Brandon Bochenski was a star forward for the University of North Dakota from 2001 to 2004. In his final collegiate season, 2003-2004, he had a remarkable year, tying for second in the nation in goals with 35 and leading his team with 62 points. His dominant performance earned him a Top 10 nomination for the Hobey Baker Award. He was also a First-Team All-American and was named to the All-WCHA First Team.

After his collegiate career, Bochenski went on to play professionally. He was drafted by the Ottawa Senators and played 156 games in the NHL for six different teams. He also had a very productive career in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) in Russia, where he became one of the top foreign goal scorers. Bochenski served as captain for Barys Astana and finished his KHL career as the top foreign player in the league’s history with 397 points in 399 games. Following his retirement from hockey in 2017, he entered politics and was elected Mayor of Grand Forks, North Dakota, in 2020.