Prospect Info: 2018 Draft: 1st pick: Evan Bouchard (D) - Sent back to London (11/02/18)

[ThreeOfAPerfectPair]

Scored a nice goal to go along with 3 assists tonight.

 

[780il]

Scored a nice goal to go along with 3 assists tonight.

4 point night and that beauty? Wow

 

[oobga]

Scored a nice goal to go along with 3 assists tonight.

Hmmmm...I think he could have done that with a little more pace. Colour me unimpressed.

 

[780il]

Hmmmm...I think he could have done that with a little more pace. Colour me unimpressed.

Wasn't skating fast enough....

Doesn't count

 

[oobga]

Wasn't skating fast enough....

Doesn't count

Yup, Craig Button gives that goal a P for Poor pace.

 

[McJadeddog]

I think him in the AHL next year would be terrible for him. His defensive game is barely good in the OHL, throw him in the AHL he will be on the third pairing getting turnstilled. Let him be good in the OHL first.

Yeah, I would be fine with him being back in the OHL next year. Wouldn't complain at all.

 

[McDNicks17]

Yeah, I would be fine with him being back in the OHL next year. Wouldn't complain at all.

There's very few players that need five seasons in the OHL and Bouchard definitely isn't one of them.

 

[bobbythebrain]

There's very few players that need five seasons in the OHL and Bouchard definitely isn't one of them.

He actually played pretty well in the NHL. His gap control was fantastic

Amazing what a poorish, yet small sample size WJC can do to make ppl forget

 

[bobbythebrain]

*

 

[TopShelfGloveSide]

Scored a nice goal to go along with 3 assists tonight.

Geez la wheeze that’s an impressive goal

 

[CupofOil]

Yeah, I would be fine with him being back in the OHL next year. Wouldn't complain at all.

There's zero chance that he plays in the OHL again next season and it would be completely pointless.
He has a lot of stuff to work on but he should be working on that stuff in the AHL next season.

In any event, it's nice to see his production take an uptick as of late, it seemed like he was stagnating for a while there.

 

[CupofOil]

Geez la wheeze that’s an impressive goal

Impressive but that's the typical "junior" goal that would never work in the pros. I'd rather see him score on Bouchbombs than with fancy dangles.

 

[bobbythebrain]

Impressive but that's the typical "junior" goal that would never work in the pros. I'd rather see him score on Bouchbombs than with fancy dangles.

Or both

 

[Burnt Biscuits]

Hell no. They need to send him back for another OHL season and then 1-2 AHL seasons before he sniffs the NHL. He isn't close to being NHL ready. I think he would have a very rough year in the AHL next year too

Not saying you specifically, but people in general are so much more pessimistic with regards to Bouchard after the WJC, people put way too much stock into that short little tournament.

Mark my words he won't be playing in junior next year, it will be the AHL or the NHL, I think he has a really good chance at sticking in the NHL, but if he can't he won't need more than 100 games of seasoniing in the AHL before he is ready to be a full-time member of the team and an important one at that.

IMO Bouchard already has a good handle on the kind of player he will be when he makes the NHL, there are players who do soul searching and have to find their role, I feel like Bouchard's already got it on lock and he knows his strengths and weaknesses, just needs to polish some things and patch some holes in his game. I find people tend to get the most hyped about toolsy high skill guys who are very physically gifted, basically the whole package minus the brain, Bouchard has the brain and the skills, he'll cope with his skating issues better than most just needs experience to sharpen his reads and get a better grasp on the risks he can and can't take.

 

[Tobias Kahun]

Hell no. They need to send him back for another OHL season and then 1-2 AHL seasons before he sniffs the NHL. He isn't close to being NHL ready. I think he would have a very rough year in the AHL next year too

We should probably trade him with value now, highly unlikely he amounts to much if he’s not in the nhl until his draft +4 or +5

 

[Cloned]

Impressive but that's the typical "junior" goal that would never work in the pros. I'd rather see him score on Bouchbombs than with fancy dangles.

Those defensemen that he deked around didn't seem all that different from the Oilers' "pro" defensemen.

 

[iCanada]

Those defensemen that he deked around didn't seem all that different from the Oilers' "pro" defensemen.

Come on, I think with some good coaching Manning could get that kind of gap control too. No need to be so pessimistic all the time.

 

[Cloned]

Come on, I think with some good coaching Manning could get that kind of gap control too. No need to be so pessimistic all the time.

I was actually referring to Nurse.

 

[Aerchon]

Not saying you specifically, but people in general are so much more pessimistic with regards to Bouchard after the WJC, people put way too much stock into that short little tournament.

Mark my words he won't be playing in junior next year, it will be the AHL or the NHL, I think he has a really good chance at sticking in the NHL, but if he can't he won't need more than 100 games of seasoniing in the AHL before he is ready to be a full-time member of the team and an important one at that.

IMO Bouchard already has a good handle on the kind of player he will be when he makes the NHL, there are players who do soul searching and have to find their role, I feel like Bouchard's already got it on lock and he knows his strengths and weaknesses, just needs to polish some things and patch some holes in his game. I find people tend to get the most hyped about toolsy high skill guys who are very physically gifted, basically the whole package minus the brain, Bouchard has the brain and the skills, he'll cope with his skating issues better than most just needs experience to sharpen his reads and get a better grasp on the risks he can and can't take.

Bouchard is a prospect I still have to rein in my excitement over. Relatively speaking he has a slightly disappointing season... being on pace for 1.25 ppg rate defenseman with, from what I've heard, good steps towards being an all around defenseman.

