595 replies to this topic

[Chimaira_Devil_#9]

For whatever reason, I'm just not getting excited by Boucher. The Cy Young numbers score me a a bit (the goals to assist ratio, like a pitcher with a great record) plus he is racking up a ton of power play goals. How likely is that to translate to the next level?

 
 

I have barley seen any of his play beyond highlights, so I won’t even offer to add any insight to that. But like with all prospects in the Devils organisation
his success at the next level will depend a lot on his ability to play the game in both ends, which is what concerns me more than his ability to put the puck in the net. Even from the highlights you can see the guy has an NHL quality shot, and he does take up good scoring positions on the ice.
 

I think that the fact he is an overage player, playing junior, on a good team will have a lot of people wondering the same thing. The current disappointment about the latest crop of prospects to be given a shot at the NHL is probably making people even more sceptical.

If we could chop off Bouchers arms and sew them onto Josefsons body we might have a complete hockey player.

[thefiestygoat]

 
 

I have barley seen any of his play beyond highlights, so I won’t even offer to add any insight to that. But like with all prospects in the Devils organisation
his success at the next level will depend a lot on his ability to play the game in both ends, which is what concerns me more than his ability to put the puck in the net. Even from the highlights you can see the guy has an NHL quality shot, and he does take up good scoring positions on the ice.
 

I think that the fact he is an overage player, playing junior, on a good team will have a lot of people wondering the same thing. The current disappointment about the latest crop of prospects to be given a shot at the NHL is probably making people even more sceptical.

If we could chop off Bouchers arms and sew them onto Josefsons body we might have a complete hockey player.

In terms of age I think you may have Boucher confused with someone else, he is just 19 and was one of the youngest in his draft class in 2011 so he isn't an overager. Otherwise I agree with everything you said.

[thefiestygoat]

Monday 12/18
OHL
Sarnia lost to Plymouth 10-2
Reid Boucher LW: Assist (SH), -1
Season: 58 GP 51-26-77 +9 51 PIM

Windsor lost to Saginaw 4-2
Ben Johnson LW: -2
Season: 57 GP 16-14-30 -19 24 PIM

Kitchener lost to Guelph 5-3
Ben Thomson LW: Assist, +1, 4 PIM (Check to Head, Roughing)
Season: 56 GP 12-14-26 -2 104 PIM

Owen Sound defeated Peterborough 3-2
Artur Gavrus RW: E
Season: 13 GP 0-2-2 -4 4 PIM

WHL
Swift Current lost to Kootenay 5-2
Reece Scarlett D: -1, 4 PIM (Slashing x2)
Season: 55 GP 7-31-38 +5 50 PIM
Graham Black C: E
Season: 56 GP 21-22-43 -3 25 PIM

[Chimaira_Devil_#9]

In terms of age I think you may have Boucher confused with someone else, he is just 19 and was one of the youngest in his draft class in 2011 so he isn't an overager. Otherwise I agree with everything you said.

 

You are correct i was confusing him with Blake Coleman, he is basically at least a year older than the rest of the prospects taken in that draft year.

[thefiestygoat]

Thursday 2/21
OHL
Sarnia lost to Sault Ste. Marie 6-3
Reid Boucher LW: 2 Goals (1 PP), -3* 3rd Star
Season: 59 GP 53-26-79 +6 51 PIM

Windsor defeated Erie 8-5
Ben Johnson LW: 2 Goals (1 PP), +1, 2 PIM (Check to Head)
Season: 58 GP 18-14-32 -18 26 PIM

Owen Sound defeated Barrie 3-2 (OT)
Artur Gavrus RW: DNP
Season: 13 GP 0-2-2 -4 4 PIM
 

[thefiestygoat]

I wanted to take a look to see what the potential NCAA free agent market could look like this year and I found this blog post on WCHA and CCHA prospects that could sign with teams at the end of the year. Some of the forwards that caught my eye (using info from EliteProspects):

Eriah Hayes, 24, 6'4 209, RW, Shoots: R
- Power forward (I'm always going to be biased towards wanting them)
- Blackhawks prospect camp
- Minnesota State: 144 GP 50-40-90 0.63 PPG 235 PIM -4
 

Ryan Walters, 21, 6'0 185, F, Shoots: L
- Tied 1st in points with 45 in 32 games.
- Nebraska-Omaha: 108 GP 40-53-93 0.86 PPG 114 PIM +13

 

Austin Czarnik, 20, 5'9 161, C, Shoots: R
- Undersized but has earned a lot of ice time at Miami and was on the US-WJC in 2011-12 season.

