Mavrik Bourque: Umm, Calder candidate?
No, but still...
There’s an endless list of writing on Mavrik Bourque you can search for here at the Stars Stack.
Bourque was one of the reasons I started this place to begin with. Where else was I gonna write about Bourque — a player who is basically a nesting doll of nuance — in gruesome detail? This is not to gas him up as Dallas’ next young star. However, there’s a reason Bourque was always grouped with Wyatt Johnston and Logan Stankoven before making the jump: because they were all seen as equals in different ways.
This isn’t just “homerism” talking either. EPRinkside had Bourque rated over Johnston and Stankoven in 2022, noting a historic prospect milestone: Bourque generated or helped generate almost 40 percent of his team’s offense in the QMJHL — a single-season high for Mitchell Brown’s tracked data of all prospects over a five year sample.
Bourque has had the longest road to the NHL of any of them, but again: development happens at different rates. (Please don’t confuse this with “all development is equal.”) However, where a slower development path might be indicative of a lower ceiling, or more talents to work on, Bourque really only had one year of non-NHL hockey where he wasn’t dominant.
I don’t actually think Bourque has a real shot to win the Calder. But if he’s paired with Stankoven, is it possible for them to do what they did in the AHL, where a race to the top brought out the gamesmenship in both? Obviously, it all depends on the lines. And that’s ignoring — what I would argue — will be the actual race: Macklin Celebrini versus Lane Hutson. But through two preseason games, Bourque has been the most prominent player to these eyes.
Wallwork
As has been noted again and again, for prospects to make the transition into the NHL, they need to be comfortable along the wall. Bourque is comfortable here.
I love how he actually retreats to the wall in order to create more space. It’s a slick, counterintuitive bit of puck business that highlights his high-level spatial awareness, not just as a playmaker, but as a territorial forward.
I’ve been skeptical that Bourque is capable of producing at a high level to start his NHL career, but now I’m not so sure. And although I’m probably just saying this to convince myself I’m more observant than I am, his skating has appeared to level up yet again. It’s still not what I would call an active strength of his, but where last year he looked faster, this year he looks more pliant too.
Forechecking
We already know what Bourque can bring on the power play, and he accomplished that last night with his assist on the Johnston goal. But he’s not just a perimeter passer. His calculated hustle makes its way into his routes even on the power play.
Even last night when he got highsticked on the man advantage, he simply went about his business.
But now I want to focus on possibly his greatest strength: his maturity. Believe it or not, “savvy” is not just for veterans. Somehow Bourque has displayed more of it in two preseason games than I’ve seen in entire veteran careers.