During his time on the Oilers I seen a player that got better every game. Who was THE best defenseman for passing on our team period. I believe he would have been fine staying in the nhl this season and most likely helped the Oilers more than hurt in a limited role.

Bouchard defensively was better than Jones or Bear at the nhl level imo. His offense is clearly better at the same points in their career. He has nhl size as well.

If he follows his idol Doughty and continues to improve defensively, works on his skating, and keeps pushing offensively as well... We will have a legit NHL true #1 Defenseman.

His defense isn't so bad it can't be improved to a point where it's a strength at the nhl. His skating isn't so bad that it can't be a point of strength at the nhl level.

As with almost ALL prospects it's about development.

Unlike most elite defensive prospects Bouchard already has nhl level puck moving, IQ, and shot...

How good Bouchard ends up will be determined by a combination of him finding a way to improve his current strengths even more. Using those strengths in a manner to not only offset his weaknesses but to create an identity/style that can dominate at the nhl level. As well as improve his current weakness to become strengths.

Certainly not guaranteed to be an elite nhler by any means. But if he works hard on developing HIS game the sky is the limit. He has significant advantages over other prospects to become not just good but great.

However one thing to keep in mind with all prospects is development is typically not linear. Defenseman especially can take longer and have more fluctuations. Many of the nhls best defenseman didn't get that way until 28 years old or later. Bouchard will be 20 next year...

He will be in the AHL or the NHL next year because he has blown junior out of the water. No offense, but anyone thinking Bouchard is getting another year in junior, is completely out to lunch. If it was possible he would have been there this year. Joining that group next year, if he doesn't lock up an nhl spot, is absolutely gravy. A great place to be. Might even be the best place for him to be to eventually become the true #1 elite nhl defenseman he absolutely has the talent and skillset to be.

Whether it's next year or 5+ years Bouchard projects to be the best offensive defenseman the Oilers have had in a very long time and with a lot of hard work/development could be something incredible.

 

[Faelko]

Lagesson-Bear
Jones-Bouchard

Good looking top 4 for the Condors next year

 

[McJadeddog]

There's zero chance that he plays in the OHL again next season and it would be completely pointless.
He has a lot of stuff to work on but he should be working on that stuff in the AHL next season.

In any event, it's nice to see his production take an uptick as of late, it seemed like he was stagnating for a while there.

I'm fine wherever he ends up, as long as its not the NHL.

 

[McJadeddog]

Not saying you specifically, but people in general are so much more pessimistic with regards to Bouchard after the WJC, people put way too much stock into that short little tournament.

Mark my words he won't be playing in junior next year, it will be the AHL or the NHL, I think he has a really good chance at sticking in the NHL, but if he can't he won't need more than 100 games of seasoniing in the AHL before he is ready to be a full-time member of the team and an important one at that.

IMO Bouchard already has a good handle on the kind of player he will be when he makes the NHL, there are players who do soul searching and have to find their role, I feel like Bouchard's already got it on lock and he knows his strengths and weaknesses, just needs to polish some things and patch some holes in his game. I find people tend to get the most hyped about toolsy high skill guys who are very physically gifted, basically the whole package minus the brain, Bouchard has the brain and the skills, he'll cope with his skating issues better than most just needs experience to sharpen his reads and get a better grasp on the risks he can and can't take.

I hope the bold part is correct, because you are dead in the water in this league now without plus skating in your tool bag. Other than hockey IQ, there isn't a more important skill in the game right now. Bouchard seems to have offensive IQ, and sorely lacks defensive IQ, and his skating is a minus for sure. Miles of work ahead of him still, but he is the best hope we have for producing an offensive dman who can still log minutes at EV.

 

[ConnorMcMullet]

Lagesson-Bear
Jones-Bouchard

Good looking top 4 for the Condors next year

Plus Samorukov and potentially Berglund and/or Persson.

 

[McBooya42]

There's our next all star winger boys!

 

[CycloneSweep]

Not saying you specifically, but people in general are so much more pessimistic with regards to Bouchard after the WJC, people put way too much stock into that short little tournament.

Mark my words he won't be playing in junior next year, it will be the AHL or the NHL, I think he has a really good chance at sticking in the NHL, but if he can't he won't need more than 100 games of seasoniing in the AHL before he is ready to be a full-time member of the team and an important one at that.

IMO Bouchard already has a good handle on the kind of player he will be when he makes the NHL, there are players who do soul searching and have to find their role, I feel like Bouchard's already got it on lock and he knows his strengths and weaknesses, just needs to polish some things and patch some holes in his game. I find people tend to get the most hyped about toolsy high skill guys who are very physically gifted, basically the whole package minus the brain, Bouchard has the brain and the skills, he'll cope with his skating issues better than most just needs experience to sharpen his reads and get a better grasp on the risks he can and can't take.

I'm find if he doesn't go back to junior. But in no way should he sniff the NHL next year, his defensive game is still far to rough for him to play here.


If Bouchard is in the NHL to start the year we are failing another prospect. Jones, Bear, Lagesson are all better choices to have up. Bouchard is still to raw and still relies on his skill far to much which will routinely get exposed at the NHL level which will also negate his offensive ability. Having him up too early will have him shutting down his offense to focus on defense which will ruin the play. In the AHL he can still have his offensive and slowly work on his defensive game and keep confidence. The Jones path is ideal for him.