D Evan Bouchard - London Knights, OHL (2018, 10th, EDM)

[drw02]

I really hope that’s not taken into consideration. If he was pass on Hughes because of his handedness that would be ridiculous.

That's kinda how I feel about Detroit, they'd prob pass on Hughes and take Bouchard simply because he's a few inches taller, at a time when size has never been more irrelevant in the NHL.

 

[Hale The Villain]

That's kinda how I feel about Detroit, they'd prob pass on Hughes and take Bouchard simply because he's a few inches taller, at a time when size has never been more irrelevant in the NHL.

Bouchard is around 4-5 inches taller. He's also extremely skilled and smart, just like Hughes.

He's not as dynamic obviously, but he was more effective this season.

 

[CanuckCity]

Are the concerns about him potentially maxing out legit?

I think this sentiment stems from him playing half the game every game after london purged their team at the deadline. Hard to recover from fatigue let alone improve/make progress when you play that much. People may see that as stagnation and assume he's maxed his potential.

Could also be a case of him really just needing more 'polishing' than tapping into untapped potential. IE assuming his offense translates its really just gaining some explosiveness and adjusting to the pace of the NHL that he needs. (How far his defensive game develops is what will determine if he's a #1/2 or a #4 PP guy)

A guy like boqvist is far more raw and hence may be more enticing versus a guy like Bouchard who's game isnt likely to fundamentally change.

 

[branch]

Gotta think Ottawa will take him at 4, potential replacement for Karlsson if/when he leaves.

No chance

 

[drw02]

Bouchard is around 4-5 inches taller. He's also extremely skilled and smart, just like Hughes.

He's not as dynamic obviously, but he was more effective this season.

More effective? How do you quantify that? Hughes had just as good a season as any 18 year old D in NCAA hockey could dream of. Hughes' skill set is rarer, more dynamic and a tier above Bouchard imo.

 

[Michael Brand Eggs]

More effective? How do you quantify that? Hughes had just as good a season as any 18 year old D in NCAA hockey could dream of. Hughes' skill set is rarer, more dynamic and a tier above Bouchard imo.

But Bouchard just had as good a season as any 18 year old D in the OHL could dream of. I don't see any credible argument here based solely on league. The OHL is a fantastic development environment. So is the NCAA. Saying someone who kills it in the NCAA is automatically better than someone who kills it in the OHL is a helluva gamble.

The rarity thing is weird, too. What good is rarity if it isn't paired with efficacy? It doesn't matter if nobody else can do what he does if nobody else needs to do what he does.

And for the tier above thing, you're going to have to give us something to go on. Really credible rankings have the two trading places. We know Bob McKenzie polls 10 actual NHL scouts, and his last ranking has Bouchard ahead. Craig Button, bless his highly adventurous soul, had Bouchard ahead in his last ranking (although it's worth noting that he had Hughes ahead in his mock draft). Let's not pretend people who like Bouchard better are out of lunch or something.

Edit: it might not be you specifically suggesting that people who like Bouchard better are crazy, but I'm definitely getting that more and more now that the WC are underway.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

But Bouchard just had as good a season as any 18 year old D in the OHL could dream of. I don't see any credible argument here based solely on league. The OHL is a fantastic development environment. So is the NCAA. Saying someone who kills it in the NCAA is automatically better than someone who kills it in the OHL is a helluva gamble.

The rarity thing is weird, too. What good is rarity if it isn't paired with efficacy? It doesn't matter if nobody else can do what he does if nobody else needs to do what he does.

And for the tier above thing, you're going to have to give us something to go on. Really credible rankings have the two trading places. We know Bob McKenzie polls 10 actual NHL scouts, and his last ranking has Bouchard ahead. Craig Button, bless his highly adventurous soul, had Bouchard ahead in his last ranking (although it's worth noting that he had Hughes ahead in his mock draft). Let's not pretend people who like Bouchard better are out of lunch or something.

Edit: it might not be you specifically suggesting that people who like Bouchard better are crazy, but I'm definitely getting that more and more now that the WC are underway.

Are they wrong about Tkachuk and right about Bouchard?

 

[Michael Brand Eggs]

Are they wrong about Tkachuk and right about Bouchard?

Can you explain the question a little more? Who's "they" in this case?