- I'm sure the Devils have gotten a look at him with Blake Coleman on Miami.
- Miami: 72 GP 21-47-68 0.94 PPG 49 PIM +25

 

Kellan Lain, 23, 6'6 220, F, Shoots: L
- Another power forward project like Hayes so of course I'm interested
- Plays on a defensive minded team
- Ducks and Red Wings prospect camps
- Lake Superior State: 101 GP 20-17-37 0.37 PPG 181 PIM -15

 

Rylan Schwartz, 23, 5'10 196, C, Shoots: L
- Older brother of Jaden Schwartz
- Colorado College: 144 GP 50-91-141 0.98 163 PIM +3

[Triumph]

Nice post fiesty - I was looking around for these guys during the lockout, I remember finding Czarnik.  Corey Pronman has talked about Drew Leblanc on St. Cloud State, a 5th year senior having a good season (10 goals 30 assists in 30 games).  The organization is still real short on young right handed shooters - Bobby Butler's around for now, and it seems like he's at least earning another contract here, but he's UFA in 2014.

[SterioDesign]

Reid Boucher scored two goals in a 6-3 Sarnia loss to the Soo Greyhounds. Boucher has 53 goals in 59 games on the year and is just five goals shy of tying Steven Stamkos' team record of 58.

[ATLL765]

Reid Boucher scored two goals in a 6-3 Sarnia loss to the Soo Greyhounds. Boucher has 53 goals in 59 games on the year and is just five goals shy of tying Steven Stamkos' team record of 58.

 

How many games does he have left to make it? I don't care if this kid scored them all on the PP and had 0 assists, if this kind of scoring doesn't at least get you a little excited about a prospect, then I don't know what will.

[Daniel]

How many games does he have left to make it? I don't care if this kid scored them all on the PP and had 0 assists, if this kind of scoring doesn't at least get you a little excited about a prospect, then I don't know what will.

 

Anyone know of any 19 year olds that tore up the juniors like that and turned out to be good.  A player with a shot like that has to be able to find a role at the NHL level.

[SterioDesign]

How many games does he have left to make it? I don't care if this kid scored them all on the PP and had 0 assists, if this kind of scoring doesn't at least get you a little excited about a prospect, then I don't know what will.

 

i don't get some people here lol we got guys like josefson and Tedenby who never put up big numbers at any level and they were penciled as a crucial part of our future core and they were gonna be our next superstars... 

 

yet Boucher is scoring at an unreal rate and people seems to think it won translate and that he'll be a bust, scoring like that is something you can't teach, defensive play you can learn that. it's way easier to make the transition that way than not putting numbers and suddenly produce at NHL level lol

[iamtheprodigy]

i don't get some people here lol we got guys like josefson and Tedenby who never put up big numbers at any level and they were penciled as a crucial part of our future core and they were gonna be our next superstars... 

 

yet Boucher is scoring at an unreal rate and people seems to think it won translate and that he'll be a bust, scoring like that is something you can't teach, defensive play you can learn that. it's way easier to make the transition that way than not putting numbers and suddenly produce at NHL level lol

 

I'm pretty sure nobody is calling him a bust yet. All anyone is saying is that big numbers in juniors don't necessarily portend big numbers in the NHL (and there are many examples of this). Josefson and Tedenby are not good comparisons to Boucher as prospects because they came from Sweden, and Swedish leagues function very differently than the CHL. Who's to say that Tedenby or even Josefson wouldn't have put up big numbers as a 19 year old in the OHL?

 

You seem to be pretty sure that Josefson and Tedenby are complete busts who will not be a part of the team going forward, and I think it's too early to say that that is definitely the case for either of them. They are both still young and have talent, just because they haven't taken off at the NHL level yet doesn't mean they won't ever. Maybe it's ambitious to think of them as future superstars, but they were first round picks, and everyone overrates their first round picks around the league.

[SterioDesign]

I'm pretty sure nobody is calling him a bust yet. All anyone is saying is that big numbers in juniors don't necessarily portend big numbers in the NHL (and there are many examples of this). Josefson and Tedenby are not good comparisons to Boucher as prospects because they came from Sweden, and Swedish leagues function very differently than the CHL. Who's to say that Tedenby or even Josefson wouldn't have put up big numbers as a 19 year old in the OHL?

 

You seem to be pretty sure that Josefson and Tedenby are complete busts who will not be a part of the team going forward, and I think it's too early to say that that is definitely the case for either of them. They are both still young and have talent, just because they haven't taken off at the NHL level yet doesn't mean they won't ever. Maybe it's ambitious to think of them as future superstars, but they were first round picks, and everyone overrates their first round picks around the league.

