Prospect Info: Tyler Boucher (RW/LW) - Don`t sleep on Tyler Boucher

[Hale The Villain]

Anybody with some insight as to whether Boucher is likely to be going to the WJHC?

14 points in 15 games and a -1 is pretty pedestrian. Not sure if I was the USA coach whether I'd want this guy out there with international refs in a tight game, either.

Hopefully he goes and it kick starts his season from here on out.

He'll be a liability with international reffing. Can't stop taking dumb penalties/suspensions at the OHL level and a penalty at a bad time can kill a team in a short tournament like the WJC.

He also doesn't deserve to make it based on his play. Under a PPG as a 19YR old in the CHL is pathetic. Even our 4th liners Kelly, Kastelic and Watson managed to produce over a PPG at the same age.

 

[ottawah]

Anybody with some insight as to whether Boucher is likely to be going to the WJHC?

14 points in 15 games and a -1 is pretty pedestrian. Not sure if I was the USA coach whether I'd want this guy out there with international refs in a tight game, either.

Hopefully he goes and it kick starts his season from here on out.

Hockey USA tends to look down on players going the CHL route, they tend to value players playing against a higher level of competition. Last years team had 1 CHL forward. 2021 had 1. 2020 had 2. 2019 had 2. But it is a weak year for the US team by the looks of it.

Based on his OHL play this year? No chance. He would not even make a team if it was just OHL players. But if he goes to camp and wows them, then yes.

 

[BondraTime]

Hockey USA tends to look down on players going the CHL route, they tend to value players playing against a higher level of competition. Last years team had 1 CHL forward. 2021 had 1. 2020 had 2. 2019 had 2. But it is a weak year for the US team by the looks of it.

Based on his OHL play this year? No chance. He would not even make a team if it was just OHL players. But if he goes to camp and wows them, then yes.

If you can name 5 OHL players who would make the US team over Boucher, I'd be astonished, because you can't.

There is Ty Voit, and Boucher likely has a leg up on him, and Pastujov then.....

He's extremely likely to be on the team

 

[bert]

He'll be a liability with international reffing. Can't stop taking dumb penalties/suspensions at the OHL level and a penalty at a bad time can kill a team in a short tournament like the WJC.

He also doesn't deserve to make it based on his play. Under a PPG as a 19YR old in the CHL is pathetic. Even our 4th liners Kelly, Kastelic and Watson managed to produce over a PPG at the same age.

So strange to make this post without 0 context or understanding of his competition. You simply will not look at this player objectively. When you're using specifically NHL players as his comparables... How about talking about his actual competition. Other posters have done it right in this thread.

He is scoring at a 35/40 goal pace with 0 continuity and might be the most physical player in the tournament.

 

[Byron Bitz]

So strange to make this post without 0 context or understanding of his competition. You simply will not look at this player objectively. When you're using specifically NHL players as his comparables... How about talking about his actual competition. Other posters have done it right in this thread.

He is scoring at a 35/40 goal pace with 0 continuity and might be the most physical player in the tournament.

Scoring at a 35/40 goal pace is one way to look at his production, sure. Another way is that he’s 8th on his OHL team in points as a 19 year old.

 

[bert]

Scoring at a 35/40 goal pace is one way to look at his production, sure. Another way is that he’s 8th on his OHL team in points as a 19 year old.

He has played half the games. He is also the most physical player in the league. So one way to look at it would be to simply look at points. The other would be to go deeper than that. He is a goal scoring power forward who keeps the other team honest and sticks up for his teammates.

 

[RickyLafleur]

Are people still asleep on this guy? Might be one of the worst first round selections in this teams history relative to draft position.

 

[SpezDispenser]

Are people still asleep on this guy? Might be one of the worst first round selections in this teams history relative to draft position.

Brian Lee level right now.

 

[Larionov]

This pick was so painful. Not only was Cole Sillinger sitting there waiting for us if in fact we were determined to take the son of a former NHLer, but there were about five or six other, better prospects amongst the next ten who were taken. Our scouting staff has done some tremendous work in the past, but let's be honest - they whiffed badly on this one. I get that scouting in that 2020-21 year was next to impossible, but instead of trying to get cute and swing for the fences they just should have made the safe pick...

