Travis Boyd Enjoying Breakthrough Season with Yotes

Travis Boyd has seized a top-six center role for the Coyotes this season. Just after the unofficial halfway point of the season, the 28-year-old has produced personal bests in goals (10), points (22) and has seen a huge uptick in ice time by averaging 16:07 over his 40 games played, including playing as much as 21:14 in a contest.
"I've always thought and viewed myself as somebody who can play in this role at this level," said Boyd. "It's just hard to get an opportunity. With this opportunity in Arizona, I think I've grown a lot and have become more confident with just playing more, getting more opportunities and taking a step with my own game too."

A sixth-round pick (177th overall) by Washington in 2011, Boyd skated in 85 games with the Capitals over parts of the 2017-20 seasons, playing to this point a career-high 53 contests in 2018-19. He also suited up in Game 6 of the 2018 Second Round when the Caps eliminated the two-time defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins. The forward then split his 2020-21 season between Toronto and Vancouver before signing in Arizona last summer.
"He is a versatile, two-way center who can fill a lot of different roles for our club," said Coyotes General Manager Bill Armstrong when the club signed Boyd on August 3.
He has not crossed the 40-game threshold in a season since 2018-19, but is on track to play in his highest single-season total in the NHL by taking full advantage of his opportunity with the Coyotes. His production and place as a mainstay in Head Coach André Tourigny's lineup comes after fighting through adversity at the beginning of the year.
"He's improved on a lot of levels," said Tourigny. "The most important thing is his confidence in himself and in his all-around game. He's a talented player but he saw the opportunity he had to play with us and was putting a lot of pressure on himself.
"The beginning of the year did not go the way he wanted, and then he had the opportunity to get back in the lineup. Since then, he's been a more composed player and person. He's extremely competitive and he does all the details well within the game."
An increased role in the NHL comes with increased responsibility. But the fighting through the adversity Tourigny alludes to shows Boyd has embraced the new challenges.
"It's been a learning experience for me too playing against team's top lines, getting to play 18 minutes a night and stuff like that," said Boyd. "So it's been a growing experience, but I think I've been getting better each and every night and my confidence has continued to grow."

Many of Boyd's points have come in key spots, including his pair of three-point games - a total he hadn't recorded in a game prior to this season. The efforts came in Arizona's track meet-style wins over Anaheim on Dec. 17 and Chicago on Jan. 6, both of which were scenarios where he assisted on two goals within a minute that put the momentum in Arizona's corner. Boyd also assisted on Kyle Capobianco's overtime goal at Los Angeles back on Nov. 21, his first career overtime point.
"He's not just a player who has ability. He's a player that goes at the net hard, who competes really hard in the D-zone and drives the net in the offensive zone," said Tourigny. "He can make plays but can play in the dirty area as well. Most importantly, his game has grown this season because of his mindset."
Boyd has been penciled into the top six for Tourigny on a nightly basis for the better part of the last 30 games. The elusive opportunity at the NHL level has presented itself and all things considered, he thinks his new team is a good fit for him both as a player and for his family.
"I'm loving it down here. I know my family loves it down here too," said Boyd. "It's a great group of guys and I love coming to the rink every day. Our record is one thing, sure, but anyone who has watched us all year knows we're trending in the right direction and we're getting better every game and every day. It's a lot of fun being around this group, and it's a lot of fun being an Arizona Coyote.
"I'm really excited to get the second half of the season hopefully going the same way."