 

i think JJ will be there as a 3rd / 4th line center who we can trust but he'll never be a big part of our core. I really don't think the scoring will come for him.

 

Tedenby well who knows

 

actually my point was more... JJ and Tedenby will not be the players some we're projecting them to be.

Edited by SterioDesign, 22 February 2013 - 03:00 PM.

[Sarge18]

Anyone know of any 19 year olds that tore up the juniors like that and turned out to be good.  A player with a shot like that has to be able to find a role at the NHL level.

 

What do you mean by "good"?  History is littered with players who destroyed the CHL and did little to nothing at the NHL levels.

 

Case #1 of a player who was terribly overrated in Juniors based on his scoring, and never amounted to anything at the nhl level is Corey Locke.

 

http://www.hockeydb....y.php?pid=59655

 

In this case his exceptional offensive abilities could not overcome his size and lack of speed.

[SterioDesign]

thinking about it and actually i could see him based on his shot in the NHL but not with NJ. 

 

Our system has us pinned to the boards in the offensive zone pretty much all the time and REALLY rarely we're in a position to take a shot from inside the circles. It's simply not part of our game plan much and it seems like its a big part of his success. 

 

board plays and deflections will be critical if he want to produce in NJ.

[Daniel]

What do you mean by "good"?  History is littered with players who destroyed the CHL and did little to nothing at the NHL levels.

 

Case #1 of a player who was terribly overrated in Juniors based on his scoring, and never amounted to anything at the nhl level is Corey Locke.

 

http://www.hockeydb....y.php?pid=59655

 

In this case his exceptional offensive abilities could not overcome his size and lack of speed.

 

I guess what I'm getting at is that Boucher is putting up these huge numbers as one of the older players in junior.  If he was 17 and putting up these numbers, he'd be a top ten pick.  Just want to know if one of those "late bloomers" in junior turned into at least a good player, let's say top two line kind of guy to be more precise.

[Devils731]

I guess what I'm getting at is that Boucher is putting up these huge numbers as one of the older players in junior.  If he was 17 and putting up these numbers, he'd be a top ten pick.  Just want to know if one of those "late bloomers" in junior turned into at least a good player, let's say top two line kind of guy to be more precise.

 

Completely different style of players, but Darren Helm was a late bloomer, drafted in the 5th round and went from 24 to 79 points after being drafted.  I'd love to get Darren Helm value out of Boucher, that'd be great for a 4th rounder.

 

Nathan Gerbe from the same draft year also was a 5th rounder.  Obviously size was his issue, but he didn't score much his draft year, nor the year after being drafted, then he started crushing the college scene.

 

That was just randomly picking 1 draft year.  So it can happen that a late round guy can really bust out and become a valuable player, but I still wouldn't be counting on Boucher to be a NHL guy until we see him play some AHL games.

 

Actually, one name did come to mind, Mathew Lombardi, he was a re-draft.  Picked in the 7th round his original draft year after scoring 44 points in 65 games.  Scores 66 points the next year and then 130 points and is re-drafted in the 3rd round.  So that's a guy who had a late bust out who became a nice piece.

[Chuck the Duck]

How many games does he have left to make it? I don't care if this kid scored them all on the PP and had 0 assists, if this kind of scoring doesn't at least get you a little excited about a prospect, then I don't know what will.

 

I think he has 5 more games to try and break Stamkos' record.  I don't care how old the kid is, those are some impressive numbers.

[SterioDesign]

I guess what I'm getting at is that Boucher is putting up these huge numbers as one of the older players in junior.  If he was 17 and putting up these numbers, he'd be a top ten pick.  Just want to know if one of those "late bloomers" in junior turned into at least a good player, let's say top two line kind of guy to be more precise.

 

Not sure if it's a good example but Gallagher from MTL, he was  5th pick and played as a 19 years old in the WHL and was a constant 40 goals scorer there... jumped to the AHL this year til the lockout was over and made the Habs lineup, and has 5 goals playing on the 3rd line with Boucher's ex team mate...

 

he's known for his scoring and playing hard and thats what he's doing in mtl

Edited by SterioDesign, 22 February 2013 - 03:55 PM.

[thefiestygoat]

You can watch some Devils prospects tonight: Michigan (Merrill) vs Ohio State (Gedig out) on Big Ten Network at 6:30 and North Dakota (Rodwell) vs Denver on NBC Sports at 10. 20 year old D Nolan Zajac is in his freshman year for Denver with 27 GP 5-16-21 +8 18 PIM.