Karl Boudrias didn’t even need to step on the ice to know he had made the right decision to join the Belfast Giants, he knew it as soon as he walked into the changing room ahead of his first practice with his new team.
Having had a tough start to his first season in Europe with Slovakian side Nove Zamky, the 24-year-old Canadian defenceman was ready for a change of scenery. The Giants have offered a very welcome one, signing him until the end of the season to help an injury-hit squad in their bid for silverware.
To say things were rough for Boudrias in Slovakia would be an understatement. While he joined a team he already knew were going to be scrapping at the bottom of the table, results were worse than expected and a run of seven straight defeats that plummeted them to the bottom of the standings saw public opinion turn on them.
Boudrias was one of four non-Slovakian players released in quick succession alongside netminder Kristian Tamminen and forwards Dillon Hamaliuk and Maxim Golod — who, ironically, was the team’s top scorer — as they made swift changes. But while Nove Zamky have continued to stutter since, Boudrias has landed on his feet and he’s thrilled to be getting started with a Giants squad that has him beaming from ear to ear.
“When I signed there I already knew they weren’t a great team, but I thought I was going to play a lot and it’s my first year overseas,” explains the Quebec native, who signed in Belfast last week.
“Then we started losing a lot, and in Slovakia, it’s different; it’s a little bit more emotional and if you don’t win, they blame it on the imports.
“Here, it’s way different. As soon as I walked in for my first practice, I felt the mood and the energy was completely different. It’s all about winning here, but the boys want to win and they’re going to do everything to win. It’s so different from Slovakia, and it’s a blessing to be here now.
“I really like our team. It’s probably the best team I’ve played in so far, so I’m really excited about it. I can’t wait to get started.”
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This is Boudrias’ first season abroad after three years in the ECHL, spending the last two seasons with the Tulsa Oilers. While the appeal of working his way through the ranks and maybe getting the call-up to the NHL at some point was there, the Canadian knew it was time to launch his European career.
But he made the leap with the desire to keep bettering himself with every passing day, something he learned from a five-year spell in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League where he played alongside the likes of current NHL stars Rafaël Harvey-Pinard, Alexis Lafrenière, Hendrix Lapierre and Dawson Mercer.
“I didn’t know if I wanted to go to college or go through Major Junior Hockey. But when you grow up in Quebec, you’re watching the QMJHL and you just want to be there,” continues Boudrias, who can also cover forward if needs be.
“My second year, I played with Lafrenière, and from the first moment I saw him, I knew he was going to be special. He’s the kind of guy you just want to be around on and off the ice, and it was really good for me to learn from someone like that who has such passion for the game.
“And then in Chicoutimi, I played with Mercer and Lapierre and Pierrick Dubé — these guys are first on the ice, last on the ice, in the gym four or five times a week, they’re at the rink about six hours a day. I learned so much from them.”
Boudrias is set to make his debut for the Giants on Saturday night when they take on the Manchester Storm in Altrincham (7pm), followed by a trip to defending Elite League champions the Sheffield Steelers on Sunday (4pm) in two games that will have a significant bearing on their title hopes, with Adam Keefe’s men in fifth and already playing catch-up to the Cardiff Devils, albeit having played four games less.
“I’m looking forward to those games. I’m making sure my head is in the right space to play those games and I’m ready to go,” adds the blue-liner.
“It’ll be good for me to start on the road and get to know the way we travel and the routine.”