Prospect Info: 2019-20 Oilers Prospect Thread II

Södertälje (Bouchard) playing against Vasby (Lavoie) right now for anyone who wants to watch

 

Evan Bouchard vs Raphael Lavoie on now: Stream

Bouch is #17 in black, Lavoie is #13 in white.

 

I've watched just for a few minutes and Bouchard already has three slapshots on net. He's led the rush nicely as well. Definitely looks a step ahead of his competition, which is pretty understandable.

Lavoie has been quiet thus far.

 

Bouchard just blew by a forward, it’s not his skating that’s the problem, it’s the fact that he glides around too much.

 

Bouchard just got walked, not the greatest coverage there lol.

 

If I’m going to be honest, Bouchard has had a pretty terrible game. Got caught and leveled on a PP breakout there.

 

Bouchard just tried a PK Subban-esque spinorama in his own end. Not the best look haha.

His poise and smarts with the puck are evident though.

 

He hasn’t looked very good overall today IMO.

 

He's had his ups and downs for sure. His passing game has been great and I've been impressed with his skating, but yeah, he has to work those brainfarts out of his game.

 

He has to be able to defend competently at a minimum. It’s not at the level it should be at right now for him. It’s concerning because this is something he knows he has to improve, and he’s known it for years.

That said, it’s one game in a new country on big ice he’s not familiar with. His motivation level is probably also close to zero considering he has no natural ties to his team.

 

I'd give him a pass for now. Like you said, one game in a new country on bigger ice, and I think he knows he's better than his peers. I highly doubt he would have tried a spin-o-rama in his own end if he was playing at a higher level.

That said, I do have Philip Broberg as our best prospect right now. He's almost two years younger than Bouchard and is already the more responsible player while still plenty of room to grow into his physical tools.

 

I want to give him a pass but the fact that the same issues keep rising up when you watch him play is concerning. He should be better than he is right now.

 

I'm going to miss the remainder of the game, can you update me on his play if you continue to watch?

 

He just set up his teammate wide open in front and the guy crests it. I can see why both of these teams are in the second division. Pretty iffy players on both teams.

 

Any idea why Safin isn’t playing in Czech Republic

 

Exactly. That's my issue with him in the AHL. He can rush the puck out of the zone pretty well when he wants to... but in his own zone he's gliding around and not reaching the player + puck and use his body/stick to extract the puck.

 

Bouchard scores on a wrist shot from the point.

 

His forward skating is great but it’s the lateral and back skating that he struggles with from what I’ve seen.

 

Probably true based on what I saw today.

He scores the game winner.

Lavoie looked OK, had some nice offensive zone time, deferred a lot though which is understandable.

 

He's got such a decieving, smart wrist shot its amazing. I watched all his AHL games last season and Bouch is a magician on the PP or when he's at the point. But the best thing I love about his are his breakout passes. They are so great and smart. Reminds me of Ryan Whitney in his prime

 

Bouchards defiencies are extremely exaggerated.

His skating is and has always been above average.

His defense has always been below average. But not critical mass terrible.

Bouchard's 9 game stint in the NHL make Broberg's 1 nhl preseason game look like Broberg is bloody terrible and Bouchard a defensive god.

Bouchard has things he is not great at but I am sick of the Shiney new toy syndrome Oiler fans have. Broberg was the 4/5th best defenseman on his team in the WJC. His draft +1 season as mundane as you can get and yet he has passed Bouchard who had an excellent draft +2 year in the ahl... It's so ridiculous.

To each their but common... Kaa-maaàaan really? Broberg over Bouchard right now is just silly.

 

Imagine that, bouchard looked a lot better in his +1 playing against boys while broberg was playing against men as a young draft pick.

you also thought Yamamoto was bad in a preseason game where he didn’t even play in.

 

Bouchard's goal

 

Craig Button has us drafting Jack Quinn at 14. That would be perfect

 

Broberg's last season was good, by any measure for a player his age on a new team. This is more or less the stated sentiment of most people actually following the SHL. His WJHC coach already said he was their go-to D guy and 1st PKer, but I guess we know better on hfoil.

I reply less and less to these hyperbolic posts, but sometimes I cannot help myself. I mean we are no where near knowing what the future holds for either of these kids. Give me a break, sure if one or a couple games are so important then Broberg >>> Bouchard today because Allsvenskan is to SHL what AHL is to NHL. Huge difference. Of course it is not that simple, same goes for judging Broberg after 1 freakin preseason game in NA...