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GDT: 2021 NHL Draft

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Kakkling Lafter said:
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Tyler Boucher write up via the black book:

Fighting rates have reduced over the last several years. Playing with a mean streak isn’t as important as it once was, but finding players who are willing to do what it takes to win, will always be an important aspect of scouting, especially come playoff time. When everything is on the line, identity players and role players are there to buffer the stars of the game and to help swing momentum. Some people forget the significance of finding players that can shift the tide of a game, that can be called upon to come over the boards and make something happen when the players who are supposed to be scoring, aren’t. Tyler is a throwback power forward who plays with an edge, that represents a bygone era in some ways. Pound for pound, Boucher is arguably the heaviest hitting prospect available, or at least is right up there with some of the other great hitters in this class, such as Eetu Liukas, Victor Sjoholm, and Logan Mailloux. He doesn’t just look to finish his hits, he looks to turn players horizontal into the boards when he upends them. He makes sure that when he is on the ice, every opposing player is well aware of where he is. In turn, that creates hesitation in players during puck retrievals, it creates hesitation in players who need to take a hit from him in order to make a play, and it creates hesitation from the defense when they need to find a way to contain him off of the rush. He might play with an edge, but he also keeps it above water for the most part. On one play we evaluated, he could have put a player in the hospital who had his head down, but he made sure to run through his body instead. Prospects who play the game hard are usually associated as being reactionary, slow thinking players on the ice. But, this is not the case with Boucher. He plays hard, he’s strong on the puck and he maintains a very good pace, but he also plays smart. That’s one of the fundamental differences between a power forward that doesn’t make it to the NHL, verses one that can. His hockey sense allows him to cut down on angles, while gauging a defenseman’s intentions properly. It allows him to generate well timed supporting plays along the half wall or during offensive cycle plays. It also allows him to stay above the puck so that he can use his anticipation and spatial recognition to generate takeaways. His hockey sense extends to his poise and patience when in possession of the puck. A power forward label might be associated with a prospect who looks to go barreling through traffic. Although Boucher is capable of doing just that when tracking down rebounds or when attempting to cut a corner, it’s his ability to work under pressure and slow the play down that defines how he operates. He has a good sense and feel for the rhythm of each offensive play and that’s made him a useful playmaker off of the rush, as well as during the cycle. We remember one sequence specifically, where he was backchecking and ended up reacquiring the puck. How he broke out of his own zone spoke to his sense. Instead of stopping or rotating and turning back towards the far half wall, which would have slowed him down and effectively killed a potential breakout, he made a beautiful leading, no-look backhand pass in mid rotation. This allowed him and his teammate to get going at a faster rate. The pass led to an odd man rush and it wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for Tyler’s ability to think of how he can incorporate his teammate. A lot of prospects would have carried it themselves regardless of the fact that the better option was the player he ended up passing the puck to. Prospects who can freight train through other players while still being able to think the game still aren’t going to make it if they don’t have the other modern day components though. But, Boucher not only has sound skating mechanics, he also features a set of soft hands. This is a draft with very few skaters who are both efficient with their stride and naturally powerful, and that’s one of the defining factors when looking at Tyler’s translational upside. He maintains good posture, a proper knee bend, he can activate through three point flexion, and he has explosive crossovers that can get him moving 26 PLAYER TEAM LEAGUE HEIGHT WEIGHT POS GRADE BOUCHER, TYLER USA-U18 NTDP 6’ 01” 205 LW B HOCKEY SENSE COMPETE SKILL SKATING MISC. 6 9 6 6 8 2021 NHL DRAFT BLACK BOOK -4848 laterally in open ice. Players like Nikita Chibrikov, Sean Tschigerl and Samual Helenius are identity players who have enough speed to be able to be a factor in transitional play through the neutral zone, and that’s another distinguishing trait of Boucher. He gains additional value with his potential transitional zone entry rates because of the skating base, and that’s where his value really holds for us. He can also use a set of soft hands while in mid motion. We would make the argument that his hands lack range sometimes, though. For instance, in one viewing, he successfully pulled off a one handed windmill deke around an opponent from the boards. However, in the majority of games, his extended move-set has led to lost possession. He might not have a ton of range within his hands, but he still skill chains quickly with the puck, making rapid puck touches before setting up his playmaking. Now when you factor that he can do that with real speed, then it shows why he has value as an identity player who can potentially move up and down a line up, depending on the context of the lineup. This is a well rounded player, but there are some limiting factors too. The real weakness in his game is regarding his shooting ability. For such a powerful skater and player, Boucher lacks an explosive core or shoulder rotation within his mechanics. He looked to take the puck off of the draw and cut around the circle to find an open shooting lane in several games. Yet, he was never successful due to his rotational speed reducing the amount of velocity he can generate at mid distances. He had one goal this year where he did explode through his core off of the rush, but that was it. Every other shot in his sample was reliant more on his activated hands, his dexterity in his wrists, while keeping mostly static body posture. There’s not much in the way of footwork or the ability to shoot off of one foot in general. He shoots primarily from planted positions. Though part of that is attributed to where most of his shot generation takes place, which is directly in front of the net. There’s no doubt in our minds that with his on ice mentality and frame, that he can track some pucks in tight and jam home rebounds, or find soft pockets of ice off of cycle plays and put home a one timer option on occasion. But, he’s not going to be much of a secondary goal scorer. Luckily for Tyler, he doesn’t have to be. He brings a distinctive combination of playmaking, sense for the game and power, blended with a high level of determination that’s refreshing to see out on the ice. Although he has throwback elements, he also has modern day and technically refined aspects to his game that make him a viable complimentary piece to a skilled line. He had about as tough a season as you could have for a prospect after suffering two serious knee injuries during a year shortened due to COVID. One injury came against the Adrian Bulldogs, which he recovered from. But, the most recent knee injury occurred against the Youngstown Phantoms and shut him down for the season. Although the injury kept him from playing more than a handful of games, he left a lasting impression in the limited time that he did play, thanks to his throwback power forward play style.
 
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Mild surprises so far but no real reaches yet. Who will be the first off the board pick?
 
LOL the Power Plate is a joke. Sorry but I wouldn't trust someone's mother to train him to get ready for the NHL.

Whoever said they would take Miller over these guys I agree.
 
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