Expectations are high for Brock Boeser next season.

After dealing with unimaginable grief with his father’s condition with dementia worsening back home, it was hard for Boeser to just focus on hockey last season.

“It’s crazy to say out loud,” Boeser told Sportsnet‘s Iain Macintyre earlier this summer. “There were times where I was just mentally exhausted and mentally drained, and I felt that a lot. Just all the stress. It sounds really messed up but when I did get injured again, I’m not going to lie, it was almost (relief) because I was so mentally tired. I think it really affected me.”

After the season concluded, Boeser left for home to go be with his father in his final weeks. Duke Boeser died on May 27, 2022, at the age of 61.

“Looking back at this year, I still had 23 goals with the heaviest weight on my shoulders,” Boeser added. “Just to not have that weight… I mean, there’s still something there but it’s a little different now. I know I have a lot to prove, and I think I’m really driven to show everyone what I can do.”

Boeser is gearing up for his much-anticipated 2022-23 campaign by getting in reps in Da Beauty League, a summer hockey league based at Braemar Arena in Minnesota that features games with top NHL and NCAA players, most of whom are from Minnesota.

And as he so often does, Boeser sniped a goal that is sure to bring a smile to the faces of Canucks fans everywhere.

At the time of this writing, Boeser has two goals and one assist through three games played.