Prospect Info: Tyler Boucher (F) - PART III

[Cosmix]

It absolutely is NOT. He’s no different than any other top prospect other then some fans view. He’s missed some games and bounced around but it doesn’t change his projectability.

OK. Then other people's projections of a bust can be done too. It goes both ways. I prefer to wait and see although I did not like the selection.

 

[NHL Dude 120]

3 pts in 7 games. Hmm.

 

[RAFI BOMB]

Honestly IQ is my biggest worry with Boucher. He's strong as an ox, fast, has a good shot, and can handle a puck just fine. Tools are there but he doesn't get a ton out of them, at least as of yet.

From what I've seen, I don't have that same concern. He is positionally sound, seems to read the play well and makes smart plays with the puck. He does play fairly safe though and that could impact how much offense he has been able to generate.

From what you have stated I would think that a potential explanation is that Boucher is adjusting to the new league and new role and that maybe it is a lack of confidence that is impacting what he is showcasing offensively. He had this interview on TSN1200 a couple days ago:
Boucher: Grateful to be back playing hockey, starting to feel like myself out there again
He mentioned that the NCAA is more of a chip and run style of game whereas in the OHL he feels it is a more skilled game where there are more players trying to make plays. Relating to what I have stated earlier, I think Boucher was struggling to figure out his role in the NCAA. Maybe the coaches weren't doing a good job with that but the result was that he was moving around to different lines and not really finding much stability. I think it makes sense that this would lead him to play a much simpler and safer game and that his confidence would be a bit lower. Clearly the situation in the NCAA wasn't working and that is why he left to the OHL.

I do think he looks more comfortable in the OHL and he has showcased more of his offensive skills. The shoulder injury didn't help as it took him out of practices and games where he could become more comfortable and adjust his game. I think it part what you might be referring to is how long Boucher holds onto the puck (or more specifically, how little). In the OHL he has been making a lot of smart and simple plays but it would be nice to see him carry the puck more and look to use his possession to really set something up.

I think the 67's could really benefit from that as they don't have many players that can really generate sustained possession and in particular I find their D are pretty weak at that as I notice lots of instances where they fail to hold the line or shoot a puck into the oppositions' shinpads leading to a turnover. Actually, another thing I really don't like about the 67's d is that they really do a poor job of capitalizing on Boucher's speed. I have noticed a number of times where Boucher is flying out of the defensive zone and there is a clear outlet pass available and that the D panic with even a bit of pressure and curl back along the boards. Boucher may actually need to become less reliant on the d and actually carry the puck out from deeper in the d zone.

I think we would all like to see Boucher expand his role with the 67's and really start driving possession. With a bit of refinement he will be able to carry the puck fairly easily. His strength, speed and agility should make it easy for him to shield the puck and create skating lanes for himself. He has actually tossed people to the ground that have tried to hit him so he won't even need to worry that much about getting hit. He also makes really smart plays when he is being pressured so he does his job of keeping possession alive. But he could continue to do more of this and really help his teammates get set up by carrying the puck more and looking to make plays.

Part of the challenge will be balancing his passing vs shooting when prioritizing his development. He has a very powerful shot and a quick release and he has a bit of a tendency to play the shooter role by chipping the pucks to to teammates, limiting how long he carriers it and trying to get himself in a scoring position to get a quality shot off. From what I have seen, at both BU and the 67's he simply can't rely on enough of his teammates to get him the puck. He does his role, keeps the cycle going, gets himself into those scoring positions but then his teammates tend to lose possession, and then that forces Boucher to help regain possession and initiate the same process again. As I have stated above it does seem like Boucher might benefit from taking on more of a puck carrier role because he has some skills and attributes that are conducive to that. It would be different than the role he has been focusing on but it could be good for his development. Hopefully we see more of this as his confidence grows and he adapts his game to this league.

 

[HSF]

One description that might prove most accurate is that Boucher will end up being a combination of Mike Fisher and Chris Neil. Fisher was very strong, had impressive speed and skating, decent puck skills and hockey iq and was strong defensively. Neil was a punishing hitter, who played with a real edge to his game, went hard to the net, stirred the pot and could go toe to toe with anyone in the league.

If Boucher ends up taking on the best traits of both Fisher and Neil then he will end up being a very valuable player for the Sens.

Fisher ate the OHL in his post draft year

Boucher could def be a top 6 forward but there is work to do there and its not looking good early

 

[Qward]

as long as he is willing to drop the mitts and toss punches.
Thats what Watson was suppose to be, but that guy hasnt won a fight in ages.

