Lonny Bohonos

Lonnie W. Bohonos (born May 20, 1973) is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey right winger. He played most notably for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League and also appeared in several games for the Toronto Maple Leafs. In the later stages of his career, he played overseas in the Swiss Nationalliga A.

He is currently the head coach of the Fort William North Stars, a Thunder Bay team in the SIJHL.

Playing career

Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Bohonos played major junior in the Western Hockey League for the Moose Jaw Warriors, Seattle Thunderbirds and Portland Winter Hawks. After a 63-point season in 1992–93 split between Seattle and Portland, Bohonos dramatically rose to a league-leading 62 goals, 90 assists and 152 points the following season. In addition to the Bob Clarke Trophy as the league's leading scorer, Bohonos was also awarded the Brad Hornung Trophy as the most sportsmanlike player.

Unselected in the NHL Entry Draft, Bohonos' successful final year with the Portland Winter Hawks earned him an NHL contract from the Vancouver Canucks. He turned pro in 1994–95 with Vancouver's AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch. He quickly established himself as an offensive threat, scoring 75 points in his rookie season. The following year, he led Syracuse in goals and points, and earned a three-game callup to the NHL, recording an assist.

However, he was considered a very one-dimensional player and his NHL potential was questioned as a result. These criticisms dogged him throughout his career - while Bohonos had unquestionable skill and natural hockey sense as well as an excellent touch around the net, his defensive game and intangibles were considered below-par. Bohonos was also ripped by analysts and scouts as being a "lazy" player.

He continued to produce in the AHL in 1996–97 and finally earned his big break around mid-season with an extended call-up to the Canucks. In a disappointing year for the team, Bohonos was a bright light in the second half, playing well on a scoring line with Trevor Linden and Martin Gelinas, and finishing with 11 goals and 22 points in 36 games.

The following season, however, was a huge disappointment. While he cracked the Canucks' NHL roster out of training camp for the first time, he was used predominantly on the team's fourth line in a checking role for which he was ill-suited. After recording only 3 points in 31 games and being returned to the AHL, Bohonos was dealt to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Brandon Convery in an exchange of struggling talents.^[1] He again showcased his talent in a late-season call-up, putting up 6 points in 6 games for the Leafs.

The 1998–99 season saw him back in the AHL, where he led the Maple Leafs' AHL affiliate, the St. John's Maple Leafs, in scoring. In 7 games with Toronto, Bohonos again produced, scoring three goals. The highlight of his career, though, would come in the 1999 Stanley Cup Playoffs. With Igor Korolev and Fredrik Modin injured, and Derek King struggling, Bohonos was recalled and given an opportunity to skate on a scoring line with Mats Sundin. He responded in style, putting up 3 goals and 6 assists in 9 games to help Toronto to the Conference Finals.

After a year in the IHL with the Manitoba Moose, Bohonos left North America to sign with Davos HC in the Switzerland. He became one of the top players in the Nationalliga A, leading the league in scoring with 60 points in 2000–01. That same year, he won a Spengler Cup with Davos, defeating Canada in the final. He spent another year with Davos and was the Spengler Cup runner-up in 2002, then joined the ZSC Lions.

Bohonos returned to North America to spend the 2004–05 season with the Chicago Wolves, but again went back to Europe for the 2005–06 season, this time with the Mannheim Eagles in the German Deutsche Eishockey Liga. In November 2005, he suffered a serious neck injury in a collision with Denis Pederson of Berlin^[2] and was sidelined for the year. He was expected to make a full recovery for the 2006–07 season, but had to end his career, due to problems resulting from the injury.

Awards and achievements

• Named to the WHL West First All-Star Team (1994).
• Named to the CHL First All-Star Team (1994).
• Awarded the Bob Clarke Trophy as the WHL's leading scorer (1994).
• Awarded the Brad Hornung Trophy as the WHL's most sportsmanlike player (1994).
• Led Nationalliga A in scoring (2001).
• Won a Spengler Cup with Davos HC (2001).

Records

• Syracuse Crunch franchise single-season goals record - 40 in 1995–96
• Syracuse Crunch single-season points record - 79 in 1995–96 (tied with Bill Bowler, 2000–01)
• Previous Syracuse Crunch all-time goal scoring record - 104 (surpassed by Mark Hartigan on January 19, 2007)

References

http://tbnewswatch.com/sports/186522/Stars-hire-Bohonos-to-coach

External links

• Lonny Bohonos career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database
• Lonny Bohonos biography at Legends of Hockey