 

[Wondercarrot]

Scoring at a 35/40 goal pace is one way to look at his production, sure. Another way is that he’s 8th on his OHL team in points as a 19 year old.

and another way to look at it is that he leads the the #1 team in the OHL/#4 team in the CHL in goals/game, and is 5th in PPG.

 

[DaveMatthew]

This pick was so painful. Not only was Cole Sillinger sitting there waiting for us if in fact we were determined to take the son of a former NHLer, but there were about five or six other, better prospects amongst the next ten who were taken. Our scouting staff has done some tremendous work in the past, but let's be honest - they whiffed badly on this one. I get that scouting in that 2020-21 year was next to impossible, but instead of trying to get cute and swing for the fences they just should have made the safe pick...

The thing is though, Boucher was the "safe" pick. Because of his size and skillset, he's almost a sure bet to be an NHLer. Now, that might be as a 3rd/4th line energy guy, but he'll be in the league.

While guys like Coronato, Lucius and Lysell definitely have a higher upside (probably much higher upside), they also may never be able to carve out a top 6 offensive role in the NHL, and don't project to be bottom 6 players.

 

[BondraTime]

and another way to look at it is that he leads the the #1 team in the OHL/#4 team in the CHL in goals/game, and is 5th in PPG.

Should just look at it as it is.

He’s producing at ~ppg, extremely modestly for a 19 year old NHL pick at any point in the draft. I expected more for sure, his production has been disappointing this far for me, but that is what it is. There aren’t many successful NHL forwards that score from 0.8-1.15 ppg pace in the CHL in their 19 year old season, but there are guys who do that nearly every year.

He’s not a point producer, and never will. A couple of Empty net goals also helping his totals.

His game translates to the NHL level as an energy grinder who can chip in with offense here and there. He looks to be progressing like that type of player.

Points aren’t the be all end all with him, if that’s all we’re looking at, we’re going to be extremely disappointed.

He was very obviously not the right pick at 10, but he is looking to be able to jump into the NHL in a Cluttetbuck type role and impact down the line.

We don’t have a point producing, slick, offensive forward that we all hoped to draft. The pick has been made, it’s a sunk cost now. We need to get used to the type of player he is, and the impact he can have.

That won’t be scoring points, that won’t be creating plays in the offensive zone. It will be a guy that is hard on the forecheck, finishes every hit, chips in with 15g-15a a year and plays a hard nosed playoff style hockey.

Comparison wise he is tracking similar to Jim O’Brien, while obviously not the same type of player.

15 points in 43 games as a 17 year old in NCAA
55 points in 70 games as an 18 year old in WHL
62 points in 63 games as a 19 year old in WHL

Both were seen as safe floor guys who will be able to play in a bottom 6 role for a decade. Boucher is much more physical.

I think Boucher ends the season with ~ 45 points in 40 games.

 

[RickyLafleur]

Should just look at it as it is.

He’s producing at ~ppg, extremely modestly for a 19 year old NHL pick at any point in the draft. I expected more for sure, his production has been disappointing this far for me, but that is what it is. There aren’t many successful NHL forwards that score from 0.8-1.15 ppg pace in the CHL in their 19 year old season, but there are guys who do that nearly every year.

He’s not a point producer, and never will. A couple of Empty net goals also helping his totals.

His game translates to the NHL level as an energy grinder who can chip in with offense here and there. He looks to be progressing like that type of player.

Points aren’t the be all end all with him, if that’s all we’re looking at, we’re going to be extremely disappointed.

He was very obviously not the right pick at 10, but he is looking to be able to jump into the NHL in a Cluttetbuck type role and impact down the line.

We don’t have a point producing, slick, offensive forward that we all hoped to draft. The pick has been made, it’s a sunk cost now. We need to get used to the type of player he is, and the impact he can have.

That won’t be scoring points, that won’t be creating plays in the offensive zone. It will be a guy that is hard on the forecheck, finishes every hit, chips in with 15g-15a a year and plays a hard nosed playoff style hockey.

Comparison wise he is tracking similar to Jim O’Brien, while obviously not the same type of player.

