The previous two players revealed from our Community Draft Board are a pair of the most exciting forward prospects in this year’s class. Jack Quinn and Jacob Perrault have extremely high ceilings and both should end up being very good players in the NHL one day.
You know who else that sounds like? The next entry in the Community Draft Board! Say hello to Mavrik Bourque — one of the top five names of this year’s draft class.
BSH 2020 Community Draft Board, No. 18: Mavrik Bourque
2019-20 Season
Team: Shawinigan Cataractes (QMJHL)
Statistics: 29 G, 42 A in 49 GP
Pre-draft rankings
No. 22 (North American skaters/goalies) by NHL Central Scouting
No. 19 by Future Considerations
No. 28 by ISS Hockey
No. 16 by The Athletic (Wheeler)
What’s there to like?
Let me just drop this here.
That should get your attention.
Few players in this year’s draft were more productive than Mavrik Bourque was last season. The Plessisville, Quebec native averaged well over a point per game for the Shawinigan Cataractes in 2019-20, and despite having his season cut short by a wrist injury, Bourque still finished 20th in the QMJHL with 71 points in just 49 games.
Ending the 2018-19 season as more of a bona fide sniper, Bourque managed to take some significant steps this past season as a playmaker. Gone were the days of Bourque being the go-to goal scorer on the power play — he saved most of his 29 goals for play at even strength. Instead, Bourque became a surgeon on the man advantage, finishing the season leading Shawinigan in power-play points (25) and assists (21).
There’s no denying Bourque’s abilities in the attacking zone. He’s no finished product yet, but he showed numerous signs of brilliance for the Cataractes last season, and he has a very real shot to dominate the QMJHL in 2020-21.
When dissecting Bourque’s game, QMJHL writer Andre Ouellet even compared his style of play to that of Travis Konecny.
Bourque reminds me of Anthony Beauvillier a little, but I think the player who looks most like him in the NHL right now is Travis Konecny of the Philadelphia Flyers. Both are right-handed, both are 5’10” and both weigh in about the same. They both seem to see the game in a similar way as well.
What I love most about today’s hockey is that it finally gives players like Konecny the chance to express themselves offensively. It’s not by chance that hockey has become more spectacular and much faster.
Not a bad player to be compared to, eh?
What’s not to like?
Like many prospects these days, some teams may be hesitant to draft Bourque due to his size. At 5’11 and 185 pounds, he’s a bit small for a centerman and he doesn’t make up for the lack of size with blazing speed (though he’s far from a slug on the ice). That said, size isn’t always everything for centers. Look no further than Claude Giroux, whose measurables are identical to Bouque’s.
Another issue, however, is a bit more glaring. As great as Bourque is in the offensive zone, there’s a lot for him to work on away from the puck. It’s not uncommon to see him gliding into his own zone on the backcheck rather than keeping his feet moving and pressuring the puck carrier. For this reason, it wouldn’t be a complete shock if he ends up moving to wing in the NHL. Given what he’s shown in the Q, he could end up being more of a hinderance than anything else thanks to his inconsistencies defensively. Of course, this is an issue that can easily be fixable with proper development.
How would he fit in the Flyers’ system?
It wouldn’t hurt the Flyers to add another center to their prospect pool. Morgan Frost continues to develop and should start seeing regular NHL time in the next year or two. Aside from Frost, though, there’s not a whole lot to write home about. German Rubtsov has some potential, but he has yet to force the Flyers’ hand after a couple years in Lehigh Valley. And then, of course, there’s former first-round pick Jay O’Brien, who needs to have an outstanding season for Boston University after a pair of disappointing campaigns for Providence College and the Penticton Vees, respectively.
For the most part, it would make sense for the Flyers to draft someone like Bourque. He will need a few more years to develop, but he could end up being a heck of a find down the road if he puts everything together.
Could the Flyers actually get him?
There’s a pretty solid chance Bourque will be on the board around the time the Flyers make their selection. Assuming a team ahead of the Flyers doesn’t reach for him, the odds are high that Philadelphia could have an opportunity to draft him. However, some scouts are much higher on Bourque than others — The Athletic has him ranked at No. 16 on their draft board. If the Flyers decide Bourque is their guy, they should have every chance in the world to get him (though that may or may not take trading up a couple spots to make it happen).
We’ll make two additions to the poll:
Emil Andrae — D, HV71 (J20 SuperElit) — 11 G, 27 A in 40 GP
Andrae has most of the qualities I look for in a draft-eligible defenceman. He’s calm under pressure. He can lead a rush in transition. He has the puck handling ability, east-west vision and four-way mobility needed to run a power play. He’s strong on his feet, which he leverages effectively along the wall. He’s physical for his size. And he’s calculated enough with the puck to recognize when he needs to hang onto it and when he just needs to advance the play (though, like every young player with his talent, he can try to do too much). I have been surprised by the caution so many have about him. If he’s available into the second round, I wouldn’t hesitate in taking the swing. I also think we’d be having a different conversation about him as a first-round talent if the U18 worlds had taken place. His size and risk-taking approach are normally central to reservations some have with him. I don’t see it as much of an issue, though. He’s good defensively for his size and we shouldn’t mistake his lack of height for a lack of sturdiness.
Plus he has been unbelievable since the restart. If anyone’s play in the last two months has helped their draft stock, Andrae creating goals every time he touched the ice in the SHL preseason has to be at the top of that list. — The Athletic
Hendrix Lapierre — C, Chicoutimi Saguenéens (QMJHL) — 2 G, 15 A in 19 GP
Hendrix Lapierre has a few red flags, including injuries and a lack of progress production-wise, and will likely be a risky pick. But he has shown flashes of brilliance, such as his tournament play last summer at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, where he looked like one of the best prospects in the world, and was deemed by TSN’s Craig Button as the third-best prospect for the draft last July. — Hockey Wilderness
2020 BSH Community Draft Board
- Alexis Lafreniere — LW, Rimouski (QMJHL)
- Quinton Byfield — C, Sudbury (OHL)
- Marco Rossi — C, Ottawa (OHL)
- Tim Stützle — LW/C, Manheim (DEL)
- Cole Perfetti — LW/C, Saginaw (OHL)
- Lucas Raymond — RW, Frölunda (SHL)
- Jamie Drysdale — D, Erie (OHL)
- Alexander Holtz — LW/RW, Djurgardens (SHL)
- Yaroslav Askarov — G, SKA (KHL)
- Anton Lundell — C, HIFK (Liiga)
- Connor Zary — C, Kamloops (WHL)
- Seth Jarvis — RW/C, Portland (WHL)
- Jake Sanderson — D, USNTDP (USHL)
- Noel Gunler — RW/LW, Lulea (SHL)
- Jan Mysak — C, Hamilton (OHL)
- Jack Quinn — RW, Ottawa (OHL)
- Jacob Perreault — RW, Sarnia (OHL)
- Mavrik Bourque — C, Shawinigan Cataractes (QMJHL)
- ???
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Please use your vote below to answer the following question: If all of the players listed were available when the Flyers were on the clock, who would you want them to pick?
Who should be No. 20 on the 2020 BSH Community Draft Board?
| Rodion Amirov | 6 |
| Kaiden Guhle | 2 |
| Emil Andrae | 4 |
| Hendrix Lapierre | 5 |