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

Can you explain the question a little more? Who's "they" in this case?

McKenzie (10 scout poll) & Button... They have Tkachuk at 4 or higher in the case of Button. Some people like that they have Bouchard ranked high but don't believe Tkachuk is worthy of being ranked that high

 

[Michael Brand Eggs]

McKenzie (10 scout poll) & Button... They have Tkachuk at 4 or higher in the case of Button. Some people like that they have Bouchard ranked high but don't believe Tkachuk is worthy of being ranked that high

I like Tkachuk. I think he's more skilled than the narrative about him would indicate. I haven't seen anything in his game that would make me question NHL scouts having him that high. I don't want my team to draft him, though.

 

[Love]

His shot isn't as good (Bouchard does have a good shot) as ekblads was during his draft year and I would say that ekblad was also superior defensively. Although Bouchards ability to take up the puck and make good plays is something ekblad didn't have. Bouchard is also a lot better at getting his shot off more frequently than ekblad ever could. I would say overall, Bouchard has a more well-rounded offensive game than ekblad, but is not as good in his own zone.

Disagree on Bouchard’s shot not being as good. I think it’s better especially when you consider wrist shot not just slapped/one-timer.

 

[Siludin]

If Tkachuk's name was Jimmy Smith he would go 6-10

 

[newfy]

More effective? How do you quantify that? Hughes had just as good a season as any 18 year old D in NCAA hockey could dream of. Hughes' skill set is rarer, more dynamic and a tier above Bouchard imo.

Rare skillset is not equal to a more valuable skillset. Dynamic doesnt mean more effective, as a wings fan you hould know this. Lidstrom had absolutely no dynamic aspect to his game and is still the best dman most on this site have ever seen play. Having a a rare skill set is what gets guys like Lawnson Crouse and Tom Wilson drafted as high as they do. Ryan Murphy was a similar dynamic, rare skill set type of dman that went high.

Sometimes a guy like Bouchard who just makes a good breakout pass, has a cannon for a point shot and jumps into the odd man rush is more effective than a guy who skates circles in the offensive zone for 2 minutes before creating a chance. I'm not saying Bouchard is for sure better, but the fact that people always fall in love with the flashy, skilled prospects and talk about how much more rare they are is something I always find funny. Ho Sang and Kirilll Kabonov were talked about the same way at their drafts

 

[AmericanDream]

Rare skillset is not equal to a more valuable skillset. Dynamic doesnt mean more effective, as a wings fan you hould know this. Lidstrom had absolutely no dynamic aspect to his game and is still the best dman most on this site have ever seen play. Having a a rare skill set is what gets guys like Lawnson Crouse and Tom Wilson drafted as high as they do. Ryan Murphy was a similar dynamic, rare skill set type of dman that went high.

Sometimes a guy like Bouchard who just makes a good breakout pass, has a cannon for a point shot and jumps into the odd man rush is more effective than a guy who skates circles in the offensive zone for 2 minutes before creating a chance. I'm not saying Bouchard is for sure better, but the fact that people always fall in love with the flashy, skilled prospects and talk about how much more rare they are is something I always find funny. Ho Sang and Kirilll Kabonov were talked about the same way at their drafts

what in the hell????? I am totally lost on this post...God I wish the draft was tomorrow.

 

[newfy]

what in the hell????? I am totally lost on this post...God I wish the draft was tomorrow.

I'm saying a dynamic skill set doesnt automatically mean its a better skill set to have. Lidstrom never really made the dynamic play, but he always made the right play and did it at a very high level. The guys I listed (Crouse, Wilson) have rare skill sets, they are big mean and had some talent which led them being drafed higher than they should have. Ryan Murphy was similar, doesnt play a conventional NHL/pro style game but was dynamic. That did not make any of these guys better pros then some guys drafted after them.

A rare, dynamic skill set does not automatically mean its a better skill set for winning hockey games. Its really not that hard to follow, and I'm sure you took it as an attack on an American prospect and didnt bother to read the part where I said that I'm not saying Bouchard is better. I just said I think thats bad reasoning for why a guy is better. The only time a player is better is if hes a more effective hockey player. Hughes dynamic skill set, dangling and rushing the puck might end up making him the better NHLer than Bouchard. But by the same token, Bouchards better point shot and smart passing might make him better. Both generate offense at very high levels for the leagues theyre in, they just do it differently.

