Vancouver Giants star defenceman Bowen Byram bagged his first NHL career point as a Colorado Avalanche player on Friday, Jan. 22, feeding a pass between the feet of an opposing player to reach teammate Mikko Rantanen and give the Avalanche a 2-1 lead in the third period against the Anaheim Ducks.
First NHL point for @BowenByram has been acquired!
Lovely pass, Bo. 👠pic.twitter.com/GyoWaSdk5q
— NHL (@NHL) January 23, 2021
After the Ducks battled back to tie the game, the Av went on to prevail in overtime, beating the Ducks 3-2.
For Byram, his second consecutive start with Colorado saw the 19-year-old defenceman with the Langley-based WHL franchise looking like a savvy veteran.
“I was just trying to be calm and confident with the puck,” Byram recalled.
It was his second appearance in an NHL game.
“I didn’t have too many jitters,” Byram told a post-game virtual press conference.
“I felt good right off the bat.”
Byram said he’s learned that in NHL, you let the game come to you.
“The biggest thing is just being patient,” he remarked.
“You’ve got to be confident.”
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Byram, the fourth overall pick from the 2019 NHL Draft, is the 32nd Vancouver Giant to play in the NHL.
He signed his first NHL contract with Colorado on July 19, 2019.
Byram has had an impressive run with the Giants.
After posting six goals and 21 assists for 27 points through 60 games during the 2017-18 season, he was named the Western Conference Rookie of the Year.
As the Vancouver Giants were chasing down first place in the Western Conference in 2019, Byram notched a big piece of WHL history when he scored his sixth overtime winning goal of the season, setting a new single season WHL record for overtime goals in a season.
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In the 2018-19 season Byram was named a first-team Western Conference all-star after posting 26 goals and 45 assists for 71 points through 67 games.
His 26 goals were the most ever in a single season by a Giants defenceman.
He also set a new WHL single-season record with six overtime winning goals.
During the playoffs, Byram led all WHL skaters with 26 points making him the first ever defenceman to lead the WHL playoffs in scoring.
Byram has played for Canada at the World Juniors, twice, becoming the first Canadian-born Giants player since Evander Kane (2009) to win a gold medal in 2020, and returning in 2021 to win silver, scoring one goal and four assists, as well as being named a tournament all-star, and one of Canada’s top three players for the tournament.
