In an era where flashiness and highlight reel dangles artificially elevate prospects to a higher pedestal, others who go about their business in a consistent manner with elite-level results cannot be ignored.
Enter London Knights defenseman Evan Bouchard, who proved himself as an intelligent jack of all trades this past season, logging monster minutes in all situations and showing a knack for stepping up with big plays when his team needed them the most.
The result was 25 goals and 87 points in 67 games, and a reward with a spot on the Ontario Hockey League First All-Star Team. Along the way, Bouchard posted an impressive four-assist performance at the CHL Top Prospects Game.
It was evident from the first week of the regular season, when Bouchard emerged through the Knights' tough start with his steady calming effect, that his smooth, two-way instincts were going to be a major factor on the London blue line. And so, in a year of flux in London, it was of no surprise that Bouchard cemented his leadership role by being named the team's captain once the trade deadline bloodletting was complete.
Bouchard doesn't possess blazing speed or skating ability and is merely adequate with his core defensive skills, but he processes the game rather quickly in all three zones to make him a deceptive player. Upon a battle won, he quickly assesses the landscape in front of him to execute pin-point passes to help advance the puck into the offensive zone.
That same vision comes into play when manning the point, especially on the power play, as he moves the puck around decisively and is a threat with his heavy shot from range. Only one other OHL player fired more regular-season shots on goal than Bouchard, who fired 297 in total.
Bouchard's ceiling may not rival some of the other defenders at the top of the draft class, but it shouldn't stop him from being rewarded with an early pick as he's a relatively older prospect with high-end hockey sense with a great deal of poise and maturity in his execution.
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For more on all the youngsters in the Sabres pipeline, check out Kris Baker's website, SabresProspects.com. You can also follow him on Twitter (@SabresProspects).
