HomeSports'All The Guys Love Him': New Forward Energized Penguins' dressing room

‘All The Guys Love Him’: New Forward Energized Penguins’ dressing room

In anticipation of the Black Hockey History Game against the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday, Pittsburgh Penguins Forwank Boko Imama already feels at home in the city.

And – perhaps even more important – he feels at home with his teammates.

“I feel that I am here every day, every time I have the chance to be with the group, I just feel a little more comfortable, a little more included,” Imama said. “And I’m just going to try to use that to my advantage and just try to play better.”

Imama, who was recalled from Wilkes -Barrre/Scranton (WBS) – AHL branch from Pittsburgh – on January 25, played in four games with the Penguins. The resident of Montreal had short stops with the Arizona Coyotes from 2021-23 and with the Ottawa senators in 2023-24, which appeared in just 15 NHL matches prior to his Stint with the Penguins.

He only gathered one NHL target and one point, with the Coyotes during that first season. But what imama brings to the line -up goes a little further than production.

“I think Boko is great,” said Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan. “First and foremost he is a great child. He brings a lot of energy. The boys love him. He brings a physical element, and that is clear. But it doesn’t matter if he plays for three minutes or 30 minutes.

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“He likes to sit on the couch, to fight with his teammates. He is willing to stand up for them and to do what is needed to help us win. His attitude and his approach is contagious, and I think that He just brings great energy to us group. “

Imama’s parents emigrated from the Democratic Republic of Congo, and he is very proud of representing his family and his roots. He knows how many games at NHL level means for him and his family.

“Every day I come on my shoulder with that chip because I know it is big for me,” said Imama. “That is my dream to play for my family too. So it just gives me that gratitude every day. Just modest to be in that position.”

Sullivan said they are trying to place imama in the line -up in positions that will set him up for success. He pointed to the elements and intangible assets that imama brings to the Penguins’s line -up, including keeping his play simple, his situational Smarts and knowing if and when opponents physically involve.

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Physicality is a large part of Imama’s game. It is also something that the team has been missing for quite some time, because they have not had a player like Imama on their selection in years. Although he brings that other valuable assets to the line -up, his ability to ‘impose his will’, as Sullivan put it, is a characteristic of his game.

His coach knows. He knows. And his teammates know for sure. But he is also not a one -dimensional player. It will certainly be talked about the fighting aspect, but he has had a greater impact on the set -up of Penguins.

His teammates are also well aware of the impact he has had in the room as a whole in such a short time.

“First and foremost he brings physicality. Everyone knows,” said Linemate Blake Lizotte, who was his AHL teammate during their time in the Los Angeles Kings organization. “But I think he has an underlying skill. He has made some plays there, which is fun to look at and to be part of them. He is a great guy to play with.

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“But in the room he is one of the best guys. I know him for a while. Every room in which he finds himself, he lights up and all the guys love him. So it’s great to have him here.”

At the end of the day, Imama is an energy man. He wants to win. He knows that his team needs his way back in the play -off photo – and he wants to be part of it.

“My first two games, we didn’t win the victory, so I couldn’t really enjoy what it was like to win with this group of boys,” said Imama. “But that match against [the Utah Hockey Club] Was great. Just win and see all the smiles on the faces of the boys in the dressing room, listen to music, after a good meal after the game … everyone was happy, everyone told their stories … It was great.

“Hopefully we can get more victories while I’m here.”

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