The Rise of Canakhstan

It is exciting times right now for the Kazakhstan men's ice hockey program. Despite being relegated at the World Championships in Russia this past May, the Kazakhs are looking as good as they ever have been at the international stage. Head coach Andrei Nazarov of the National Team and the KHL club Barys Astana has been retained based on results and will be the man leading the charge when Kazakhstan enters the final stage of the 2018 Olympic Qualifying Tournament this fall.

The past World Championships began with an amazing start. Led by some strong goaltending from incumbent National Team goalie Vitali Kolesnik who made fifty saves, Kazakhstan upset Switzerland in a shootout. It was the Kazakh's first win at the top level World Championships in ten years. The next game they had Russia tied 4-4 in the third period before finally losing 6-4. They went on to lose their next five games and as a result were relegated.

Besides the strong play of Kolesnik in the Kazakh goal, the other big positive all tournament long for the Kazakhs was the fantastic debut of their new top line of Nigel Dawes, Dustin Boyd and Brandon Bochenski, called 'The Canadian Line' because they're all from Canada originally and have all just received their Kazakh passports allowing them to play for the National Team. The line was dubbed 'Canakhstan' by the media and the trio combined for sixteen points in the seven games, and were a threat to score every time they stepped onto the ice, especially on the powerplay where they found the net on several occasions during the tournament.

The centerman of 'The Canadian Line' is 29 year old Dustin Boyd. A native of Winnipeg, Boyd won a gold medal at the World Juniors with Team Canada in 2006, and later spent a couple seasons in the NHL with the Calgary Flames, Nashville Predators and Montreal Canadiens. Boyd joined the KHL's Barys Astana in Kazakhstan for the 2011-12 season and has been there ever since. He's been a prolific scorer ever since he joined Barys Astana, and this past May he got to represent his newly adopted country for the first time in an international competition. Boyd had five points in Kazakhstan's seven games.

If Kazakhstan is going to get back in the top pool of the World Championships and stay there in the next few years, it will likely be achieved with the tremendous help of what Canakhstan has brought to the Kazakh National Team.

EuroHockey.com talked to Dustin Boyd during the World Championships.

How did you start playing hockey and at what age?

I started playing hockey at the age of six.

Describe your playing style?

My playing style I would say is a playmaking centerman.

What have been some of the best moments of your career so far?

Some of my best career moments would be winning a gold medal with Canada at the World Juniors in Vancouver, and then definitely getting drafted and playing in the NHL.

What made you decide to leave the NHL and join Astana of the KHL in Kazakhstan? What has life in a new country been like for you and what made you decide to a Kazakh passport to be able to represent the national team at international competitions?

I ended up going to the KHL because I was down playing in the AHL and didn't know if I could get a one way offer to play in the NHL. I got a good contract from the KHL team in Astana and here I am. Living in Kazakhstan has been a really good experience. Astana is a beautiful city and the people and fans of the team have treated me very well. My family and I have made it our home and we plan on being there for a long time.

What was playing for Kazakhstan in this past World Championships like?

It was an honor to play for the Kazakh National Team and was a great experience for me. I've never played in the men's World Championships before so to get that opportunity was something very special.

What is your hockey future looking like, will you keep playing with Barys Astana for years to come you think?

As of right now I have one more year left on my contract with Barys, and then hopefully I can play there following that contract.

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