Why are Holloway and Bourgault being compared to Yamamoto? They are all such different players.
The way I see it:
Bourgault's offensive game will translate to the NHL as long as he isn't expected to create offence. He's smart, generally plays within his game, knows where to be on the ice, etc. He's got a Draisaitl-esque sneaky wrister and snap shot. He isn't the fleetest skater, and kind of lugs the puck a bit, also in a Draisaitl-esque manner. He shouldn't be expected to be the puck transporter on his line, but he'll get to the right spots and finish when he's given a chance. He needs to work on his defense and board work, which is basically what every offense first junior player needs to work on. I would expect him to outproduce Yamamoto given the same line mates, but also be a bit of a liability initially. He's a fairly safe bet to be a top 6 winger.
Holloway is still raw, but in a good way. Some raw prospects stay raw. Holloway is on the bbq. He has great straight line speed. He could definitely be stronger on his skates, but that should come with time. He can also handle the puck at speed and distribute it. There's an NHL player there, but it remains to be seen whether he's a 2nd line type or a 4th liner. I lean towards 2nd-3rd line player, and in a pinch he could play the give and go with McDavid on the top line.
Both of these guys should be in the mix to make the team, but both are likely at least a full year away from making an impact at the NHL level.
The way I see it:
Bourgault's offensive game will translate to the NHL as long as he isn't expected to create offence. He's smart, generally plays within his game, knows where to be on the ice, etc. He's got a Draisaitl-esque sneaky wrister and snap shot. He isn't the fleetest skater, and kind of lugs the puck a bit, also in a Draisaitl-esque manner. He shouldn't be expected to be the puck transporter on his line, but he'll get to the right spots and finish when he's given a chance. He needs to work on his defense and board work, which is basically what every offense first junior player needs to work on. I would expect him to outproduce Yamamoto given the same line mates, but also be a bit of a liability initially. He's a fairly safe bet to be a top 6 winger.
Holloway is still raw, but in a good way. Some raw prospects stay raw. Holloway is on the bbq. He has great straight line speed. He could definitely be stronger on his skates, but that should come with time. He can also handle the puck at speed and distribute it. There's an NHL player there, but it remains to be seen whether he's a 2nd line type or a 4th liner. I lean towards 2nd-3rd line player, and in a pinch he could play the give and go with McDavid on the top line.
Both of these guys should be in the mix to make the team, but both are likely at least a full year away from making an impact at the NHL level.
