Prospect Info: All-Purpose Prospect Thread v10.0: Blue Line

[Hawkaholic]

I get to see Boqvist live tonight. Pretty excited to see him. I'll try to take some video of him if I can.

 

[plank]

Kitchener vs. London are live on The NHL Network today at 2:30 central.

 

[TLEH]

Yeah curious to see Boqvist. I’ve seen some shift by shift stuff on YouTube and some talk on here and they were both negative. The talk and my viewing of the clips.

 

[Kevin Musto]

I guess Hakkarainen will be in Rockford next year. He dropped out of college and he won't be eligible to play in the USHL next year. Not sure where else he'd go unless we went back to Finland.

 

[Hawkaholic]

Got to see him play last night, and I was a little underwhelmed for the most part. The skill is obvious whenever he has the puck, but still a lot to learn defensively.

Two plays where a guy came down 1 on 1 with him and he backed too far in instead of stepping up on the guy earlier to prevent good scoring chances. Serron Noel walked him pretty good on one of those one on ones and ended up hitting the post.

IMO, Boqvist is not using his skating enough. I don't know if he has been told not to skate the puck up, but he barely skated with the puck at all. I also found that the Knights forwards didn't use their Dmen enough in the offensive zone, until later in the game when they were trying to come back. (coincidentally he had an assist when they did involve the D a little more)

Both of those things make me think that's why he is not putting up the points. I'm also not sure if he is giving it his all. He just seems so nonchalant out there, not much urgency to his game. I guess I expected to see him dominate and look like he was easily the best player or close to it, but that was not the case.

I have a couple videos that I'll try to upload on Monday.

 

[Kevin Musto]

Got to see him play last night, and I was a little underwhelmed for the most part. The skill is obvious whenever he has the puck, but still a lot to learn defensively.

Two plays where a guy came down 1 on 1 with him and he backed too far in instead of stepping up on the guy earlier to prevent good scoring chances. Serron Noel walked him pretty good on one of those one on ones and ended up hitting the post.

IMO, Boqvist is not using his skating enough. I don't know if he has been told not to skate the puck up, but he barely skated with the puck at all. I also found that the Knights forwards didn't use their Dmen enough in the offensive zone, until later in the game when they were trying to come back. (coincidentally he had an assist when they did involve the D a little more)

Both of those things make me think that's why he is not putting up the points. I'm also not sure if he is giving it his all. He just seems so nonchalant out there, not much urgency to his game. I guess I expected to see him dominate and look like he was easily the best player or close to it, but that was not the case.

I have a couple videos that I'll try to upload on Monday.

Thanks for the report!

As I said when he was drafted, Boqvist was the riskiest pick of the 2018 draft. I still think it was worth swinging for the fences, but we'll just have to wait and see how things pan out and hope for the best. Plenty of time for him to get going. Let's also keep in mind how good he looked in the pre season.

 

[migi]

Boqvist is one of the youngest guy. Give him time.

 

[migi]

Two helpers today. A bust.

 

[Kevin Musto]

Anyone keeping tabs on the SHL? Soderlund's production has been lower than I was expecting. Not bad, but I thought this would be a breakout year for him. Though there's still time for him to go on a hot streak. Just wondering if he's looked good.

 

[hawksfan50]

Actually Boqvist had 3 assist today according to the official ohl website....another website dedicated to reporting scores from various hockey leagues ...flasscore ...on their link to ohl scores today failed to show Boqvist getting an assist on a goal by Moskul ...But I thought when I watched the okay that Boqvist started the play and only another London player and Moskul touched it after that so there should be an assist for Boqvist and that is what was shown on the official ohl website.

OK. ..you say..great game for Boqvist;right...well 3a is better than nothing. .and the fact that he also could have had 2 more assists from perfect set-ups on pps that were not converted ...well you would say he had a great game...EXCEPT he really did not dominate the ice possessing the puck that nobody could take away from him ...and EXCEPT that he looked again like someone you cannot trust in the d-zone ...His assistant were 1 of the crooner start a pass then others did something that beat drfenderscto scorexa go. ..1 assist was on a shot from the point. ..goalie leaves rebound..it gets poke.d in...Yes hive Boqvist credit for a shot on the net target so I guess that was a normal assist done by manyDmen who get shots on net causing rebounds.. But it was a routine expected point shot..not some "great"play he made to avoid drfenderscto get off the shot in the first place
..nothing really special ...maybe a goalie von his fame would have not let a rebound on it.

