Thursday, July 22, 2021

NHL draft preview: Will a Terrier go in the first round?

After 10 first-round picks in NHL Entry Drafts from 2015 (Jack Eichel) through 2019 (Trevor Zegras), no Terriers were selected in the 1st round of 2020, but three freshmen were selected in the next two rounds—Drew Commesso (2nd, #46 Chicago), Luke Tuch (2nd, #47 Montreal) and Dylan Peterson (3rd, #86 St. Louis).

In all the likelihood, the one Terrier recruit who might hear his name called during Friday night's first round of the NHL Entry Draft is NTDP U18 forward Tyler Boucher. A rugged 6’1”, 205 lb., right wing, he checks a lot of boxes for the professional and media scouting communities, despite missing most of last season to pneumonia and a knee injury.

NHL Central Scouting ranked him #25 among North American skaters, while NHL.com’s Mike Morreale grades him as the 10th best right wing available. TSN’s Bob McKenzie projects Boucher to be the 29th pick in the first round. Others, including TSN's Craig Button and The Draft Analyst predict he'll be a second-round pick.

The son of former NHL goalie and current TV analyst Brian Boucher, he played just 12 games last season with a 6-11-17 line. In his U17 year, Boucher totaled 26 points in 43 games.

LastWordonSports: 

Boucher is a throwback type of player. He is the type of power forward that is becoming rare in today’s game. Boucher drives the net with and without the puck. When he gets there, he has the hands to score goals, getting the puck into tight areas. Boucher is quick to get in on the forecheck and absolutely punishes opposing defenders.


NEHJ’s Kirk Luedeke’s profile:

Tyler Boucher, RW, U.S. NTDP Under-18 (USHL)
The Haddonfield, N.J., native and son of former NHL goaltender Brian Boucher (Woonsocket, R.I.) is a 6-foot-1, 190-pound power forward who skates well and can back up defenses with his foot speed or disrupt the opposition breakouts with his quickness and agility. He does a lot of things well, including shooting the puck with a quick release, velocity and power — he can handcuff goalies with his hard, heavy drive. He also excels in the possession game, using his frame to shield the puck and maintain control often with a defender on his back. He doesn’t have higher-end offensive instincts at present but does project as someone who can play up and down in a lineup. Boucher missed much of final half of the season with an injury, so NHL teams did not get the ideal range of views on him, especially down the stretch.

Other BU recruits ranked by NHL Central Scouting (among North Americans): Ty Gallagher (#53), Jack Harvey (#98), Shane Lachance (#110), Charles-Alexis Legault (#123), Quinn Hutson (#177), Nick Roukounakis (#184), Jeremy Wilmer (#194) and Anton Castro (#14-goalie)

● NHL.com Best right-wing prospects for 2021 draft

● TSN.ca Top 100 draft picks

● NHL.com Sons who could follow fathers to the NHL (Boucher, Lachance)

● eprinkside.com profile & videos

 

►College Hockey Inc.'s draft day feature has numbers and facts including: 

Only three previous #1 overall picks from the NCAA including Rick DiPietro in 2000.

BU has had 20 first-round picks, tied with North Dakota, and trailing only Michigan with 25 and both Minnesota and BC with 21. 


► Boucher, Commesso, Peterson and Tuch are on the initial Team USA roster for the World Junior Summer Showcase tournament, which begins Saturday in Plymouth, Michigan. Featuring practices and games against teams from Sweden and Finland, the event is the first step in selecting the Junior National Team that will compete in the 2022 World Junior Championships in December and January.

● USA Hockey WJSS home

● NHL.com report WJSS begins

 

►Rising sophomore defenseman Cade Webber was named an All-American Scholar by the American Hockey Coaches Association (ACHA). The 6’7” blueliner who had two assists and was +9 as a freshman, earned a 3.60 GPA in the College of Arts and Sciences in both the fall and spring semester.

● GoTerriers.com report

 

Looking ahead

2022 or 2023 recruit Lane Hutson, a dynamic defenseman heading into his second NTDP season, talked about his close relationship with older brother and fellow BU recruit Quinn Hutson for a USA hockey news feature.

Lane registered 19 points in 39 games for the U17s, and then was moved up to the U18s, contributing eight points in 10 regular season games and five points in five games at the World 18U championships. In that IIHF event, he was named a “top 3 player” on Team USA. Quinn, a right-shot forward tallied 42 points (16G,26A) in 46 games with USHL Muskegon.

A third brother, Cole Hutson, an ’06 defenseman, recently played in June’s World Selects Invitational tournament in Nashville and this month’s USA Hockey Select 15 camp.

● USAHockeyNTDP.com Older Brother Fuels Lane Hutson’s Competitive Spirit

● SI.com Lane Hutson Packs Crazy Skill Into a Small Frame

 

Looking back

In September 2020, former BU All-American Kevin Shattenkirk became the 10th Terrier to win the Stanley Cup as a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, there was no opportunity for team members to get their day with the Cup. Last Saturday, the veteran blueliner got a make-up date and brought the Cup to his hometown of New Rochelle, N.Y.

In 2019-202 Shattenkirk had 34 points in the regular season and 13 points in 25 playoff games including the game-winner in game four of the finals.

Shattenkirk, who played with the Anaheim Ducks last season, joined Chris Drury, Nick Bonino and newly appointed BU associate head coach Jay Pandolfo as the only Terriers to win both an NCAA Champions and the Stanley Cup.

● NHL.com Shattenkirk gets his days with the Stanley Cup

● GoTerriers.com Terriers and the Stanley Cup

Women’s Team

Five members of the 2020-21 Terriers were named ACHA All-American Scholars: Rachel Allen, Kaleigh Donnelly, Catherine Foulem, Corinne Schroeder and Kate Stuart. Allen and Stuart are third-time honorees while Schroeder was selected for a second time.

● GoTerriers.com report

For the third consecutive season, Jesse Compher has been named to the 2021 US Women’s National Team, which will compete at the IIHF World Championships in Canada next month. Compher, who captained the 2020-21 Terriers, won gold in the 2019 Worlds. Last year’s tournament was canceled due to COVID-19.

● GoTerriers.com report

 


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