2016 NHL Draft Profiles: Boris Katchouk
Boris Katchouk – 6’1, 181-pound left winger from the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL)
Boris Katchouk Rankings
- Ranked #22 by Hockeyprospect.com
- Ranked #27 by ISS Hockey
- Ranked #49 by Craig Button
- Ranked #31 by Future Considerations
- Ranked #32 by McKeen’s Hockey
- Ranked #25 by NHL Central Scouting (NA Skaters)
Boris Katchouk Scouting Report provided by Brock Otten of OHL Prospects
Boris Katchouk Strengths
- Boris Katchouk is quietly one of the most effective draft-eligible players in the OHL this year. Efficient is great word to describe him. Complete is another. Katchouk is just a really solid all around winger who can help you win hockey games in a variety of different ways.
- He’s a tenacious forechecker and an absolute puck hound whose energy level at both ends of the ice is contagious. His quickness allows him to be first to loose pucks.
- It also makes him a very effective offensive player off the rush, where he has an underrated ability to accept passes and carry the play at full speed. He also demonstrates good vision.
- Going back to that word “efficiency,” Katchouk finished in the top 60 of scoring in the league, but was down near 150th for shot attempts. He capitalizes on his scoring chances by anticipating the play well and just seems to really understand how to play without the puck.
Boris Katchouk Weaknesses
- The question is, how good of a goal scorer can he be and how good are his hands? As a world class lacrosse player, I’m not sure we’ve seen the best of what he’s capable of in that department.
- Another key is adding velocity to his shot and becoming more confident in using it.
- As of right now, Katchouk is more of a complementary offensive player and not the driving force of a line offensively. It remains to be seen just how much his offensive skills can progress and whether or not he can ever get to the point where we could call him a true creator and not a beneficiary.
The Verdict
Don’t be surprised if Katchouk sneaks into the late first round. He was terrific in the OHL playoffs and was good at the U18’s, too.
Boris Katchouk Career Notes
- Drafted round 4, #94 overall by HK Sochi in the 2014 KHL Draft
- Drafted round 2, #33 overall by Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in the 2014 OHL Priority Selection Draft
- Won a AHMMPL championship with the Waterloo Wolves Minor Midget AAA in 2013-14
- Won an OHL Cup bronze medal with the Waterloo Wolves in 2013-14
- Won a NOJHL championship with the Soo Thunderbirds in 2014-15
- Named to OHL Second All Rookie Team in 2015-16
- Named to CHL Top Prospects Game in 2015-16
Boris Katchouk Interview
Courtesy of The Pipeline Show:
On describing his game:
I’m definitely a 200-foot player. I try to play hard on both sides of the puck. I’m relentless on the forecheck and in trying to produce offensively.
On his performance at the u18s:
On a personal level, I believe I could’ve shown more. It was definitely a tournament where I didn’t show my true character or what kind of player I can be. You can’t always get the right bounces going your way. You just have to push through and always have a smile on your face.
On his current size:
I’m 6’1, 190-192. Right in that range. [Off-ice training] started as soon as I was done the hockey season this year. I get a couple of weeks of rest before I’m back in the gym and training for the combine. From there on after, it’s chipping away, it’s doing your best, and it’s achieving your 100% effort every day in the gym trying to get quicker, stronger, faster.
On areas of his game he wants to improve:
It would definitely be skating. I’ve got to work on my efficiency. When I get close to the end of my shift, that would make me a better player. Hopefully I can achieve that over the course of the summer, by doing power skating twice a week.
On upsetting Sarnia in round one:
We came into the first series as underdogs. Sarnia took us a little bit lightly, but we definitely took advantage of that, getting off on the right foot and winning the first two games of the series. It was definitely a team effort and we showed our true identity in that series.
On his background:
My parents moved over from Russia in 1992. They came over for work. They went from Montreal — one of my brothers was born there — to Vancouver a year later. I was born there. From there, it was another year and a half before we moved to Ontario (Waterloo).
On whether talking to 28 teams at the draft combine was tiresome after a while:
It’s not a drain at all. When you’re 10 years old, you dream of talking to an NHL team. I came into each interview with a smile on my face. It was fun to see what those scouts looked at you all year for. You definitely see what you can improve on and what your strengths are.
Experts Take on Boris Katchouk
HockeyProspect.com’s Ryan Yessie on The Pipeline Show from April:
He went into game one [of the playoffs] questionable because of a potential concussion, and they were worried about his orbital bone and a potential broken nose. But I’ll tell you what — he went into the first shift of the game and he was flying into the corners. He has been one of the best players in this series.
He’s such a hard-working player. He competes, but he also has a lot of offensive skill. He’s dangerous in front of the net, particularly. He’s got a good sized frame. He’s well positioned in the offensive zone, which allows him to get into a lot of good situations, and he moves the puck well.
When you look at the guy out there for the Soo like Zachary Senyshyn, and the type of year he had last year, and you look at a guy like Katchouk, who I believe has similar numbers — the difference with him is that he just goes into every battle. He’s so competitive. He works hard. He’s got two-way abilities. In some ways, when you look at long-term projection, I feel like Katchouk might actually end up being the better player of those two.
It’s [work ethic] mixed in with the skill. He was almost a point per game in his first season in the OHL, and he’s got three goals in six games in the playoffs. All of those have been pretty big goals. They’ve been kind of been a showcase for his talent because he has great hands and a good shot, but he’s also smart and well positioned. One of the things that Mark preaches with this company is smarts and skill. He’s got both of them along with size and work ethic. He’s a “complete package” type of guy.
Boris Katchouk Statistics
| SEASON | TEAM | LEAGUE | GP | G | A | TP | PIM | +/- | POST | GP | G | A | TP | PIM | +/- | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-14 | Waterloo Wolves Minor Midget AAA | AHMMPL | 29 | 25 | 33 | 58 | 35 | | | Playoffs | 10 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 8 | ||
| 2014-15 | Soo Thunderbirds | NOJHL | 29 | 18 | 27 | 45 | 18 | | | Playoffs | 11 | 4 | 11 | 15 | 0 | ||
| Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | OHL | 12 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 17 | 0 | | | ||||||||
| 2015-16 | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | OHL | 63 | 24 | 27 | 51 | 61 | 7 | | | Playoffs | 12 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 4 | 3 |
| Canada U18 | WJC-18 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 0 | | |