 

[bert]

From what I've seen, I don't have that same concern. He is positionally sound, seems to read the play well and makes smart plays with the puck. He does play fairly safe though and that could impact how much offense he has been able to generate.

From what you have stated I would think that a potential explanation is that Boucher is adjusting to the new league and new role and that maybe it is a lack of confidence that is impacting what he is showcasing offensively. He had this interview on TSN1200 a couple days ago:
Boucher: Grateful to be back playing hockey, starting to feel like myself out there again
He mentioned that the NCAA is more of a chip and run style of game whereas in the OHL he feels it is a more skilled game where there are more players trying to make plays. Relating to what I have stated earlier, I think Boucher was struggling to figure out his role in the NCAA. Maybe the coaches weren't doing a good job with that but the result was that he was moving around to different lines and not really finding much stability. I think it makes sense that this would lead him to play a much simpler and safer game and that his confidence would be a bit lower. Clearly the situation in the NCAA wasn't working and that is why he left to the OHL.

I do think he looks more comfortable in the OHL and he has showcased more of his offensive skills. The shoulder injury didn't help as it took him out of practices and games where he could become more comfortable and adjust his game. I think it part what you might be referring to is how long Boucher holds onto the puck (or more specifically, how little). In the OHL he has been making a lot of smart and simple plays but it would be nice to see him carry the puck more and look to use his possession to really set something up.

I think the 67's could really benefit from that as they don't have many players that can really generate sustained possession and in particular I find their D are pretty weak at that as I notice lots of instances where they fail to hold the line or shoot a puck into the oppositions' shinpads leading to a turnover. Actually, another thing I really don't like about the 67's d is that they really do a poor job of capitalizing on Boucher's speed. I have noticed a number of times where Boucher is flying out of the defensive zone and there is a clear outlet pass available and that the D panic with even a bit of pressure and curl back along the boards. Boucher may actually need to become less reliant on the d and actually carry the puck out from deeper in the d zone.

I think we would all like to see Boucher expand his role with the 67's and really start driving possession. With a bit of refinement he will be able to carry the puck fairly easily. His strength, speed and agility should make it easy for him to shield the puck and create skating lanes for himself. He has actually tossed people to the ground that have tried to hit him so he won't even need to worry that much about getting hit. He also makes really smart plays when he is being pressured so he does his job of keeping possession alive. But he could continue to do more of this and really help his teammates get set up by carrying the puck more and looking to make plays.

Part of the challenge will be balancing his passing vs shooting when prioritizing his development. He has a very powerful shot and a quick release and he has a bit of a tendency to play the shooter role by chipping the pucks to to teammates, limiting how long he carriers it and trying to get himself in a scoring position to get a quality shot off. From what I have seen, at both BU and the 67's he simply can't rely on enough of his teammates to get him the puck. He does his role, keeps the cycle going, gets himself into those scoring positions but then his teammates tend to lose possession, and then that forces Boucher to help regain possession and initiate the same process again. As I have stated above it does seem like Boucher might benefit from taking on more of a puck carrier role because he has some skills and attributes that are conducive to that. It would be different than the role he has been focusing on but it could be good for his development. Hopefully we see more of this as his confidence grows and he adapts his game to this league.

Logical and well written. Too bad it likely falls on def ears.

3 pts in 7 games. Hmm.

...... Have you watched any of them? Given how so many sens posters hate Josh Anderson you're probably not going to like Boucher. However Josh Anderson is a way better player than most people on this board are capable of recognizing so personally I am not too worries at this point. I am not going to come to a conclusion on a player before they are legally old enough to buy a beer.

 

[The Devilish Buffoon]

Logical and well written. Too bad it likely falls on def ears.



...... Have you watched any of them? Given how so many sens posters hate Josh Anderson you're probably not going to like Boucher. However Josh Anderson is a way better player than most people on this board are capable of recognizing so personally I am not too worries at this point. I am not going to come to a conclusion on a player before they are legally old enough to buy a beer.

Have you been watching? I know you follow the 67s pretty closely. How have you found him? We run a "tiny TV" household so I find it difficult to get good viewings of CHL hockey on TV... hoping to get out and see him live a couple times once work & life calm down a bit.

If he ends up like Anderson, we've hit the jackpot. Do you think he has the wheels to be that effective? On the other hand, do you think he has the hands or vision to be a better playmaker than Anderson? Anderson is pretty mediocre on that front.