The 3rd asist however was not rourine. ..from his end line ,Boqvist makes a long 59 foot pass right up the middle to a streaking McMichael right on the tape ..McMichael enters with the puck into thebo-zone then plays give and go with Guskov who then dishes back an
back to McMichael and he depicts it in the net..So that assist by Boqvist made that play possible. .it was a great long bomb outlet pass...

But dispute these. 3 assists of which only 1 was of a special nature and 2 set ups earlyier in the game on the pp that were also nice set-ups...the rest of his shifts were not especially noticeable except for several less that trustworthy effort
Tscin the d-zone ..He does not look in command of much in the
He d-zone and is a long long way from NHL ready calibre for any coach to trust him in the d-zone when trying to defend ...wandering gs out of position..weak stick-check type defending...coverage errors. .just a lack of hockey sense for how to defend your zone properly .. RAW is the term I would use. .he needs a lot..a lot more development to improve in this aspect. Also Focus not quite there. ..I will give 2 examples of this flaw of lack of focus:

There was a n attempted zone clear by Boqvist ..he skates puck out past checker the wants to shoot it down the ice to allow for a change do he can get off to the bech ...but he makes a horrible weak clear after he skatedcitbout just past his blue line ..so puck gets intercepted 10 feet away before it got pastccentrevice and Kirchner brings it right back into the Lindon zone as a result. ..In consequence ,the puck is kept in the London zone for over a minute of buzzing around as tired Lindon players including Boqvist just cannot do anything g the
O get bit back as their energy. Rgy is dog-tired ...Boqvist could have cost his team a goal had Kitchener scored putting on that pressure. .but theboiintbusvitcwas a very poor clear by Boqvist after making a goidbpkayvto skate it out in the first place. ..he just lost focus and made a poor weak clear when it should have been a stronger arm movement to push the puck a lot further down n the ice to enable time for a shift change. I call this a gaffe which does not earn coaches trust .He cannot be do careless/non-chalant with the puck ..clear attempts must be a lot crisper in detail and execution .

Another gaffe came with just a few minutes remaining in the game ...London had big lead but still Boqvist loses focus when trying to exit the zone ...coughs up the bock. ..Kitchener player grabs loose puck and goes in all alone to the London net..did not finish his chance ..but again sloppy play by Boqvist not focusing ..and could have again cost hid team a goal. .

On balance ...he did done good things and some very bad things. .hardly would call it a great game for him...despite the 3a. ..

To be "great"...you need all of production + fiery compete + competence in your checking and defending responsibilities..

Boqvist still gas a long way to go to achieve all of these to firm an NHL ready player who can be trusted by his coach.

 

[Kaners Bald Spot]

Actually Boqvist had 3 assist today according to the official ohl website....another website dedicated to reporting scores from various hockey leagues ...flasscore ...on their link to ohl scores today failed to show Boqvist getting an assist on a goal by Moskul ...But I thought when I watched the okay that Boqvist started the play and only another London player and Moskul touched it after that so there should be an assist for Boqvist and that is what was shown on the official ohl website.

OK. ..you say..great game for Boqvist;right...well 3a is better than nothing. .and the fact that he also could have had 2 more assists from perfect set-ups on pps that were not converted ...well you would say he had a great game...EXCEPT he really did not dominate the ice possessing the puck that nobody could take away from him ...and EXCEPT that he looked again like someone you cannot trust in the d-zone ...His assistant were 1 of the crooner start a pass then others did something that beat drfenderscto scorexa go. ..1 assist was on a shot from the point. ..goalie leaves rebound..it gets poke.d in...Yes hive Boqvist credit for a shot on the net target so I guess that was a normal assist done by manyDmen who get shots on net causing rebounds.. But it was a routine expected point shot..not some "great"play he made to avoid drfenderscto get off the shot in the first place
..nothing really special ...maybe a goalie von his fame would have not let a rebound on it.

