By Robb Fenton
Surprising, unexpected and exciting are all words you could use to describe David Dziurzynski's recent news.
Shortly after wrapping up his final season of junior hockey and first in the BCHL, Dziurzynski signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Ottawa Senators.
The former Lloydminster Bobcats admitted it all happened so quickly.
“I didn’t really know what to think. It was just unbelievable for me,” he said. “It’s been a dream of mine since I was little and now it’s one step closer to coming true.”
Dziurzynski, who was traded in the 2009 off-season, put up his best season in junior hockey with the Alberni Valley Bulldogs.
He picked up 21 goals, 53 assists, good for 74 points, including eight power play goals, three game winners and 79 penalty minutes.
He finished third on the team in scoring and second in assists.
“It was unreal. It’s a great league and where I played (Alberni) was unbelievable. We sold the barn out pretty much every night and the fans were great. It was just a great experience all around,” Dziurzynski said of his time in the BCHL.
After a great regular season, Dziurzynski followed it up with an even more impressive playoff.
He led his team in scoring with 19 points in 13 games and all the way to Game 7 of the Coastal Conference Finals.
“It was awesome. Coming from here, with the Bobcats, we didn’t advance too far in the playoffs. So winning a round, then two rounds of playoffs and getting to the Coastal Conference finals, we were eliminated, but it was a great experience,” he said, adding it was a nice way to finish off his junior career with a playoff run.
During his two seasons with the Bobcats, Dziurzynski tallied 57 points, including 20 goals and 267 penalty minutes in 106 games.
The 20-year-old Lloydminster native already had plans for next year, but those quickly changed after a few phone calls with his agent.
“I had an NCAA scholarship after this year and I called my agent to see about school and he said there were some pro teams interested in me. A couple days later I got a call to sign with Ottawa,” he explained. “It was out of the blue pretty much.”
After the thrill of signing a pro contract, the real work begins for Dziurzynski.
He already has plans in place to get ready for a camp with the Senators during the summer.
“I’m moving to Saskatoon in the first week of May. I’m going to have a personal trainer there,” he said. “Then after the draft in June I’m going to Ottawa to discuss things and just work with the team to develop my game.”
A good friend of Dziurzynski’s, Marshall native Braden Holtby, has been through this before, as he was drafted and signed with the Washington Capitals.
Although the two haven’t had a lot of time to discuss things, Dziurzynski plans on using his friend’s knowledge of the pro game.
“I talked to him, but not really in depth. He’s kind of busy right getting ready for playoffs, so I haven’t talk to him too much,” he said, adding once Holtby has time, the two will likely get together.
Dziurzynski knows the off-season won’t be easy, but it will be all worth it when he is able to hit the ice with the pros and hopefully make a splash with the Senators.
“It’s going to be a really hard summer, working out and going to all these camps and skating with pro guys. It’s going to be a very tough summer, but it will be good,” he said.