(Tales From the Clipped) Stars prospect, Mavrik Bourque: Playmaking dawg

He's a real one, folks.

Mavrik Bourque is no longer the AHL top gun. Logan Stankoven has officially taken over the top spot for the American League lead in points, and appears to be separating himself from his teammate. But points don’t tell the whole story. While I’m not interested in comparing the two, I am interested in focusing on the talent that earned Bourque a place in the first round of the 2020 NHL Draft.

I don’t know what comes to mind when you think of the world “playmaker” but if you’re like me, it’s probably something you tend to associate with creativity. Playmakers are divergent thinkers. They’re visionaries; puck painters, et cetera. That’s a fair description for people like Jason Spezza and Joe Thornton, but it’s also a stereotype. Jamie Benn and Jason Robertson are both shooters, but how similar would you say their games are? Anze Kopitar and Roope Hintz are both large, two-way centers, but their process towards their respective profiles couldn’t be more diametrically opposed.

Bourque is a playmaker, and I’m not here to dispute that. With 32 assists as of this writing, he’s second in the league, and a cut above the rest. But what kind of a playmaker is he? Is he a high-percentage passer, a low-percentage passer, a perimeter player, or something else? I would say none of the above. And yet his playmaking is high level. Where does that leave us?

The title gave you the first clue. The six others are the six clips I’m about to share with you.

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