Zach Bogosian

Zach Bogosian
Bogosian in April 2016.
Born	(1990-07-15) July 15, 1990 (age 26) Massena, New York, U.S.
Height	6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight	215 lb (98 kg; 15 st 5 lb)
Position	Defense
Shoots	Right
NHL team Former teams	Buffalo Sabres Atlanta Thrashers Winnipeg Jets
National team	United States
NHL Draft	3rd overall, 2008 Atlanta Thrashers
Playing career	2008–present

Zachary M. Bogosian (Armenian: Զաքարի Մ. Պողոսյան, born July 15, 1990) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman currently playing for the Buffalo Sabres. Bogosian attended Cushing Academy in Massachusetts before he joined the Peterborough Petes of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) in 2006. He played two seasons in the OHL, and was nominated for the Red Tilson Trophy as the league's most outstanding player in his second season. Bogosian was regarded as a complete, physical defenseman who could contribute on both offense and defense; he was rated as one of the top players heading into the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, where the Atlanta Thrashers selected him third overall. He signed a contract with the team a few weeks after the draft and began the season with the Thrashers, though he missed several weeks of his rookie year due to injury. In his second season, he tied a team record for goals by a defenseman. Bogosian first played in an international tournament when he joined the American national team at the 2009 IIHF World Championship.

In 2004, Bogosian entered high school at Cushing Academy, a prep school in Massachusetts. The assistant coach of the school's hockey team was Ray Bourque, a former NHL defenseman who was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame. Bogosian's teammates at Cushing included his older brother, Aaron, and Bourque's son, Ryan. While at Cushing he was used mostly as a fifth or sixth defenseman and played few minutes as a result. After his second year at the school, Bogosian was selected 19th overall in the 2006 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) Priority Draft by the Peterborough Petes Bogosian's decision to play in the OHL rather than go to the NCAA differed from most of his teammates, including his brother. As his father and uncle had also played college football in the NCAA, it was expected that Bogosian would follow them in going to university. He cited watching Ottawa 67's games at age nine as a major influence in deciding to play in Canada.