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When we looked at Paul Bittner's suitability as an Arizona Coyotes draft pick on Tuesday, one of the knocks against him was that the Coyotes' system was already unbalanced, with more left wingers working their way up compared to right wingers.
Should the Coyotes select Brock Boeser, that imbalance would start to correct itself.
#27 - Brock Boeser - Right Wing - Waterloo Blackhawks (USHL)
2014-15 Stats: 57 GP, 35 G, 33 A, 30 PIMs
Boeser hails from Burnsville, Minnesota. That's only fitting, because in his first year in the United States Hockey League, he burned many an unprepared defenseman. A more one way forward earlier in his career, Boeser has taken steps to improve his defensive game, and his NHL comparables are praise-worthy indeed:
Some scouts are seeing quite a bit of Patrick Sharp in Mr. Boeser. He skates well and has a complete set of goal-scorer's tools. Doesn't give up his own end, and transitions to offense in such a quick and concrete way that he can catch the opposition off-guard.
Next year, Boeser will play for the University of North Dakota, which will give him a chance to square off against some tougher competition. At 6'1" and 192 pounds, Boeser is no lightweight, so the next step in his development will likely be making good decisions in the neutral zone and holding off larger skaters while on the forecheck.
Boeser would be a very good fit with the Coyotes. He has natural offensive talent and has demonstrated a commitment to improving his two way game over the past couple of seasons. While not quite as large as Bittner, Boeser also satisfies the Coyotes' need for more natural right wings.
His fluctuation throughout the draft rankings (he was pegged as high as 9th overall in March and 14th in February by different talent evaluators) should merit more investigation on the part of Don Maloney and the Coyotes. But Boeser has all the tools necessary to become a talented forward at the next level.