Bourdon [1/2]

[Lunaro 208]

Matthieu Bourdon - A VHLS Report 

 

Name: Matthieu Bourdon 

Age: 21

Height: 6'3"

Weight: 211

Birthplace: Montreal, Canada 

VHL Team: Seattle Bears

 

It seems as though being late to the party isn't always a bad thing. For Matthieu Bourdon, the mid-ranged, prospective defender from Montreal, Canada, it seems as though they has become the case even more. A couple of weeks ago, the youngster was playing out his days - waiting for the call up to the big leagues for the Cologne Express. While on their roster, he was chugging along, trying to make it to the big leagues but not really turning any heads. While he was making consistent waves for the organizations, the waves were no bigger than your ones at the average lake on a cooler, rainy day. To the fans, he dropped off significantly since his VHL Entry Draft and progressively fell from the stardom which he once seemingly held in his title. This seemed to all change, however, when Bourdon was traded from the Cologne Express to the Seattle Bears. With a 1st heading back to the Express, it seems as though Bourdon has found a management and team system that fully believes in the player that he currently is, not the player he could potentially become. 

 

- "We feel as though he has some really strong potential. He could and likely will become a very strong piece for Seattle, but we're not looking that far ahead for him. Right now, he's exactly what this organization needs and we welcome and encourage his development at any rate as long as it is climbing.".

- Bears GM, Blake Campbell

 

For Bourdon, he has his eyes set on becoming a strong, productive defender for the Bears organization. It's every kid or man's dream in hockey to make it to the big leagues and be the best that they can be. Of course, limitations are involved. for Bourdon, there are limitations but also hidden strengths that could really help push himself forward in regards to his personal and overall development. Despite his slower maturation in the Victory Hockey League, we feel as though that's going to slightly change over the next little bit. With his big frame and Seattle's newer development system, anything can happen with the French-Canadian defender. For now, though, let's see what IS happening with him. 

 

The Good

 

His Size - One thing you'll notice about Bourdon on or off the ice is that he's a pretty big boy. No, not "Pretty" and "Big". The guy is a tank. With a 6'3", 211 pound frame, it's safe to say that with a little more development in the strength and defence areas of his game, he'll resemble the NHL's Scott Stevens out there. He may not be an overall Scott Stevens, but he surely will skate around on the ice like he is. While his checking isn't a big factor in his game right now, expect it to have a little more importance once other areas of his game start improving more.

 

Offensive abilities - Okay, he isn't Erik Karlsson of the NHL, or even current teammate Aleksei Federov. That shouldn't surprise you. He is, of course, Matthieu Bourdon. While his sharpness to his offensive side isn't that of a double edged sword, it isn't dull like a butter knife either. Grading him on the offensive aspects and you would see him earn about a 6.5/10. Sure, it may be high, but for where he is at right now, we feel he will progress faster in these areas.

 

Defensive abilities - Same thing here. The more you look at his build and how he plays out on the ice, the more you see the becoming of a natural, slow building two-way defender. Sure, he's slow at his rate of progression, but all great and good things take time, right? While again, not a crazy comparison when comparing him to some of the best right now in the VHL, with a little work and having his head down - he'll be there in NO TIME.

 

The Not so Good

 

Work Ethic - While it hasn't been bad and has in fact been fairly regular and consistent, it doesn't resemble those who became something great in the league. While we could bash the young player on this, we feel no need to. Everyone has their rates of progression, but basing this as a scouting report, we will not put it in the "good" category. To improve as a defender and player for the Bears and the league, improving this area will help him significantly. 

 

Checking - They go hand in hand, his size and strength. Then comes along Checking. He has 2 of the 3 things, all he needs now is checking and some elbow butter to go along with it. For a player of his size, it almost amazes scouts and teams that he isn't able to land hits better - and big ones at that, however, it hasn't generally been in his nature. While Seattle does love the offensive production from d-men, they always try to mold them into two-way defenders. Lucky for them, most defenders in the league turn into one of these. 

 

Unknown - It's like a crystal ball. You're not sure what you're going to get until you actually see what it is. For him, he could become good, bad or all the above. We honestly feel like Bourdon is going to do some great things in the league and for the Bears, but the unknowing is killing us and the wait will be the only thing to prove us wrong or right. 

 

Overall

Overall, Bourdon get s passing grade. While we feel he would have been good in Cologne too, we feel Seattle was meant for him and Bourdon was meant for Seattle. Time will tell, but here's rooting for the young guy to turn heads, take a few off and help Seattle chase the dream. 7.0/10

Edited October 9, 2017 by Lunaro

[DollarAndADream 3,357]

Review:

As usual, your write-up is superb. This was a fun read.
Definitely love the GIFs, they add a nice touch to it all.