Photo Credit: Steve Mitchell/USA TODAY Sports

While not an off the board pick, the Canucks went a little off the radar, selecting goal-scoring right winger Brock Boeser out of the USHL’s Waterloo Black Hawks with their first round pick, 23rd overall.

Boeser has a good set of skills, and is a pretty complete offensive player. In our estimation, he wasn’t the best player available, but he’s still a very good prospect and could prove to be a solid complimentary player for the Canucks. They could have done far worse.

Read past the jump for our first impressions of Vancouver’s newest prospect.

We rated Boeser as our 33rd prospect in our Prospect Profiles series, mostly due to a lack of similar players that realized any impactful offensive upside at the NHL level. According to our PCS model (which you can read in detail about here), about 1 out of every 4 of Boeser’s comparables developed into NHL players, but there really weren’t that many guys that were statistically similar to Boeser.

Boeser has three statistical NHL comps based on his most recent USHL season, and they are Kyle Okposo, Justin Abdelkader, and Andy Hilbert. His 16-year old season playing in high school compares him to Keith Tkatchuk, Steve Heinze, Trent Klatt, Harold Druken, Craig Johnson, and Charlie Coyle.

On average, 19% of Boeser’s 2013-2014 comparables went on to have NHL success, and 27% of his 2014-2015 comparables made the NHL too. On average, they scored 35 points per 82 games each season, which is solid second line production in this day and age. Nothing ground breaking, but solid.

Obviously the hope is that Boeser is closer to Tkachuk or Okposo, but based on how the Brock Boeser’s of the world have tended to develop, that’s unlikely. Possible, but unlikely.

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Here’s what various scouting outlets had to say about Boeser:

From Curtis Joe, EliteProspects:

A dynamic offensive winger and natural goal scorer. Has great instincts and is able to quickly get into position for premium scoring chances; possesses an accurate release on his shot which he can get off in the blink of an eye. He always knows where his linemates are, and is a great passer; that being said, his individual puck possession play is incredible and sets him apart as an offensive player. He will need to work on defensive zone coverage and a slew of small details such as board battles, but Brock Boeser has a ton of elite-level scoring potential due to the way he can read, make, and finish plays.

From Craig Button, TSN:

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Brock is a multiple force offensive player. He can score in multiple ways and gets himself into prime scoring positions. Creates opportunities off the cycle and from below the goal line. Nice touch around net but can score from 30 feet. Sets his hands exceptionally well to score with an excellent release and makes it difficult for goalies to get a read on his shot. Determined, driven player.

From Future Considerations:

A big power winger who utilizes his size and strength to generate offensive chances…a real do-it-all guy…plays hard in all three zones…has a great compete level…protects the puck extremely well, especially with defenders draped all over him…fights through any contact he encounters…has a lethal shot, quick release and very accurate…drive the net…can also pull up and set-up his teammates with a skilled pass…defensively he does a great job taking away shooting lanes and forcing the other team to adjust their plan…a real pro-style player.

Boeser, like Okposo, is a rough-and-tumble power winger type that us a good goal scorer. His skating needs some work, but he has good patience with the puck on his stick and a very good shot too. Here’s what we’ve written previously about Boeser:

Boeser seems to be the consensus second best player coming out of the USHL this season, behind only Youngstown’s Kyle Connor, and it’s not hard to see why. Boeser is an adept goal scorer with patience and creativity with the puck on his stick, as well as a bump-and-grind game that exhibits a willingness to go to the dirty areas on the ice to jam in goals.

At the USHL level at least, Boeser is the full package offensively and can beat you in multiple ways. His shot is hard and accurate and he can locate it exceptionally well, but he also has the creativity to make plays out of nothing and manufacture offense independent of his teammates. He won’t shy away from contact either, as he’ll drive to the net effectively to jump on any loose pucks. He’s not as flashy an offensive creator as some of the other players in this draft, but he’s industrious and effective.

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A Coyle-like career path wouldn’t surprise me either, as the former 28th overall pick has settled in to a very comfortable middle-6 role with the Minnesota Wild, producing at just under a half a point per game clip in his first two full NHL seasons. Boeser’s work ethic and competitive play will help him endear himself to NHL coaches and carve out a role at the NHL level even if his offensive game doesn’t develop, but his skating and defensive play aren’t great and could still hold him back if he doesn’t improve in those regards.

The USHL has been producing more and more NHLers in recent years, so PCS may understate Boeser’s chances of making the league somewhat, but I’d bet against him having a 30-goal season in the NHL. That’s no knock against Boeser – that’s just the reality of most of the guys available at this point in the draft.

Ultimately, the biggest knock we have about the Boeser selection is that we would have preferred a number of the guys on the board at the time the selection was made. I’m a big fan of Anthony Beauvillier’s but I may be alone in that regard, but guys like Nick Merkley, Daniel Sprong, Jansen Harkins, Travis Konecny, Jeremy Roy, and Oliver Kylington were all guys we rated higher, and I also preferred some of the CHL D on the board like Noah Juulsen, Rasmus Andersson, and Nicolas Meloche. I don’t think the Canucks drafted the player with the best chance of growing into an effective NHLer.

Brock Boeser is a very good prospect and could become a strong complimentary scoring winger for the Canucks with some physical upside, especially if he gains some speed. His bullish style of hockey could also endear him to Canucks fans if he develops well.

We hope everything goes well for Boeser, and look forward to seeing him tear up the NCAA next season.

Brock Boeser could develop into a solid all-around forward at the NHL level with flashes of first-line scoring ability. It’s going to be fun to watch how he develops over the next year or two. In the Virtual League of Hockey thousands of teams draft new players every two weeks. With over 40,000 matches each day, the Virtual League of Hockeylets you create your own team, develop players and challenge a community of hockey fans from around the world. Each season is only two weeks long giving you a ton of chances to lead your team to glory. Show the world that Canucks fans know best. Join for free now!





