The Senators 10th overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft is leaving college and joining the Ottawa 67s
Tyler Boucher, now formerly of the Boston University Terriers, struggled throughout his first semester in college and has now signed a three-year entry-level contract, signaling that he is now making the move to junior hockey in hopes of finding his game again.
The 18-year-old, physical right-winger has scored 2 goals and 3 points in his first 17 games, and it was pretty obvious that a change was needed. Obviously disappointing production for a 10th overall pick, especially since there were numerous players selected after Boucher that had much higher draft-pedigree and have produced significantly better than the power forward. These players include:
- 12th Overall – Cole Sillinger, 11 points in 28 games (NHL)
- 13th Overall – Matt Coronato, 12 points in 11 games (NCAA)
- 18th Overall – Chaz Lucius, 8 points in 12 games (NCAA)
Of course, this doesn’t mean that these players are without their flaws but there’s no doubting they have higher ceilings than Boucher and they appear to be significantly ahead of the 10th overall pick in many areas. It appears the Senators are hesitant to take smaller, skilled players and for some reason are hellbent on winning with “hard work” and toughness, a troubling trend in the modern NHL. The 2021 Draft Class by the Ottawa Senators is under plenty of scrutiny and deservedly so.
On the bright side, the move for Boucher to the OHL could be exactly what the doctor ordered, the power forward will be able to dominate with his size against his own age group as opposed to more experienced and bigger college players.
Dorion - Major junior hockey fits more his style of play and players closer to his age.
— TSN 1200 (@TSN1200) December 28, 2021
He will be joining one of the more highly-regarded organizations in junior hockey in the Ottawa 67s, led by former Senators coach Dave Cameron, Boucher couldn’t be in a better position to develop his game. Expect a significant increase in production for the young winger, and hopefully, he can build some offensive confidence with his new team.
Regardless of how this whole situation plays out, making the move to junior hockey instead of staying in a non-ideal situation with Boston University seems like the correct plan.