Strengths - puck control, vision, patience
Development Opportunities - size and strength

It’s easy to like Teagen due to the patience, smarts, and receptiveness of his motions. He’s a glue player who is always in the right spot by supporting the play or waiting proper timing. Combine accurate passing with no fear of physicality or darting into open ice and Teagen becomes an efficient 5on5 player and a threat from the wing on the PP. The knock will be size and strength at this point but that’ll come. His skating stride has deeper athletic cuts, his shot choices are always accurate, and he can control pucks well on his forehand and backhand. He might not come out of the gate in the WHL dominating but someone who just gets better year over year.

He started off the game against Yale with a big body check in the neutral zone which is really nice to see for a player of his skill set. His highlight reel often is simply taking advantage of open space and true scoring area chances so it was nice to see a bit of grit and engagement for a player who is 5’7. I loved his ability to dip his shoulder, cut back after sensing pressure, and establish position both in scoring areas and along the boards. He’s smart with it. Throw in touch passes, patience, athletic and adaptive posture, and tape to tape passes in motion. When you give him chances in scoring areas too he can spot those short side short opportunities slash into better scoring areas.

I thought he looked really agile overall against the group in BWC. He had a true high end cut move off the rush to drag in such a tight area around a defender and tried to finish on the backhand. Without a goaltender toe, that would have been a true highlight. He’s the kind of player that I’ve been appreciating more and more as I watch him. He adjusts quickly, tries different tactics against different opponents, and has a competency to make the most of offensive attacking space. He’s another quieter player who has room to grow, get stronger, and letting the size and strength showcase the skill.

Teegan Bouchard embodied a dynamic two-way center role this tournament. His exceptional skating and relentless motor allowed him to maintain a high pace and be involved in all areas of the ice. In his own zone, Bouchard positioned himself well, staying low to support his defense and timing his curls effectively to maintain momentum as he transitioned up ice. He rarely stopped and started, instead using tight, hard curls to keep his speed up, which suited his playstyle perfectly. Offensively, he showcased fast hands, strong spatial awareness, and craftiness, frequently setting up plays. Notably, Bouchard excelled in the faceoff dot and was outstanding on the penalty kill, even scoring and hitting the post on the same PK shift. Overall, Bouchard is a coach’s dream who can play in all situations at a high level. The next step will be seeing how much more he can grow physically.