15 points in 43 games as a 17 year old in NCAA
70 points in 73 games as an 18 year old in WHL
62 points in 63 games as a 19 year old in WHL

Both were seen as safe floor guys who will be able to play in a bottom 6 role for a decade. Boucher is much more physical.

You don't pick #10 with the intention of getting a 3rd or 4th line grinder as they are generally available in the later rounds, and almost always available every year in free agency. We don't have a consensus goalie for the future whereas there was 2 available and we choose a guy ranked in the 2nd/3rd round.

 

[BondraTime]

You don't pick #10 with the intention of getting a 3rd or 4th line grinder as they are generally available in the later rounds, and almost always available every year in free agency. We don't have a consensus goalie for the future whereas there was 2 available and we choose a guy ranked in the 2nd/3rd round.

I'm not arguing that it was a good pick, I said it wasn't. Everyone, for the most part, knows it wasn't.

The pick has been made, Boucher is a Sen. What he can become, is what we should be worried about.

We can complain until the cats come home that it was a pretty nonsensical pick, it was, I think it was extremely idiotic. But that's not going to change anything, we made the bed, now we lie in it.

Boucher can become a useful bottom 6er for us, that's how he should be viewed. We shouldn't be getting mad that we aren't getting a game breaker or top 6 guy anymore, time for that has come and past. Now we need to have our expectations adjusted, and accept that it was a bad pick, while also accepting that a bottom 6 physical forward like Boucher is a valuable piece, in a much different and lower impact way.

 

[Wondercarrot]

Should just look at it as it is.

He’s producing at ~ppg, extremely modestly for a 19 year old NHL pick at any point in the draft. I expected more for sure, his production has been disappointing this far for me, but that is what it is. There aren’t many successful NHL forwards that score from 0.8-1.15 ppg pace in the CHL in their 19 year old season, but there are guys who do that nearly every year.

He’s not a point producer, and never will. A couple of Empty net goals also helping his totals.

His game translates to the NHL level as an energy grinder who can chip in with offense here and there. He looks to be progressing like that type of player.

Points aren’t the be all end all with him, if that’s all we’re looking at, we’re going to be extremely disappointed.

He was very obviously not the right pick at 10, but he is looking to be able to jump into the NHL in a Cluttetbuck type role and impact down the line.

We don’t have a point producing, slick, offensive forward that we all hoped to draft. The pick has been made, it’s a sunk cost now. We need to get used to the type of player he is, and the impact he can have.

That won’t be scoring points, that won’t be creating plays in the offensive zone. It will be a guy that is hard on the forecheck, finishes every hit, chips in with 15g-15a a year and plays a hard nosed playoff style hockey.

Comparison wise he is tracking similar to Jim O’Brien, while obviously not the same type of player.

15 points in 43 games as a 17 year old in NCAA
55 points in 70 games as an 18 year old in WHL
62 points in 63 games as a 19 year old in WHL

Both were seen as safe floor guys who will be able to play in a bottom 6 role for a decade. Boucher is much more physical.

I think Boucher ends the season with ~ 45 points in 40 games.

I don’t disagree with any of this

 

[Tap on the Ankle]

Brian Lee level right now.

but even that is generous

in his D+2 season Lee put up a modest 26pts in 38 games at UND. The next season he went on to have a decent enough AHL rookie year (almost 0.5ppg) to earn a call up by March.

 

[Tap on the Ankle]

This pick was so painful. Not only was Cole Sillinger sitting there waiting for us if in fact we were determined to take the son of a former NHLer, but there were about five or six other, better prospects amongst the next ten who were taken. Our scouting staff has done some tremendous work in the past, but let's be honest - they whiffed badly on this one. I get that scouting in that 2020-21 year was next to impossible, but instead of trying to get cute and swing for the fences they just should have made the safe pick...

or at least trade down. I don't mind if they don't like the probable next selections but just trade the pick down once in awhile.

It seems like this team has been both trading up a lot while also making off the board picks more than other teams. Just dosen't make sense on the surface unless you're hitting these out of the park like the Wings did with Seider, but that's clearly not what's happening here.

 

[Hale The Villain]

Brian Lee level right now.

