Bouch Bomb confirmed: Oilers' Bouchard leads NHL in this new stat
Edmonton Oilers fans have seen a lot of Evan Bouchard so far this season.
For the first time in his young career, the 24-year-old offensive defenseman has been trusted with top-pairing minutes alongside veteran Mattias Ekholm. The results have been mostly positive, with Bouchard scoring at a point-per-game pace with 21 through the first 21 games of the season.
Yes, there are some questions around his overall defensive game this season, but for the most part, Bouchard has held up his end of the bargain by being among the most productive defencemen in the entire NHL.
While some defenders rack up points with sneaky wrist shots and seeing-eye passes, Bouchard likes to keep it old school. The former first-round pick has quickly become known for his booming slapshot from the point that has been dubbed the “Bouch Bomb.”
In fact, he does it so often that he actually leads the entire league in 90 mph (144.8 km/h) shots on net with 26, according to the league’s new analytics website NHL Edge.
You wanna see some real speed? 💨
Check out https://t.co/l00DNGvz8Y for more! pic.twitter.com/mw3KP9zheg
— NHL (@NHL) November 29, 2023
Other players following Bouchard in the stat are Vancouver defenceman Filip Hronek, who has 20, and New York Islanders defender Ryan Pulock with 19. Some notable names down the list include Washington Capitals superstar Alexander Ovechkin with 15 and Tampa Bay Lightning defenceman Victor Hedman with 14.
This shouldn’t be a surprise for Oilers fans. Bouchard is not shy to shoot the puck and is the quarterback of the team’s top-unit power play. According to Natural Stat Trick, Bouchard has 64 shots on net this season, which is third among NHL defencemen and third on the Oilers.
That means that about 40% of Bouchard’s shots have been 90 mph or faster.
First Bouch bomb of the SZN. 💣 pic.twitter.com/ercweyPCdQ
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 22, 2023
A Heritage Classic Bouch-bomb! 💣@EdmontonOilers | #HeritageClassic pic.twitter.com/IWduvKycXZ
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 29, 2023
Bouch bomb SZN ‼️ pic.twitter.com/JR7rV6stR3
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) November 24, 2023
NHL Edge’s data also says that Bouchard had one shot this season that was at least 100 mph (160.9 km/h).
No matter your view on the player, nobody can dispute that Bouchard can shoot the puck among the best of them.