Teemu
Caffeine Free Since 1919
- Dec 3, 2002
- 28,770
- 5,266
Ranked #11 by HOCKEYPROSPECT.COM
Ranked #7 by FUTURE CONSIDERATIONS
Ranked #9 by ISS HOCKEY
Ranked #9 by MCKEEN'S HOCKEY
Ranked #2 by NHL CENTRAL SCOUTING (EU Skaters)
Ranked #10 by TSN/McKenzie
#14
The #2 player that I figured would draw enough conversations on as being ranked too low. I will say this again, this kid is going to drop at the draft compared to where he is ranked. The drop might not be Cam Fowler level, but I have a very hard time seeing a team take this kid in the top 6-7 with his concussion issues, his absolute lack of defensive awareness and positioning, and an offensive year that was not as good as expected. Now, the speed and IQ is there. No damn doubt about it, and for another smurf the kid has a very powerful shot, so you know he has strength. He seems to think it will take himself 2-3 years to get to a point of being ready to play in the NHL or at least coming over it seems, if an NHL team can wait knowing he needs to work on some things, then maybe he still goes that high. Concussions are no joke, and when you are getting them already despite going to be playing against stronger, faster, tougher competition scares the hell out of me. He either isn't good at taking hits or isn't good at evading them, both are problems. I have no idea where this kid goes in the draft, he is a pure wild card for me right now as a team can just love the skillset and say **** it we ride and die with him until he is ready, or some teams are worried about his health and how long it might take to get him here and go with other names... -- AmericanDream
#13
Boqvist is a highly skilled defenseman who I worry might have issue translating to the pro level. He'll amaze you one shift with his ability to create open ice for himself (and his stellar shot), and then overestimate himself the next by instigating a physical battle he can't win at his size. -- Teemu
#7
Boqvist started off his draft season with one of the best Ivan Hlinka performances I’ve seen from a defenseman. He struggled at times at the pro level, but did quite well versus his peer group and projects very well due to his high-end skill set. His hands and IQ all get very high grades. He’s very skilled and creative with the puck, on top of displaying top-level, if not elite, vision. He also has great offensive instincts and knows how to jump into the attack and create chances. Boqvist made some of the best passes and most creative plays I saw from any prospect at any level this season. What I love about him is his attacking mindset. He’s always looking to jump up and make a play, looking for opportunities and wants to make a difference in the game. He attacks like a soccer player who will use one touch passes as a way to open seams to get a through pass. Boqvist skates well with the ability to lead a rush and he closes his gaps well defensively, but his skating isn’t as much of a standout trait as his brain. His shot from the point is quite good as well and he’s very skilled at getting it through traffic, showing high shot generation numbers everywhere he goes. On defense, he’s small and not that physical. I’ve seen him make stops effectively versus players his age — not at an elite level, but more than passable. Versus men he’s struggled to win battles as a small, slight player. -- Corey Pronman
#11
This draft will be marked with an unprecedented number of highly sought after skilled attacking defensemen who are average or under-sized with little physicality. This player compensates for it with terrific hands and ability to push the pace, doing a decent job in his own end using his skill set. In the Swedish junior league, Boqvist showcased a nice shot, high end speed, and agility. He may very well be the top finesse and fine-edge-skating defenseman in the draft, displaying great balance and lateral mobility. He is lightning fast and has great vision. He distributes the puck unselfishly and he jumps in on the attack -- sometimes leading it. He opens up and delivers a very accurate one timer. As a slight, smaller player, he gets overtaken, losing puck battles to the bigger players. Does show good vision in both ends but it is a bigger challenge in his own end. His fast feet help negate some of his problems in the defensive zone, but it is difficult to ignore his defensive zone positioning issues. As a lightweight anchor, he needs to fill out, get stronger, and build his defensive game. Another right handed shooting mobile defenseman. -- Bill Plazcek
#10
Taking everything into account, it’s no wonder why scouts have labelled Adam Boqvist as the riskiest bet in the consensus top-10. He owns the elite offensive attributes to become the second-best defenceman after Rasmus Dahlin, though his underwhelming junior production, size and concussion history give teams reason to pause. Boqvist is improving in his own end much like Quinn Hughes did, but the former remains much further away because of his late birthday and thus harder to project. We’re wary of all these concerns, which is why he’s fallen a lot lower in our rankings relative to the industry consensus. Having said that, if Boqvist can silence the critics and work on his weaknesses, he’ll make every team who passes up on him after the top-4 look like fools. -- Harman Dayal
#6
By now, I have a pretty good feel for where Boqvist is at in his development and the conclusions I’ve come exist in two parts:
Still, even if there is bust potential, the former is still worth betting on because there’s huge upside to his game and his first few steps allow him to create separation from forecheckers and exit the defensive zone with ease. He’s also got one of the better shots among the defencemen in the class (both in accuracy and in power, which he generates with technique and a nifty low-kick release rather than pure strength), and isn’t afraid to jump into the high slot to use it. -- Scott Wheeler
- He is unquestionably one of the most talented puck handlers and creators in this class — at forward or defence — off the rush. He’s a brilliant distributor and a fabulous skater who takes a lot of risks and generates a ton offensively as a result.
- He’s also still got a long way to go defensively, and that makes him more of a long-term project than a lot of the other high-end defenders in this class, and also more of a risk-reward proposition at the draft. He’s easily pushed around and he’s tentative in his engages, which results in a lot of lost battles.
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