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

[AmericanDream]

How close is he to NHL ready? What does he need to work on most?

his consistency and strength. from what I have seen, this kid has one of the highest ceilings for his position period. I would love it if the Hawks drafted him. I think he has been the most dominant defensemen in the OHL this year and yes he takes off the occasional shift or has floated a bit at times, but on pure raw talent and ability, how this kid last around picks 7-8 is beyond me,,,

 

[KingTux]

In term of play style and not in actual potential, would Ryan Suter be a reasonable comparison ?

 

[ProspectsSTC]

In term of play style and not in actual potential, would Ryan Suter be a reasonable comparison ?

I don't think so no. Bouchard is much more offensively minded with a very good shot, I know it's almost cliché at this point but think Carlson

 

[Nuckles]

 

[AmericanDream]

if the Hawks lose out on Wahlstrom, this is the kid I think we have to get - his upside is just massive, and I cannot speak any more highly of his passing and vision coming out of the zone.

 

[Thebesthockey]

I would like to see his minutes per game
he never gets of the ice
wtf

 

[Marc the Habs Fan]

if the Hawks lose out on Wahlstrom, this is the kid I think we have to get - his upside is just massive, and I cannot speak any more highly of his passing and vision coming out of the zone.

I don't see it unless the Hawks trade up. Or they get 2nd or 3rd in the lottery and decide to trade back a bit. I am fairly sure Bouchard is going 4th or 5th overall. All these bad teams need help and help fast on the blueline. Due to his late birthday, Bouchard could very well be in the NHL as soon as October 2018 (assuming he has a big summer of training), unlike Boqvist, Dobson, etc. That will be appealing for these teams.

 

[AmericanDream]

I don't see it unless the Hawks trade up. Or they get 2nd or 3rd in the lottery and decide to trade back a bit. I am fairly sure Bouchard is going 4th or 5th overall. All these bad teams need help and help fast on the blueline. Due to his late birthday, Bouchard could very well be in the NHL as soon as October 2018 (assuming he has a big summer of training), unlike Boqvist, Dobson, etc. That will be appealing for these teams.

you would be surprised my friend how many have him at pick #8 and after...many on my own board do not want him and think he will go around 10-12...I don't see what they see - kid is elite no damn doubt about it. If he drops past the Hawks pick, this is Cam Fowler 2.0 as in WTF were GM's thinking passing on him...'

and for me, the 3 locks I have to making the jump from the draft to the NHL are Dahlin, Tkachuk, and Bouchard.

 

[Marc the Habs Fan]

Well, they must have not watched much London Knights hockey the last 3 seasons. I have no other explanation.

Hawks fans should leap for joy if they get Bouchard at around 7th overall. Would be a great fit. A right side with him and Jokiharju for a decade is damn solid.

 

[AmericanDream]

Well, they must have not watched much London Knights hockey the last 3 seasons. I have no other explanation.

Hawks fans should leap for joy if they get Bouchard at around 7th overall. Would be a great fit. A right side with him and Jokiharju for a decade is damn solid.

exactly.

the fears I hear are overblown minutes, takes odd shifts off, lazy at times...generally his production is a byproduct of the massive minutes he gets..some of that I can say would be a legit concern, but for me there is a reason he gets the massive minutes, and if he gets tamed down a bit I think it will only improve his overall game...I honestly see no downside with him, if he is there when we pick and we don;t get him, I will likely riot and get banned from here lol

 

[Artorius Horus T]

I was high praising him earlier, but i dunno....

Not a single 5 on 5 point in 4-0 sweep series loss
sure he scored 5 points (1+4) in 4 games, but was -6
London sucked and so did Bouchard. That's what i think anyways.

I know, i know, small sample size and ****
but still...when the real games started, he couldn't
play as good as in the regular season, would you
want a draft a player like him?.

 

[lawrence]

I was high praising him earlier, but i dunno....

Not a single 5 on 5 point in 4-0 sweep series loss
sure he scored 5 points (1+4) in 4 games, but was -6
London sucked and so did Bouchard. That's what i think anyways.

I know, i know, small sample size and ****
but still...when the real games started, he couldn't
play as good as in the regular season, would you
want a draft a player like him?.

maybe not with a top 10 pick. 87 points for a dman can't be ignored, also. at this point I believe Dobson probably leap frogged him.