 

[bert]

Have you been watching? I know you follow the 67s pretty closely. How have you found him? We run a "tiny TV" household so I find it difficult to get good viewings of CHL hockey on TV... hoping to get out and see him live a couple times once work & life calm down a bit.

If he ends up like Anderson, we've hit the jackpot. Do you think he has the wheels to be that effective? On the other hand, do you think he has the hands or vision to be a better playmaker than Anderson? Anderson is pretty mediocre on that front.

I've seen flashes, he has some terrific physical tools. I think like any person/player it's always hard to adjust to a new place to live, a new lesgue, a new system, new teammates etc. Especially as a teenager. I think he is likely battling confidence issues considering what happened at BU. Then take into account he is also coming off an injury. It's going to be a transition period. Probably 30 games or so before he is comfortable. So its hard to really evaluate him, you do see the explosive skating, hard shot, willingness to compete and the hockey sense/body control to create heavy physical contact. He has alot of pro aspects to his raw game.

Just for some perspective on how long it takes players to get comfortable in their surroundings. Sam Gagner was just interviewed and talked about how in Kanes first season on London he had more points in the first half then Kane then once he 'figured it out' in the second half it wasn't even close. Kane finished with 145 points Gagner 118. So even the best of the best take some time to adjust.

I think Boucher needs reps and opportunities before people jump to any conclusions. The raw abilities are there he needs to develop from a hockey sense stand point. It's not like it's bad it's just not very far along.

 

[RAFI BOMB]

 

[PlayersLtd]

That's a very promising release right there.

 

[HSF]

Bouchhhhhh

 

[Tuna99]

Looking like an Owen Nolan type of winger - very nice

 

[Burrowsaurus]

3 pts in 7 games. Hmm.

5 in 8!

 

[Byron Bitz]

Looking like an Owen Nolan type of winger - very nice

That’s amazing, this was a home run of a pick

 

[Tuna99]

That’s amazing, this was a home run of a pick

If that wrister is that good, he could be that power forward who can score from the outside like Nolan was

 

[The Devilish Buffoon]

5 in 8!

Hmmm.

 

[Hale The Villain]

Looking like an Owen Nolan type of winger - very nice

Owen Nolan was a 1st overall pick who had 111 points in 58 games in his draft year in the OHL.

You might want to temper your expectations a little.

 

[Byron Bitz]

Owen Nolan was a 1st overall pick who had 111 points in 58 games in his draft year in the OHL.

You might want to temper your expectations a little.

the differences of opinion in this thread are all over the map. Some think he’s a bust and others think he’s the next Owen Nolan.

 

[Sensinitis]

If he pans out as a Wilson/Fisher type of winger, a Formenton-Stutzle-Boucher line would have everything you need to contribute massively in the playoffs

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

the differences of opinion in this thread are all over the map. Some think he’s a bust and others think he’s the next Owen Nolan.

He is just getting started with the 67's and will have lots of hockey ahead of him this year and next (probably) ... Lots of time to see him develop. Projections will improve the more he plays. Lots of chances to see him for a the next bit.

 

[Alfie11]

He's been a divisive pick since he was drafted. There's some reasonable takes and then there's people who go way to one extreme or the other.

I like this type of player but the Sens definitely went away from the consensus on Boucher. Or they may not have liked the other guys after him, which I think people overlook.

I'm hopeful but who knows with prospects.

Final thought - in between Owen Nolan and total bust is a Cal Clutterbuck type player.

 

[Tuna99]

Owen Nolan was a 1st overall pick who had 111 points in 58 games in his draft year in the OHL.

You might want to temper your expectations a little.

Im thinking more of the 20-25 Goal, good shot and speed and a heavy load who hit hard Owen Nolan.

 

[Tuna99]

Owen Nolan was a 1st overall pick who had 111 points in 58 games in his draft year in the OHL.

You might want to temper your expectations a little.

Jagr should of gone #1, Keith Tkachuk #2, Martin Brodeur #3, Nolan was also a late riser and wasn’t a surprise but there were lots of contenders for #1 that year

 

[aragorn]

as long as he is willing to drop the mitts and toss punches.
Thats what Watson was suppose to be, but that guy hasnt won a fight in ages.

I'd be surprised if he did a lot of fighting. The way he plays & the way he hits it's most likely that he will have to answer the bell occassionaly, but I doubt it will be something he does with regularity. They will want him on the ice more than in the box something like what Tkachuk has become as he is much better at picking his spots.

 

[TheDebater]

This kid is going top 5 in a re-draft.