Michael Bournival, the revelation so far this season!

[NewHabsEra*]

Cant say how proud I am of my hometown boy since the begin of the season, he makes things happen about every shifts using his speed, intensity, strength and smarts.. He is developing incredible chimestry with Plekanec and Gionta, those 3 guys are all about speed energy and intensity, thats why that line works so well.. Their forechecking game is awesome to watch, they causes turnovers everywhere on the ice.. I know its pretty soon but that line has much more potential with Bournival on than with Rene Bourque or Danny Briere.. Bourque is better to keep playing like tonight cause when the injured guys are back, his spot in the line-up is far from guarenteed..

Here are some quotes from Plekanec and Gionta about Bournival:

Pleks: "He has alot of credit, our line is really better with him.. He is always moving, pursues the puck no stop and causes turnovers, it makes our job easier, he plays great hockey"

Gio: "He does everything very well and works extremmely hard, always well positionned on the ice"

Thanks to Gauthier to have made that trade, this kid adds some serious depth up front..

What I like the most about Bournival is his versatility, the kid ca play absolutely everwhere..

Click to read more...

 

[HarlemsFinest]

I wasnt expecting him to be here this soon so I'm happilly surprised at his level of contribution. And good on management in general with handling the yoots.

 

[Mike Mike Caron]

To tell you the truth i didn't see him finding a niche in the NHL, i thought he wasn't good enough to be part of a scoring 3rd line and not tough enough to be part of a good fourth line. I thought the only thing he had for him was speed. He's a pleasant surprise.

 

[dackelljuneaubulis02]

To tell you the truth i didn't see him finding a niche in the NHL, i thought he wasn't good enough to be part of a scoring 3rd line and not tough enough to be part of a good fourth line. I thought the only thing he had for him was speed. He's a pleasant surprise.

First few games I saw him in Hamilton last year I wasn't too impressed but not dissappointed but still confused why people kept saying he had a great game.

Later in the season I saw him and he stood out a lot more. He had this fantastic rush with the puck at very very high speed and showed some nifty stick handling.

Still I wouldn't thought he'd be this good this quick, maybe not even in his prime. I still thought he was more skilled than some were saying. Some made him out to be like Tom Kostopolous or something, hahaha. But definitely not this skilled.

He's looking like a mini Pacioretty but speedier.

 

[Church]

Grit, energy, brain, vision, speed, humble, frenchi. What's not to love.

 

[Shaby23]

I wonder how long it's going to take until there is a thread on the main page about how Colorado got ****ed in that trade.

I give it 2 weeks max.

 

[Agalloch]

He's kind of a Pascal Dupuis.

 

[snakeye]

Which gm acquired him again?

 

[Habskrieg]

I really like how Bournival is turning out so far. Though, let's not get ahead of ourselves. Everyone remember that really hot start D'Agostini had when he first started? I hope Bournival manages to keep up this pace and improves on it.

I'm glad he's capable of jump starting the Pleks-Gio line. I believe that Bourque's a good player, but maybe his style wasn't meshing as much with those vets as much as Bournival is.

He's been impressive and a great new addition to the team so far. I'll still reserve my judgement on this kid for quite some time though.

 

[Harry Wong]

He looks awesome so far. I'm glad because I was reall pissed when we traded for him. Got to admit that for all his percieved faults our old GM seemed to know his talent.

 

[Leon Lucius Black]

His offensive tools are a lot better than I expected, he also reminds me of Gallagher too as he's not afraid of anything despite not being a big guy. He's earned a spot in our top 9 and it should be interesting to see what happens when Pacioretty and Briere come back.

 

[Richiebottles]

He really makes me think of a Dupuis (high end) or Talbot (low end) he has all the tools to be a good 40 pts per year energy forward. Really liking his play so far.

 

[DAChampion]

I remember how excited the fanbase was when D'Agostini scored 4 goals in his first 5 games. Rookies often start hot, I'll wait and see on Bournival.

 

[Sterling Archer]

Watching him play in Hamilton and in pre season, I thought he could be a top 9 talent.

Seeing his tenacious forecheck and blazing speed is inspiring but his hockey sense is also quite good and probably underrated. At least I didn't expect it to be as good as it is.

+I think if he can keep up the speed and forecheck, than he'll be a solid NHLer for a long time. If he can build on his confidence and get a nose for the net, he can be a very good NHLer for an even longer time.

In any case, great aquisition by the Goat who gets bashed too much for his weird personality even though he has a solid hockey mind. Just should never have been a GM.

 

[PhysicX]

He's been impressive and a great new addition to the team so far. I'll still reserve my judgement on this kid for quite some time though.

I agree. He's having a hot start to his NHL career, but lets relax a bit. At this rate, he'd get around 55 points this year, which is unrealistic in my opinion. I'm enjoying his play, I expect mistakes and cold streaks during the season, and I will remain level headed.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Blog on how Bournival became a Hab:
http://thereuschblog.com/?p=27048

Let's just make Timmins GM and get it over with.

 

[zzoo]

With last year lock-out, I followed Dogs a lot. Bournival and Gallagher looked quite ordinary. I was even a bit disappointed in Bournival. It's amazing how he can change in one year.
Lesson ? Never underestimate a player in AHL.

Chiasson of Dallas is another example, he's ok in AHL, but now he has 11 goals and 16 pts in 16 NHL games.

2011-12: Leblanc
2012-13: Dumont
2013: Gallagher
2013-14: Bournival
2014-15: ???

 

[dackelljuneaubulis02]

I remember how excited the fanbase was when D'Agostini scored 4 goals in his first 5 games. Rookies often start hot, I'll wait and see on Bournival.

True, except the only thing is that Bournival doesn't suck.

 

[zzoo]

True, except the only thing is that Bournival doesn't suck.

Agreed. If I remember well, Marcel Hossa was so hot in his debut too, right ?
However, even Bournival slows down (he will), he can contribute with his speed and his desire.

 

[Theosis]

I was expecting a player appreciation thread, but close enough

 

[Devourers]

The first game they put him with Plek and Gio I told my dad, this is the perfect fit for Bournival. He's exactly the type of player that would mesh well with them. A hard working player with some speed and talent to go with. What has impressed me most since he joined that line is his hockey IQ and vision. I knew he was good at putting the puck in the net, and I knew he was good at using his speed to create turnovers and win puck battles, but this guy really knows when to shoot or pass.

When he gets the puck in the offensive zone, you know there's a good chance he's doing something useful with it. I'm happy because it now gives us two lines, and when Briere gets back him Bourque and whoever can eat up 3rd line minutes against easier opposition.

 

[Devourers]

He looks awesome so far. I'm glad because I was reall pissed when we traded for him. Got to admit that for all his percieved faults our old GM seemed to know his talent.

Agreed, Timmins is a talented guy and Gauthier knew that, so he kept him on.

 

[Jee]

I remember how excited the fanbase was when D'Agostini scored 4 goals in his first 5 games. Rookies often start hot, I'll wait and see on Bournival.

D'ago had a good first year, 12 goals in 53 games isn't bad at all.

Then this happened.

 

[Rosso Scuderia]

5 pts in 7 games to start his NHL career. Not bad.

 

[hototogisu]

True, except the only thing is that Bournival doesn't suck.

Nobody would have said D'Agostini sucked at the start of his NHL career either, though.