Mr. Met
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- Nov 8, 2017
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D Evan Bouchard - London Knights, OHL (2018, 10th, EDM)
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FrolundaRedWings
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Love
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Bouchard has elite skill and smarts and Bogosian simply does not. Really they aren’t similar players at all. Bogo was an unbelievable skater especially for his size, and his “man child” factor was huge, and he dominated because of that.
Bouchard on the other hand dominates because he is supremely skilled and intelligent.
SuperScript29
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- Nov 17, 2017
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Lidstrom was pretty much that kind of player.
From the footage I've seen of Bouchard, I like the Pietrangelo comparisons the best.
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CanuckCity
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So despite all the concerns about his skating he actually came 2nd (to dobson) in Backwards Skating w/o the Puck at the CHL Top Prospects Combine in January.
Obviously still needs to add explosiveness but doesnt appear that its a major concern to his ability to defend.
source: CHL’s Top Prospects Showcase Strengths in Sport Testing Combine – Sherwin-Williams CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game
Obviously still needs to add explosiveness but doesnt appear that its a major concern to his ability to defend.
source: CHL’s Top Prospects Showcase Strengths in Sport Testing Combine – Sherwin-Williams CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game
Snippit
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His skating is fine. It gets harped on because there are elite skaters at the top of the draft like Dahlin, Boqvist and Hughes but I will be surprised if it holds him back in any way at the next level.
Snippit
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His game is NHL ready except he's not good enough in his own end yet. But I wouldn't be shocked to see him stick past 9 games.
But I'm expecting him back in London.
I agree with you. You got to ask yourself how would Bogosian look today if he wasn't rush and if he had been drafter by a better organization too...
Had Buffalo fallen to 4, he’s probably the D I’d be most inclined to take at that spot. Hughes and Boqvist have was to much boom bust for me that high.
Castle8130
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- May 9, 2017
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Bogosian wasn't as dominate as Bouchard is this year. Bouchard has been completely dominate and scores an insane amount of goals for a defender.
Dominance
99-66-4-9-87/97
He has an outstanding snapshot from the point, which is exactly what elite NHL dmen are favouring both on the PP and at even strength. Easier to quickly put on net by a defender and easier to tip than a slap shot, and if you’re good enough to put it in the right area, the lower velocity doesn’t make a difference.
He also has a great clapper from what I’ve seen.
CanuckCity
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Yah and if you look at the top scoring dmen they all have an elite ability to get pucks on net through traffic. Ex Burns. Karlsson
Bouchard had the 2nd most SOG out of ALL skaters this season. Pretty incredible.
613Leafer
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87 points (first on his team) for a 6'2 RHD who is routinely praised for his elite hockey IQ and great skating ability.
He's not undersized, not a bad skater, not bad defensively, etc, so no red flags that I can see. Why are his rankings all over the place, looks like his average ranking is about ~8th or so if you go by the 16 rankings on this site (2018 NHL Draft Rankings).
He's not undersized, not a bad skater, not bad defensively, etc, so no red flags that I can see. Why are his rankings all over the place, looks like his average ranking is about ~8th or so if you go by the 16 rankings on this site (2018 NHL Draft Rankings).
Frk It
Mo Seider Less Problems
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I don't think he has great skating ability... at least not compared to Dobson, Hughes, or Boqvist. He will probably need to make some improvements there as he goes up a level in play.
Seems counter to the criticism I've read about him. He has all the tools but his skating ability may hinder him defensively and his deployment inflates his stats alot is mainly what I've been noticing from some of the posters that watch him more.
le_sean
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He’s an average skater that does nothing defensively.
If he was a great skater and was good defensively he’d be challenging Dahlin for 1st. There’s a reason he’s down the list.
613Leafer
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Thanks for the insight.
I haven't seen him play, which is why I was asking, and scouting reports online tend to downplay the negatives or even emphasise them as positives.
le_sean
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Great offensive hockey sense, amazing shot (always gets it through the crowd), great at rushing the puck (not fast, but effective), logs a lot of minutes.
Everything you read about his offensive game is true. However, he’s not the fastest skater (think Shea Weber). He stands around and is often inactive in his own end (though this can be somewhat due to the amount of minutes he plays). Isn’t very physical despite his size.
What he does have going for him is playing for the Knights and their coaches. They are good at developing. I expect them to help him out and work on his two-way game.
AmericanDream
Thank you Elon!
its not a concern, just a few people who have overblown a non existent skating concern because they want to compare him to Hughes or Boqvist...one size does not fit all, and though both of those guys are better skaters than Bouchard, he is above average in skating for his size. happens every year, where certain players seem to get shit made up on them only to look completely foolish after the draft.
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Mo Seider Less Problems
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I don't think it's bad, but I think he would need to improve his skating to be more than a PP specialist and be an all situations guy in the NHL.
I think he can, I just think at it's current state at the NHL level it would be average or along those lines.
AmericanDream
Thank you Elon!
his skating is no worse off than John Carlson at the same age...very similar players. IMO, it is well over blown by the few who keep trying to push this false narrative. is he an elite skater? no, is he good enough to be a solid professional player?? yep, I watched Michael Rosival and Michael Handzus with the Hawks for years, Bouchard will be fine lol!
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