Montreal Canadiens Top Prospect Countdown: No. 17 Simon Bourque
By Austin Owens
After a solid career in the QMJHL, the Montreal Canadiens’ sixth rounder will look to be a staple on the backend at the next level.
While the Montreal Canadiens have some solid prospects to build towards in the future, they sit near the back of the league in prospect pool rankings.
With that in mind, let’s look at who will be the top players in the Habs pipeline this season.
On Monday, we profiled defenceman Brett Lernout., today we cover another blueliner, Simon Bourque.
Simon Bourque / Left Defence / 6’0″ / 183 lbs / Longueuil, QC, CAN
Bourque was a sixth round pick of the Canadiens in 2015. He was considered a steal in the draft after a 38 point season with the Rimouski Oceanic.
Here’s what Mike Barrett of Dobber Prospects had to say about Bourque.
"Simply put, the 6-1 rearguard is a naturally gifted skater. He’s a technical player who has the mind and athletic ability to make plays in all situations, and more importantly continue to develop as a hockey player. He’s silky-smooth with the puck and rarely makes a bad decision. The same can be said about his positioning."
The Oceanic took Bourque in the second round, 25th overall in the 2013 QMJHL Entry Draft.
After a decent rookie year, and his aforementioned draft year, he had a 46 point year in 2015-16 that included 12 goals. Bourque was also named the captain of the Oceanic prior to the season.
After his season ended in Rimouski, Bourque got into game action with the St. John’s IceCaps, playing three games and grabbing an assist in the process.
Bourque followed that up with a great start to the 2016-17 campaign, scoring 28 points in his first 29 games. However, Bourque was traded to the Saint John Sea Dogs before the new year.
His production didn’t slow down though. Bourque had another 28 points over the next 30 games to finish the year with a career high 56 points, and 15 goals, on the season.
At 20-years-old going into this season, Bourque looks more than ready to make the jump to the pro ranks full-time. He should slot in perfectly on the defensive core on the Laval Rocket this year. He may even have a shot to play some games with the Habs next season.
Next: Habs Prospect Countdown: No. 18 Brett Lernout
What do you think of Bourque? Do you think he was rated too high or too low? And how do you think his season will go? Let us know in the comments below.