Prospect of the Weekend 10/22-10-24

I decided when I started this that I wouldn’t write too much on the prospects because I feel there are those out there more qualified to do so, but I would find ways to chime my opinions in through various forms and so now I have decided while I wont do daily prospect recaps I am going to do a weekly prospect of the weekend (Friday, Saturday, Sunday).

Keep reading to find out who this weekend’s winner was.

Ryan Bourque (center) and Alexandre Néron (right) created the attack for the Remparts.
The Sun, Steve Deschênes

So far this season the Rangers have been blessed with a number of prospects playing phenomenally well in the early going across all the CHL leagues, College and Hartford as well.  That was no different this weekend as there were a number of qualified candidates to be up for prospect honors, Ethan Werek for his huge Sunday performance, and some may have had a better individual effort, but none had a better overall weekend than 2009 3^rd rounder Ryan Bourque of the Quebec Ramparts (QMJHL).

Ryan Bourque coming back from an undisclosed upper body injury that cost him a few games made his presence known immediately on Friday with two assists even though his team would lose the game.  On Saturday Bourque would score the game’s opening goal and assist on another later in a 4-1 victory in which he was awarded the games top star.  On Sunday Bourque continued to make his presence known with a goal and two assists in the 4-2 victory. Coming into the weekend Ryan Bourque had a solid but unspectacular line of 2G 2A in 4 games.  When the weekend was over following a 2G 5A effort his line now looks pretty flashy at 4G 7A in 7 games. 

I will admit that personally towards the end of last year I kind of scratched Bourque off my personal prospect watch list not because of his skill or lack of production when he plays because he has all the on ice attributes to be in the NHL one day.  The reason I had sort of mentally taken him out was because of injuries and how just last year he missed games on the basis of four different injury (3 concussions) and the missed time this year with the upper body injury doesn’t alleviate those concerns for me.  I just hope that for the rest of the year he can stay on the ice and continue his hockey progression toward the NHL because if he can stay healthy there will not a skill issue with Ryan Bourque.