Lee was much more promising at the same age.

Boucher is the worst top 10 pick since McIlrath.

 

[ottawah]

If you can name 5 OHL players who would make the US team over Boucher, I'd be astonished, because you can't.

There is Ty Voit, and Boucher likely has a leg up on him, and Pastujov then.....

He's extremely likely to be on the team

I did not say US players, I just said if the OHL was to send a team (i.e. team OHL) Boucher would not merit much consideration. And given a team of just OHL players would have a very hard time at this tourney .....

 

[Alex1234]

Only hope is he can become a Neil type of player (not much hope)

 

[ottawah]

and another way to look at it is that he leads the the #1 team in the OHL/#4 team in the CHL in goals/game, and is 5th in PPG.

And is not in the top 20 for GPG in the OHL and is not in the top 50 for PPG in the OHL.

And the teams record is significantly better with him out of the lineup.

There are a million stats that can be spun ......

 

[Wondercarrot]

And is not in the top 20 for GPG in the OHL and is not in the top 50 for PPG in the OHL.

And the teams record is significantly better with him out of the lineup.

There are a million stats that can be spun ......

Sure, that was sort of my point.
Either way I’m not sitting here waiting for Boucher to become a top 6 player.
I agree entirely with Bondratime’s post above.

 

[Larionov]

or at least trade down. I don't mind if they don't like the probable next selections but just trade the pick down once in awhile.

It seems like this team has been both trading up a lot while also making off the board picks more than other teams. Just dosen't make sense on the surface unless you're hitting these out of the park like the Wings did with Seider, but that's clearly not what's happening here.

In their defense, trading down is difficult in the NHL - unlike in the NFL draft, where you are drafting more finished products and people will look to move up, it doesn't feel like very many NHL teams are interested in trading up.

In that draft, though, we should have been one of them. Dylan Guenther fell to #9, one pick before us. We had the assets - we should have sent the Coyotes a second to swap spots with them. Hell, give them two seconds. Guenther is a goal scorer and plays a position of need on the right side. We should have made the Coyotes an offer they couldn't refuse to make the swap. Instead, we took a plug like Boucher who we hope one day can be the new Parker Kelly. Inspiring...

 

[RAFI BOMB]

Boucher's passing and vision remind me a lot of Brady Tkachuk, it is a very underrated aspect of his game. I think much like Tkachuk, that aspect of his game will become much more clear as he develops.

I think Boucher is going to become a very fun player for the Sens. At minimum I think he becomes somewhat of a cross between Nic Deslauriers and Ryan Reaves. I also see some traits that remind me of Marcus Foligno and Josh Anderson.

Using some more obscure names, physically I see Boucher becoming a smaller version of Evgeni Artyukhin with a Martin Frk shot. He is going to be an absolute wrecking ball out there and he is going to have a very powerful shot.

He has a lot of the right attributes to be a quality complementary top six player. His speed, skill and structure to his game will allow him the ability to play with very high end players. We already saw that in preseason where he fit in well with Brady Tkachuk and Josh Norris. The question will be whether he can find consistent production to remain in those top six roles when he gets the opportunity.

He has flashes of high end skill but at this point it is kind of like Josh Anderson who also has the flashes that make you wonder what kind of player he could be if he was able to do that consistently. His lack of consistency is what keeps his production jumping up to more impressive levels.

A smaller version of Evgeni Artyukhin mixed with the toughness and physicality of Ryan Reaves and Nic Deslauriers, with some attributes of Marcus Foligno and Josh Anderson, with a shot like Martin Frk, and some vision and passing like a lesser version of Brady Tkachuk is the makings of a very fun and entertaining player.

 

[Golden_Jet]

He'll be a liability with international reffing. Can't stop taking dumb penalties/suspensions at the OHL level and a penalty at a bad time can kill a team in a short tournament like the WJC.

He also doesn't deserve to make it based on his play. Under a PPG as a 19YR old in the CHL is pathetic. Even our 4th liners Kelly, Kastelic and Watson managed to produce over a PPG at the same age.

Read an article yesterday on HF ,maybe the international tournaments, they listed players as locks, probable and borderline, Boucher was in the probable category.