Heartlanders’ Louis Boudon has options outside hockey

CORALVILLE - He graduated with a degree in kinesiology, minoring in business. He has contemplated doing some physical therapy work, perhaps something in the chiropractic field.

“I’m kind of not thinking about it right now,” Louis Boudon said. “Maybe I’ll end up using my degree, maybe I won’t ... I at least have those back-up options.”

The Iowa Heartlanders forward is full bore about hockey in the here and now. The 25-year-old is in his first full professional season, coming off his first two-goal game this past Sunday afternoon against Toledo.

He has been about a point-per-game guy for the Heartlanders, with seven goals and 19 points in 20 ECHL games. He also has played one game for the American Hockey League’s Iowa Wild, for whom he’s under contract.

“It’s an adjustment coming out of college,” Boudon said. “I think I’ve got to be a little more impactful and be a bit of a difference maker at times. Helping the team win a little more. I’m still trying to find my game a little bit, adjust to what the team needs me to do.”

Boudon’s route to pro hockey in North America has been unique. He’s from Grenoble, France, and his father played the sport, which is how he got into it.

At 18, he decided to leave home for the junior Massachusetts-based Northeast Generals of the North American Hockey League. The NAHL is considered a notch below the United States Hockey League, of which the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders are a member.

“It was just me wanting to play college hockey,” Boudon said. “I kind of took a different path. A lot of guys turn pro, want to go that way. But when I was 18 years old, I kind of took a gamble (and did it this way). It’s worked out so far.”

His play for Northeast got him a scholarship to Lake Superior State in Michigan, where he played four seasons. He signed a PTO (Player Tryout Contract) this past March with the AHL’s Laval Rocket after his college hockey season ended, was released from it, played three games for the Heartlanders and three with the Iowa Wild.

He showed well enough to get an AHL deal for this season.

“I’m just trying to get back (to the AHL),” Boudon said. “We’ll see what happens. I’ve just got to keep my head down and keep working.”

The Heartlanders are 10-10-4-1 for 25 standings points, which places it in a fourth-place tie with Cincinnati in a tightly packed Central Division of the ECHL. Toledo, which swept three games from Iowa this past weekend, leads the division with 35 points, followed by Fort Wayne (27), Wheeling (26), Iowa and Cincinnati, Kalamazoo (24) and Indy (21).

The Heartlanders host Fort Wayne for three games this week: Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. Puck drop is 6:35 Thursday and Friday and 6:05 Saturday.

Cedar Rapids RoughRiders

The RoughRiders lost a pair of games last weekend and are now in the United States Hockey League’s annual holiday break.

Cedar Rapids lost at home to Dubuque last Friday night, 5-2, then dropped a 3-2 overtime toughie the following night at Madison.

Against Dubuque, Isaac Johnson and Jack Larrigan had goals in the second period to give C.R. a 2-1 lead. But the Fighting Saints scored the game’s final four goals.

Landan Resendes and Garrett Drotts had goals to stake the RoughRiders to a 2-0 lead on Madison through two periods. But the Capitols scored twice in the third period and won it 1:02 into OT on Austin Bernevik’s 18th goal this season.

Cedar Rapids, 1-6-3 in its last 10 games, is 9-13-4-1 for 23 standings points overall, which places it in sixth place in the eight-team Eastern Conference. The Riders’ next game is Dec. 28 at home against Des Moines.

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