LW Rihards Bukarts - Brandon Wheat Kings, WHL (2014 undrafted)

[R S]

Highly doubt he gets taken inside the top 3.5 or 4 rounds. Just too small. I do like his game though. Very good shot, skates well and does play pretty physical despite his size. Saw him make two huge hits in one game just last weekend. I would suspect he's more of a 5th or 6th round prospect right now.

 

[AlexanderTheGood]

Highly doubt he gets taken inside the top 3.5 or 4 rounds. Just too small. I do like his game though. Very good shot, skates well and does play pretty physical despite his size. Saw him make two huge hits in one game just last weekend. I would suspect he's more of a 5th or 6th round prospect right now.

Agreed. But am I the only one who thinks he plays so much bigger than he actually he is? Even when I'm watching him play live, I can never believe his size when I look down at game sheets.

 

[fmrdh]

Top 5 in WHL scoring so far. I've never seen him play but any chance he gets a contract or goes in the 15 draft?

 

[R S]

Top 5 in WHL scoring so far. I've never seen him play but any chance he gets a contract or goes in the 15 draft?

Said last year that he could have / should have been picked. Hard to say where it stands a few months later. He will once again be on my final draft board as one of the best second-year eligible guys the WHL has to offer.

 

[S E P H]

This really cared about his summer workout. Gain a ton of muscle and it's showing, but playing on a damn good team also helps. I think he deserves to be drafted, but I said the same thing about Lipsberg and he never was (and he had a better all around frame for the NHL).

 

[RobertR]

So whats the deal with him? Missed the game again.

They are playing imports who`s draft years is this season, thats right? So what he can do now? Search for the new team?

 

[wings5]

So whats the deal with him? Missed the game again.

They are playing imports who`s draft years is this season, thats right? So what he can do now? Search for the new team?

It will come down to him or Nejezchleb being traded.

 

[R S]

So whats the deal with him? Missed the game again.

They are playing imports who`s draft years is this season, thats right? So what he can do now? Search for the new team?

Nothing to be concerned about. Brandon is likely just showcasing Nejezchleb to try and trade him. Still think Bukarts will be the guy they choose to keep around out of the two.

 

[Namejs]

This really cared about his summer workout. Gain a ton of muscle and it's showing, but playing on a damn good team also helps. I think he deserves to be drafted, but I said the same thing about Lipsberg and he never was (and he had a better all around frame for the NHL).

I've seen the both of them, their 'frames' aren't different. Yes, Lipsbergs is taller, but Bukarts is built like a small tank, weighs the same and uses his body more efficiently.

For those who know their Latvian hockey - Rihards Bukarts reminds one of MārtiņÅ¡ Karsums (2nd round draft pick by Bruins), except Bukarts has better hands. And if you've watched Karsums play, you wouldn't believe his height is 177cm.

I was slightly surprised he didn't get drafted last year, but if he continues blowing up the WHL like he has early in the season (5 consecutive 3+ point games), there's no way he doesn't get drafted this time around.

But if he doesn't, he's probably going to land a KHL contract (Riga Dinamo owns his KHL rights), and most likely won't stay in the CHL for another year.

 

[DeflatedFootball7]

Bukarts is not ranked in the final rankings despite being ranked 190 at the midterms.

Can't believe this kid may go undrafted. A few years ago he was talked about with the same praise that Girgensons was.

Wonder if NHL scouts have a bias against Latvians since a lot return to Riga?

Jevpalovs, Lipsbergs, Golokovs have all gone undrafted despite good seasons in there respective leagues and it looks like Bukarts may follow that trend. Too bad.

 

[R S]

Bukarts is not ranked in the final rankings despite being ranked 190 at the midterms.

Can't believe this kid may go undrafted. A few years ago he was talked about with the same praise that Girgensons was.

Wonder if NHL scouts have a bias against Latvians since a lot return to Riga?

Jevpalovs, Lipsbergs, Golokovs have all gone undrafted despite good seasons in there respective leagues and it looks like Bukarts may follow that trend. Too bad.

Highly doubt that.

 

[DeflatedFootball7]

Highly doubt that.

Why? They have with Russians for a long time.

 

[R S]

Why? They have with Russians for a long time.

I just think in this specific case there are enough knocks against his game to justify leaving him off. It's just not that out of the blue.

And I also think that, sure, teams might have that type of bias but I really don't think NHL Central Scouting would. At the end of the day they don't have a dog in the fight when it comes to actually having to draft a player that may be a flight risk.

 

[R S]

http://whl-from-above.blogspot.ca/2015/05/final-whl-rankings-2015-nhl-draft.html

#50 Rihards Bukarts*

Team: Brandon Wheat Kings
Position: LW/RW
Shoots: R
Height: 5’9
Weight: 192
GP: 62
Goals: 33
Assists: 41
Points: 74
Pts/Gm: 1.19
PIM: 16

Player Analysis: Rihards Bukarts is a shifty and skilled Latvian forward for the Brandon Wheat Kings…isn’t the biggest player but packs a lot of heart and skill into his frame…isn’t a super fast skater but possesses fantastic east-west skating ability…his shiftiness is aided by his low centre of gravity and strong lower body…could use a bit more pure power in his edges…some refined edgework would help his acceleration…is excellent at making subtle and quick dekes to throw off the opposition and create open ice for him or his linemates…is at his best when he makes the first available play as he can get caught being too fancy at times…passes the puck in a smart fashion, putting it in good spots for the receiving player…knows how to delay the play to open up a passing lane but doesn’t hesitate to dish the puck if a small window is open…his quick decision-making, puck skills and ability to play in space make him a major threat to provide offence off the cycle…is a great distributor on the half-wall on the PP…is often used as the guy to carry the puck through the neutral zone before setting up on the PP…can fire the puck, owning both a hard snapshot and a good one-timer…drives the net with authority and has the ability to finish plays off from in tight…is very tough to handle in tight space…owns a bag full of spin moves when controlling the puck below the goal line in the offensive zone…while being short, he’s not weak…is strong on his stick along the walls…is rather hit and miss defensively despite owning live legs and a good work ethic…isn’t a regular PK guy…only a puck hound when he wants to be but owns a quick stick in those situations…have seen him absolutely level unsuspecting opponents with hits as they didn’t expect him to be as sturdy as he is…was first eligible to be drafted in 2014 but went undrafted…spent a lot of time this year on Tim McGauley’s left wing but saw time on all three forward lines including being able to shift to the right wing…was the 7th overall choice by Brandon in the 2013 CHL Import Draft…overall Bukarts offers a lot in his game, including the fact that he does everything with purpose and that he’s shifty and thick…while I don’t rank him inside my “draftable” prospect range, he’s still worth keeping tabs on regarding a pro future…hopefully the Wheat Kings can convince him to remain in North America for his 20 year old season as he could be among the league’s lead scorers in 2015-16 and possibly earn an NHL contract that way…