Keep up.

 

[Castle8130]

Disagree on Bouchard’s shot not being as good. I think it’s better especially when you consider wrist shot not just slapped/one-timer.

Ekblad scores a lot of goals in the nhl and he really isn't all that great at setting up for them. He scored 16 goals this year and if he could get better at getting his shot off, he could probably have a 30 goal season one year. He just doesn't have that ability. Bouchards shot is good, but not as good as ekblads. If his shot is better than ekblads, he will have a 30 goal season in the nhl based off his hockey sense, but he doesn't, so I don't see it happening.

 

[Martin Skoula]

Ekblad scores a lot of goals in the nhl and he really isn't all that great at setting up for them. He scored 16 goals this year and if he could get better at getting his shot off, he could probably have a 30 goal season one year. He just doesn't have that ability. Bouchards shot is good, but not as good as ekblads. If his shot is better than ekblads, he will have a 30 goal season in the nhl based off his hockey sense, but he doesn't, so I don't see it happening.

He just has to be in the right situation like Carlson this year IMO. As long as there's another big shot to cover on the PP, he should have enough room to get into the 20s.

 

[Michael Farkas]

Weird to read that people think he's smart. He has like a Cody Franson level IQ...he is a mess defensively, just a catastrophe...now that I'm starting to put together my draft rankings a little bit, I'm starting to isolate some guys and his hockey sense is easily his weakest attribute. He'll have a good first few years in the league, he might even develop enough athleticism (though, he's not as fluid as say, Kristopher Letang) to string together more than a few years...but this is not a player I'd be viewing as a long-term franchise defenseman...

If you can look past his defensively ability/awareness/technique and you can look at how he jumps into the rush down the middle, how he can snap the puck, how he can carry, how he can shoot a moving puck, that's fine...he looks the part...he looks like a pro, no question. He looks like a 21 year old playing in this league, no question. But he's wearing his IQ on his back...

 

[DJB]

Weird to read that people think he's smart. He has like a Cody Franson level IQ...he is a mess defensively, just a catastrophe...now that I'm starting to put together my draft rankings a little bit, I'm starting to isolate some guys and his hockey sense is easily his weakest attribute. He'll have a good first few years in the league, he might even develop enough athleticism (though, he's not as fluid as say, Kristopher Letang) to string together more than a few years...but this is not a player I'd be viewing as a long-term franchise defenseman...

If you can look past his defensively ability/awareness/technique and you can look at how he jumps into the rush down the middle, how he can snap the puck, how he can carry, how he can shoot a moving puck, that's fine...he looks the part...he looks like a pro, no question. He looks like a 21 year old playing in this league, no question. But he's wearing his IQ on his back...

Ill agree he needs work in the defensive end but to me its because hes gassed playing 30 minutes a night. I know from experience it is way easier playing offence and far more taxing on your energy playing defense especially as a dman with all the twisting turning, stops and starts and board battles. I think that's a big part of why his defensive game is lacking.

 

[DJB]

Ive recently been thinking about Bouchard and i have him conpared to Brent Burns in his style of play.

 

[Breakers]

Best 5v5 production of any draft eligible D-man.
However his ice time 5v5 is probably higher than any player on this list by a wide margin

 

[suddeninterest]

Best 5v5 production of any draft eligible D-man.
However his ice time 5v5 is probably higher than any player on this list by a wide margin

Ty Smith’s goals for relative is insane. 18%? Wow.

 

[Michael Farkas]

Ive recently been thinking about Bouchard and i have him conpared to Brent Burns in his style of play.

Another pretty low IQ player, yes. Burns is a better lateral skater and athlete. But it's not a fatigue thing. He makes the same exact mistakes in the first minute and the last minute, first game and last game. Deer in headlights, but breathing is normal haha

 

[DJB]

Another pretty low IQ player, yes. Burns is a better lateral skater and athlete. But it's not a fatigue thing. He makes the same exact mistakes in the first minute and the last minute, first game and last game. Deer in headlights, but breathing is normal haha

Burns is definitely the far better skater. It's tough coming up with perfect comparisons lol

 

[scallionjj11]