Brock Boeser has done everything in his power to separate himself from the prospect of a sophomore slump thanks to his summer-hockey MVP performance at Da Beauty League.
Boeser hit the ice at Braemar Arena in Edina, Minnesota after a summer of rehabbing from the back injury he suffered on March 2 as well as a lingering wrist issue.
He finished as the league's leading scorer with 34 points in nine games—seven points ahead of second-place Brock Nelson, who played 10 games. And he came up big in clutch situations. Check out the hand-eye coordination on what proved to be the winning goal in Wednesday's championship game:
Last month, games started off as casual, high-scoring affairs, but there was a healthy level of competition in this week's playoffs. At just 21 years old, Boeser's MVP award came not just because of his scoring prowess but also as a result of his on-ice leadership. In the 4-on-4 format, he was also taking—and winning—some faceoffs on a Bic team that lost its top centres Derek Stepan and Casey Mittelstadt after the first few weeks of competition.
The league was a family affair for the Boeser clan. Brock's father, Duke, was named top coach in the tournament and, like last year, Brock teamed up with his sister Jessica during Monday's Unified Showcase game for Minnesota Special Hockey.
Jessica took the opening faceoff, not long before Brock set her up for a breakaway goal:
Ben Hankinson is the driving force behind Da Beauty League. He also happens to be Boeser's agent.
Sure, it's only summer league, but I wonder how much this showcase ends up factoring into the negotiations for Boeser's next contract? By proving that he's 100 percent healed from his injuries and that he appears to be adding more dimensions to his game, Hankinson could be building a case to get the Canucks to commit to a long-term deal as soon as possible rather than risk seeing Brock's value increase even more during his second full NHL season.
Of course, it is still possible that Boeser could suffer a sophomore slump. Here's a look at how the forwards who finished in the top five in Calder Trophy voting between 2014 and 2017 fared—I won't list the defensemen or goalies. Rookie seasons are listed first, followed by sophomore seasons.
Pretty solid, overall—although obviously, it's easier to assess the older players with more career data. From the class of 2014, Nathan MacKinnon was a classic sophomore slumper but hit a new career peak last season, finishing second in Hart Trophy voting, while Ondrej Palat and Tyler Johnson have kind of plateaued.
The three members of the class of 2015 ranged from consistent to outstanding in their sophomore years, and have all continued to be serious scoring threats.
Dylan Larkin was the slumper in the class of 2016, but he bounced back with a career high 63 points last season and just signed a long-term deal with the Red Wings with a cap hit of $6.1 million per season.
None of the players from the class of 2017 has signed his second contract yet. Auston Matthews saw his overall point total drop a bit in his sophomore season, while Patrik Laine and Mitch Marner both took big steps forward.
The biggest takeaway here for Canucks fans: modern Calder finalists almost always deliver on their early promise over the long term. Brock will certainly face tougher checking assignments next season, but he should also see more ice time and even more quality power-play time. He should also be better equipped to handle the grind of a full 82-game NHL season after experiencing that for the first time last season.
If he can stay healthy, I'll expect to see Boeser surpass his 29 goals and 55 points from last season.
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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