 

[Artorius Horus T]

maybe not with a top 10 pick. 87 points for a dman can't be ignored, also. at this point I believe Dobson probably leap frogged him.

All true.

Gotta wait and see.

 

[ConnorMcMullet]

I don't see it unless the Hawks trade up. Or they get 2nd or 3rd in the lottery and decide to trade back a bit. I am fairly sure Bouchard is going 4th or 5th overall. All these bad teams need help and help fast on the blueline. Due to his late birthday, Bouchard could very well be in the NHL as soon as October 2018 (assuming he has a big summer of training), unlike Boqvist, Dobson, etc. That will be appealing for these teams.

Really? IMO Dobson is by far the most NHL ready out of the three. Still not sure which one I like best though. I feel like:

Bouchard will be like Dougie Hamilton
Dobson will be like Alex Pietrangelo
Boqvist will be a better John Klingberg

 

[Castle8130]

if the Hawks lose out on Wahlstrom, this is the kid I think we have to get - his upside is just massive, and I cannot speak any more highly of his passing and vision coming out of the zone.

The only reason they might not pick him is because jokiharju is a right shot too and our defensive prospects heavily outweigh our forward prospects. I think one of wahlstrom, Zadina, kravtsov(unlikely), Dobson, and Bouchard is going to get picked by the hawks.

 

[Habs76]

Really? IMO Dobson is by far the most NHL ready out of the three. Still not sure which one I like best though. I feel like:

Bouchard will be like Dougie Hamilton
Dobson will be like Alex Pietrangelo
Boqvist will be a better John Klingberg

I have a tough time believing all three will pan out that well. Anyways, I still take Dobson

 

[TheDoorDoctor]

When does Bob Mck's final draft list typically come out? From the sounds of it, Bouchard will be falling. Any chance he's taken after any Def man not named Dahlin,Hughes,Boqvist or Dobson? Who better Bouchard or Ty Smith?

 

[docbenton]

I think whoever takes Dobson over Bouchard will regret it. Put simply, Bouchard is an elite player, Dobson is not. Take the elite player and move on.

 

[Siludin]

I was high praising him earlier, but i dunno....

Not a single 5 on 5 point in 4-0 sweep series loss
sure he scored 5 points (1+4) in 4 games, but was -6
London sucked and so did Bouchard. That's what i think anyways.

I know, i know, small sample size and ****
but still...when the real games started, he couldn't
play as good as in the regular season, would you
want a draft a player like him?.

Bouchard is the type of player who, despite his production you don't rush. He might be bigger than Ryan Ellis, but I think you need to develop him in a similar way.

Two more seasons in the minors, imo. Europe won't be as attractive an option for Bouchard like it was for, say, Juolevi. Any team drafting Bouchard want to see sheer dominance on top of his clear talent prior to bringing him up. No reason to rush him.

 

[Boonk]

I think whoever takes Dobson over Bouchard will regret it. Put simply, Bouchard is an elite player, Dobson is not. Take the elite player and move on.

What evidence do you have to support this?

 

[LastWordArmy]

Our Draft Profile

Evan Bouchard Scouting Report: 2018 NHL Draft #10

 

[Vachon23]

if the Hawks lose out on Wahlstrom, this is the kid I think we have to get - his upside is just massive, and I cannot speak any more highly of his passing and vision coming out of the zone.

If the Hawks absolutely want Bouchard, and the Habs are 5-6 and the Hawks 7-8 I would be feeling to listen

 

[CanuckCity]

Can anyone who's watched him a lot give me a more in-depth analysis of his skating? Im enamored by his offensive game but the skating does worry me with the way the NHL is trending. Is it just his explosiveness/top speed that is lacking? How is his mobility in the D-Zone?

He's not much of a rusher and relies on his high-end passing so if it's only his acceleration that needs works that's fine with me, however if he has sub-par overall mobility id be worried about him being limited to only a PP specialist/OFD at the next level rather than a potential all-around #1 guy/

 

[seafoam]

Really? IMO Dobson is by far the most NHL ready out of the three. Still not sure which one I like best though. I feel like:

Bouchard will be like Dougie Hamilton
Dobson will be like Alex Pietrangelo
Boqvist will be a better John Klingberg

Hasn’t Bouchard already played three ful OHL seasons, compared to just two for Dobson?

 

[Oliewud]

where does everyone rank bouchard now that button has him at #5?

im hoping the canucks snag him.