Tyler Boston gives hockey another shot after quitting to focus on education

Tyler Boston was talking to his father two months ago when he was asked a question that completely changed his way of thinking.

“What do you want to do with your life after hockey if it doesn’t work out?” his dad, Blair, said.

“That was the breaking point where I needed to do what I needed to do to get into the program I want to get into,” Boston said.

Boston let that question fester until he finally told the last-place Guelph Storm on Boxing Day he was walking away to focus on his schooling.

At 18, having been passed over at last year’s draft, the 5-foot-11, 160-pound forward simply couldn’t bank on a pro career.

He only resumed playing after a Jan. 4 trade to Niagara IceDogs.

But Boston is steadfast in his stance that leaving the Storm – and resurfacing with an Eastern Conference contender – wasn’t part of a cleaver scheme.

The deal allows him to continue playing the game he loves, while affording him the chance to attend a private school with individualized academic assistance so he can improve his high school marks. The latter was an option he felt wasn’t available in Guelph.

“It had nothing to do with hockey,” said Boston, acquired for a third-round selection in the 2018 OHL draft, plus two more conditional picks. “The team could have been on a Memorial Cup run and it still wouldn’t have affected me.”

Boston determined he wanted to study urban development in post-secondary school – ideally at Western University in London – either in the fall or in 2017. And if that was going to be the case, he knew he had some work to do.

Boston graduated from high school last year, but had trouble managing his time away from the rink and his grades suffered.

Boston and his dad determined that he required regular supervision to avoid distraction. His father found Blyth Academy, a private school with a campus in Toronto, close to the family’s Newmarket home.

“Having the advantage of a one-on-one teacher and being able to ask the questions that I need to ask, the teacher’s always right there in front of you with no one else to pay attention to,” Boston said. “It only benefits you as a student.

“I have to suck it up. It will benefit me in the future.”

Reflecting back, Boston probably spent too much time socializing with his older teammates rather than studying.

“Some of the older guys in your first or second year maybe have a bit of an influence on you,” he said. “They can get you away from what you need to be doing if you’re still in high school.”

“It’s tough being a student and a player. I won’t lie,” he added. “Most guys can do it. But I was pretty lazy in high school. I sort of screwed myself now.”

Boston was determined to not lead himself down the same road again. The plan was for him to enrol at the Toronto campus in January.

As those plans were being made, however, IceDogs head coach and general manager Marty Williamson had another idea. Williamson contacted Boston’s agent, Mark Guy, and asked if Boston would be interested in continuing his OHL career in St. Catharines. There would be a Blyth campus nearby to attend.

It peaked Boston’s interest. A trade was consummated.

“They gave me an offer I really couldn’t say no to,” Boston said. “That’s the only reason I came back.”

Boston has suited up in three games as an IceDog. He is pointless so far. Williamson told the St. Catharines Standard he liked Boston because of his smarts, offensive instincts and competitiveness.

The way the situation unfolded was unique. And the Storm, the lowest-scoring team in the OHL, lost one of their top offensive contributors. Boston had six goals and 17 points in 32 games.

However, Storm general manager Mike Kelly wasn’t miffed by the way things unfolded and expressed no frustration to the Guelph Mercury about Boston or how the IceDogs conducted business.

"Tyler's a terrific kid … but for us it was time to move on and do what was in the best interest for the Storm and do what makes sense," Kelly told Tony Saxon of the Mercury.

Boston maintains the Storm were great to him, handled the situation wonderfully and still communicates regularly with his former teammates.

But he has turned his attention towards life in Niagara. That’s school and on the ice.

For Boston, the two aspects go hand in hand. The IceDogs are hoping for a long playoff run, meaning the potential for extra time at the rink and on the bus well into April.

Juggling books and pucks effectively is front of mind.

“I’m going to need the one-on-one (help),” Boston said.

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