The 3rd asist however was not rourine. ..from his end line ,Boqvist makes a long 59 foot pass right up the middle to a streaking McMichael right on the tape ..McMichael enters with the puck into thebo-zone then plays give and go with Guskov who then dishes back an
back to McMichael and he depicts it in the net..So that assist by Boqvist made that play possible. .it was a great long bomb outlet pass...

But dispute these. 3 assists of which only 1 was of a special nature and 2 set ups earlyier in the game on the pp that were also nice set-ups...the rest of his shifts were not especially noticeable except for several less that trustworthy effort
Tscin the d-zone ..He does not look in command of much in the
He d-zone and is a long long way from NHL ready calibre for any coach to trust him in the d-zone when trying to defend ...wandering gs out of position..weak stick-check type defending...coverage errors. .just a lack of hockey sense for how to defend your zone properly .. RAW is the term I would use. .he needs a lot..a lot more development to improve in this aspect. Also Focus not quite there. ..I will give 2 examples of this flaw of lack of focus:

There was a n attempted zone clear by Boqvist ..he skates puck out past checker the wants to shoot it down the ice to allow for a change do he can get off to the bech ...but he makes a horrible weak clear after he skatedcitbout just past his blue line ..so puck gets intercepted 10 feet away before it got pastccentrevice and Kirchner brings it right back into the Lindon zone as a result. ..In consequence ,the puck is kept in the London zone for over a minute of buzzing around as tired Lindon players including Boqvist just cannot do anything g the
O get bit back as their energy. Rgy is dog-tired ...Boqvist could have cost his team a goal had Kitchener scored putting on that pressure. .but theboiintbusvitcwas a very poor clear by Boqvist after making a goidbpkayvto skate it out in the first place. ..he just lost focus and made a poor weak clear when it should have been a stronger arm movement to push the puck a lot further down n the ice to enable time for a shift change. I call this a gaffe which does not earn coaches trust .He cannot be do careless/non-chalant with the puck ..clear attempts must be a lot crisper in detail and execution .

Another gaffe came with just a few minutes remaining in the game ...London had big lead but still Boqvist loses focus when trying to exit the zone ...coughs up the bock. ..Kitchener player grabs loose puck and goes in all alone to the London net..did not finish his chance ..but again sloppy play by Boqvist not focusing ..and could have again cost hid team a goal. .

On balance ...he did done good things and some very bad things. .hardly would call it a great game for him...despite the 3a. ..

To be "great"...you need all of production + fiery compete + competence in your checking and defending responsibilities..

Boqvist still gas a long way to go to achieve all of these to firm an NHL ready player who can be trusted by his coach.

You're nitpicking. He's 18 and was playing in the SJL.
He's closer in age to those at the older end of the 2019 draft class than to the majority of the 2018 class.
We all knew he was going to take time. I guess it just means he won't be ready until 2020-21. Not unexpected.
Talk about what he does well, and only glaring weaknesses. Something that may not get better with time.

 

[Hawkaholic]

Two helpers today. A bust.

Hope you don't think that I think he is a bust just because of my report.

 

[migi]

Hope you don't think that I think he is a bust just because of my report.

Not at all! Just reading those Fiddy posts.

 

[BK]

Hope you don't think that I think he is a bust just because of my report.

Your post is logical, HF50 is not and I am starting to believe he makes a lot of things up.

If London is not using their points then Boqvist will be limited in points.

We all saw his skating here and it makes me wonder if he would have just been better off playing with the Hawks or in the SEL. London is a great program and he needs to learn how to play on a smaller rink but if a player is bored that is not a good thing.

Did he ever look over whelmed?

 

[AmericanDream]

Evan Barratt off to one hell of a start, on pace to destroy his numbers from last year...

6 points in 4 games so far..

 

[hawksfan50]

Again...all I am saying is that at this point (I admit he still is very young) Boqvist for such a high first rounder(#8 overall in 2018 entry draft)is NOT commanding the ice or standing out /looking special...AND he still has a long long way to go to improve in the d-zone ....yes he got 3 assists this last game ...but as I write only 1 of those was of the "wow" category of special talent ...the thing is he could have had 2 more assists for set ups early in the game had London converted but the overall impression even if he had a 5 assist game was still to my eye testnot really dominating ...it is rather like a sporadic flash but interspersed with a lot of me pla.

