#AsktheBouch: Bouchard Career highs

[Gaikoku-hito 2,081]

 

Here we are a bit late to the party once again with another article in the series #AsktheBouch as we expected to catch up with the Prague Phantoms Center iceman Robert Bouchard around the half way mark of the season but we did manage to pin down the forward for some thoughts a few weeks later then expected.

 

Good after Robert after fifty-four game how would you sum up your current season in the VHL?

 

It has actually been disappointing as I expected more from myself this season. The first two season I scored around .600 then increased to .700 in the second season with team while playing a supporting role on the third line so with the increased role and responsibility this season moving up to the second line I was hoping to really breakout offensively. While I have increased my production again this season to around .940 points per game; I was aiming for at least a point per game average and was hoping to see my VHLM form return when I was scoring around 1.50 points per game.

 

Those are pretty high expectation for yourself considering you are about to reach new career highest in most of the tracked categories this season and have already reached career highs in Goals, Shots, and currently tied in points with eighteen games remaining. Why the lofty expectations?

 

The team expects me to be the player that they drafted in season 75, the player that was playing on the worse team in the VHLM but lead the team in a lot of aspects on and off the ice as I paced at .840 points per game in my first season. I didn’t like that player as I expected more from myself even then I was ashamed, as my job is to help the team win. That means scoring points regularly, winning face-offs and overall being a team player while leading the team to success. This means being at least a point per game producer, winning at least 50% of the face-offs; Would actually like closer to 60% but might be too tall of a task and the team wins on a regular bases as I make the players around me better. I didn’t do that enough in my first season in Minnesota and so twenty-three other players got drafted ahead of me in the VHL draft.

 

Same expectation for this season I am playing second line minute now so should be scoring at a point per game or higher and winning at least 50% of the face-off as the team continue to move towards the play-offs. This season has been much same as the last two seasons were I am still very inconsistent in my play and the team has been up and down just as my play has been inconsistent. I cannot go multiple game without scoring a point and I have seen why too many game this season that has happened.

 

But looking at your points percentage you are still very much close to a point per game player?

 

Yes, but that isn’t telling the whole story now is it? I have a lot of multiple point games this season mixed with games of nothingness. If I am more consistent then it would mean being more then an point per game player and I might even be amongst the league leaders rather then not even cracking the top 50 in points this season.

 

What do you expect for the remaining eighteen game of the season for Prague?

 

I would like to secure a play-off spot and if my math is correct we aren’t actually that far off that point already as I think sixty seven points means the teams chasing us cannot knock us out of the wild card game. I would also like to see the team as whole start to push London and Warsaw for either second or first in the conference but at least secure our current position in third to avoid the wild card round.

 

And personally I would like to score at least eighteen more points bring my total from fifty one to six nine but if I could I would really like the point per game marker by the end of the season. But consistency most of all for both the team and myself as we should be heading for the play-offs again this season.

 

Once again, Thank you for your time Robert and we will hopefully catch-up with you once again just before the play-offs in a few weeks time. Good luck on the remainder of the season.

 

No matter how hard Bouchard is currently being on himself we must say that it has been impressive to watch the players growth since joining Prague as he has increased his presence throughout the league by increasing his production season upon season; promising signs for a clearly motivated player and maybe a bit of a player to watch in the next few season as his growth and role is only expected to increase. We will see you next time as we continue the series #AsktheBouch.

 

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