At witch NHL players you compare Alex Bourret?

[Le Golie]

Bourret has way more potential than Tootoo. Not even in the same league.

I somewhat agree with those saying Bourret = Tucker except with moe skill and more class, but if Tucker had an ounce of class he'd still be Darcy Tucker. It looks like Bourret has more potential than that.

The Roenick comparison sounds fair, just not as flamboyant.

 

[Mess]

Well I change my argument from you not seeing him enough just to being flat out wrong. Bourrets game is not similar to Tootoo at all. Take away the hitting and they are completly different players. Bourret is more of a playmaker where Tootoo a scorer (in junior that is). Tootoo isn't the smartest guy on the ice and doesn't allways make great plays with the puck. Tootoo's skill set is miles below Bourret.....that is passing ability, stickhandling, hand eye coordination, finding holes, drawing defenders away from their man......Bourret is better in allmost every area.

Well many of those things you are quoting are intangeles and not able to be measured in any way .. "eye hand coordination" for example and very subjective from person to person .. Those things you mention although certainly would be better judged by more viewings .. but regarless those skillsets are not showing up in volume on the score sheet as his Q totals would lead one to believe .and I would imagine now you are at a disadvantage in evaluatng Tootoo as I can only imagine you have only see him a handful of times as a junior the majority of being from the WJC .. It could not have been very many Brandon Wheat King games .. Or you are now using his AHL or NHL viewings when the players are bigger the game faster and more skilled and identifying what you see of Tootoo as a pro verses Bourret as a Junior player where time and space and abilities and viewed under different circumstances ... and even after all that is said none of those differences that you see guarantees Bourret any more NHL success then Tootoo. I do agree that Tootoo plays a more straight up and down game and that Bourret is more creative with the puck, and craftier with it, increasing his playmaking ability, but no two prospects or players are alike anyways. The Bull in the china shop mentality has gotten him this far .. but is is becoming apparent to me anyway that at the higher levels he is starting to struggle or just adjustment time perhaps ..

Both are prospects finding their way in the world and as you say draft team will go a long way in determining their future .. Tootoo in Nashville being a young and inexperienced team may give him a much better opportunity then Bourret drafted by a deep team or a contender with few openings ..

Lets not forget that the NHL is a big mans league and at 5'10' 200+ that Bourret will also be facing the same stereotype barrier then smaller players that have gone before him ..

 

[Hobey Baker]

puck poise

 

[Zednik]

Steve Begin

 

[Mess]

You do realize Bourret is over a PPG in his draft year. Lets put this into perspective.

Ladd = 75 points in 71 games
Picard = 80 points in 69 games
Chipchura = 48 points in 64 games
Wolski = 70 points in 66 games
Schremp = 75 points in 63 games
Staal = 98 points in 66 games
Horton = 68 points in 54 games
Getzlaf = 68 points in 70 games
Brown - 76 points in 56 games
Pouliot - 73 points in 65 games

Bourret = 102 points in 70 games (On pace if he played 70 games)

To be fair I don't see many on that list project to 60+ plus players based on the current low scoring NHL now and in the future ..

Staal is the safest but on Carolina with little support he wll need to do most of that himself ..

Schremp has boom or bust talent and so he could score at a higher level or never play at all ..

Brown may be a 60 pointer but needs good linemates on 1st line ice ..

The Power forward Types Ladd, Picard , Getzlaf, Horton I do not see as high point producers at the NHL level ..relying more on corner work and crashing the net and leaving the goal scoring for their more skilled teammates ..

To be fair Bourret really isn't like any of those guys on the list and its again not really fair comparing slower developing Power Forward types .. Bourret will have to make the NHL on his skill and not his size or lack there of despite the grit .. The majority on the list have the size and strength to play and offense is secondary requirments ..

I agree with the poster that said he will need to re-invent himself similar to Darcy Tucker and pick his spots .. He can't go flying around body checking everyone at the NHL level unless he has the fisticuffs to back it up, if he hits the wrong guy..

 

[dougd]

I had remarked on the BlackhawkZone after the prospects game that Bourret was a mixture of Jocelyn Lemieux and Raffi Torres.
I'll stick by that comparism for now as Lemieux was a 125 pt scorer in his draft year and Torres was a decent scorer as well and all their styles are fairly similar if you were to compare each one @ 18.
Lemeiux's scoring ability dropped off the table once in the NHL, so hope that Bourret won't have the same fate.
Torres has been in a funk as of late but long term, he's going to be a consistent 40-60 producer.

Other comparism's may be Ethan Moreau and the other Lemieux.....Claude??

 

[MS]

In terms of his skill set, he's comparable to guys like Steve Thomas and the previously mentioned Kovalenko. Short, thick as hell, great vision and feel for the game, NHL release on his shot. With the agitator element thrown into the mix.

Just in the couple times I've seen him, I love how quickly things happen when the puck comes near him ... doesn't dawdle like most skill juniors do, and that will translate extremely well to pro. Gets the puck on his stick in a scoring position, it's on and off in a heartbeat with velocity. Makes quick, accurate, smart passes. Very up-tempo player that won't get caught back by the speed of defenders in pro because he's playing and thinking at that speed already. I see top-6 forward written all over him. In today's NHL that's probably 45-55 points.