I expected more command of the ice and being focal to driving the play and more leadership/taking over the team ....more confident play...given the enormous talent the scouts all agreed he has...But instead only sporadic flashes (after the first 2 games where he fired a lot ofshots on goalbut took a lot of risks going in deep to attack the net which led to get to g caught and transitions the other way...so maybe they told him to not gamble so much..maybe he had some trouble trying to play more cautiously..but it has ked to a lot of new ...just another guy type hockey..nothing gvto standout as special or dangerous to the books. On other words he has not stood out to any degree above the other London den to where you say "wow" and there are still the d-zone issues on coverage and reaction decisions of where to be and how to check better ...Not saying he is any worse defensively than the other London den. .but just my eye test on how much more development he needs to be nhk ready in the d-zone let alone to shine offensively.

It is still early in the season..hopefully he gets better ..but it has not been very "starry" so far for him.

 

[swerdnase]

I'll take a three assist game and no "wow" plays from a player every day.

 

[Rick C137]

 

[Kevin Musto]

He's not gonna sign with the Hawks until the 2020/21 season. Quite the wait for Shalunov haha.

 

[hawksfan50]

Boqvist has 2 secondary assists so far today as London leads Sania 3-2 with a bit over 6 minutes remaining in the 2nd period as I type this...Saris has a 28 -25 shot advantage so far..so it has not been very impressive for London despite their lead...The assists Boqvist has are secondaries and nothing exceptional ...

 

[dougd]

Boqvist has 2 secondary assists so far today as London leads Sania 3-2 with a bit over 6 minutes remaining in the 2nd period as I type this...Saris has a 28 -25 shot advantage so far..so it has not been very impressive for London despite their lead...The assists Boqvist has are secondaries and nothing exceptional ...

HF50, this is getting tiring

 

[pvr]

He's not gonna sign with the Hawks until the 2020/21 season. Quite the wait for Shalunov haha.

Could’ve used him the previous two seasons. Now, I’m like meh..whatever.

 

[hawksfan50]

Well..it may be tiring but the eye test is what it is...Boqvist ended with the 2 secondary assists in London's 4-2 win today over Sania. .I will give Boqvist credit in that the 2nd and third periods were probably his best defensive periods of the several games I have seen him play this season ...he made no mistakes. ..got to loose pucks first and cleared or passed it to a team-mate to get it to ... also actually used his body to plaster guys to the boards... However we did not draft him to be just conservative and OK defensively ...and probably a better team than Sarnia woukd have challenged him more physically ..so it may be an optical illusion as to whether or not his defending is really improving..but we'll keep looking in and reporting g the eye tests...

However we drafted him to be a DYNAMIC offensive generating impact special talent player. .have not seen that ..no Morgan Reilly type rushes. ..no long ragging the pucks around thebo-zone then a great dish or a point shot for a goal. .I think this simms it up..he had not been dynamic or "exciting"..more like pedestrian and now very cautious. .London ...perhaps scared by all the transitions against in the first few games has kept their d playing way back and told to back-pedal early ..so no pressure from the den at the points ...so very little possession time in the o-zone for sustained periods..it is very very not aggressive hockey ...And Sarnia peppered the London net with 38 shots or more (it was 38 with just about 2 minutes left but there may have been a few more before the game ended. .London just took advantage of their lesser amount of chances to win the game.

So BOQVIST has 10 assists in the 10 games he has played in ...and you would think he is some kind of great dofference-mKer..but many of these have been routine secondaries..and he has not really taken over any games or been a dynamic show-stopper ..Pedestrian over wow...that is the story. .As the 8th overall pick of the last draft he should be a lot more than what the eyes have witnessed.
Over-cautious...maybe. ..London changing it's usual style of aggressive attack. ..maybe...But whatever ...I was hoping for a lot more special from Boqvist ...
..

 

[Blackhawkswincup]

I honestly don't expect he will ever come over

 

[Teemu]

I guess Hakkarainen will be in Rockford next year. He dropped out of college and he won't be eligible to play in the USHL next year. Not sure where else he'd go unless we went back to Finland.

6 points in his first 3 USHL games at least.