Former NHLer Bochenski becomes mayor of North Dakota city

Brandon Bochenski was elected the mayor of Grand Forks, North Dakota, on Tuesday, according to the Grand Forks Herald.

If that name sounds familiar, its because Bochenski spent parts of five seasons in the NHL with the Ottawa Senators, Chicago Blackhawks, Boston Bruins, Anaheim Ducks, Nashville Predators, and Tampa Bay Lightning.

Bochenski is from Blaine, Minnesota, but he spent three years playing for the University of North Dakota, where he tallied 154 points in 120 games. A seventh-round pick of the Senators in 2001, he received significant hype after recording 70 points in 75 games in his first AHL season before leading the NHL in goals the following preseason while skating on a line with Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley.

He was traded to Chicago after just 20 games with the Sens. He ended up playing 156 NHL contests, registering 28 goals and 40 assists. He eventually found a home in the KHL, spending eight seasons with Astana Barys before shifting his focus to real estate development and politics.

Bochenski received 49.62% of the vote, defeating Mike Brown (31.81%), who had spent 20 years in office.

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