terms of the total points, he had 13 points more than Baker. Baker is a forward, while Pasha is a defender.

The question is, how is a defender scoring that many goals than a forward and providing more assists? 

Rhode Island Saints 15U was the defender’s next point of duty in the 2019-20 season. Unfortunately, he played only five games with them because of the COVID-19 pandemic but not without showing the players in the Beast 15U League the stuff he is made up of. He scored two goals, the highest for any defender in the season.

In the NEPACK 15U League with the Mount St. Charles Academy 15U AAA, Pasha played a total of 56 games, scoring 13 goals and providing nine assists. He was the only defender with that number of goals in that season. Wherever he goes, one thing he takes with him is goal scoring and assists.

How can a defender score that many goals and still defend? 

His combined scoring and defensive superpower didn’t go unnoticed; people could see his skills all the way to Canada. The Saskatoon Blades picked him in the 8th round and 160th overall during the 2019 Western Hockey League Bantam Draft. 

In the 2020-21 season, his debut season in the Western Hockey League with the Saskatoon Blades, he played 16 games and provided one assist. He has already played two games in the current season, and a lot of people are looking up to him. 

Fans know that Pavel Bocharov always brings his scoring and defensive superpower to any club he plays for. By the end of the season, the fans of the Blades will be awe-struck by his achievements.

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