NEWSLETTER
With the 18th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, the Chicago Blackhawks have selected center Sacha Boisvert, who will head to North Dakota this fall.
Sacha Boisvert, C
6-2, 180
DOB: March 27, 2006
Shoots: Left
2023-24 Team: Muskegon (USHL)
Ranked #21 by CONSOLIDATED RANKING
Ranked #21 by ELITEPROSPECTS.COM
Ranked #22 by TSN/BOB McKENZIE
Ranked #25 by TSN/CRAIG BUTTON
Ranked #32 by THN/FERRARI
Ranked #19 by THN/KENNEDY
Ranked #28 by MCKEEN’S HOCKEY
Ranked #22 by FLOHOCKEY/CHRIS PETERS
Ranked #26 by FCHOCKEY
Ranked #25 by DAILY FACEOFF
Ranked #16 by NHL CENTRAL SCOUTING (NA Skaters)
Ranked #26 by HPR/MALLOY
Ranked #18 by DRAFT PROSPECTS HOCKEY
Ranked #21 by SPORTSNET/COSENTINO
Ranked #25 by SPORTSNET/BUKALA
Ranked #21 by RECRUIT SCOUTING
Ranked #25 by DOBBERPROSPECTS
Ranked #33 by SMAHT SCOUTING
From NHL Central Scouting: “Just finished his second season in the USHL. Dynamic forward that has an ability to score and make plays for his team at the most critical times. His shot and release make him a threat every time he has the puck in the offensive zone, combined with being a high-end skater which makes him difficult to defend. He plays the game at a pace few others can. Dangerous every time he has the puck. A high-end offensive talent who plays a two-way game that makes him one of the top prospects in the Draft.“
From Steven Ellis (Daily Faceoff): “Boisvert is relied on heavily to do a bit of everything in Muskegon. So it’s impressive that he managed to put up 36 goals and 68 points in 61 games while still being the team’s best two-way forward with great defensive awareness. Boisvert has good skill, competitiveness and reads plays as well as any center in the draft. I don’t think he’ll be a high-end scorer in the NHL, but 50 points would be an attainable goal.“
From Corey Pronman (The Athletic): “Boisvert has been a highly productive USHL player over the last two seasons. He has a lot of appealing tools for the NHL. He’s a 6-2 center who can skate and has legit offensive abilities. He is very skilled and instinctive with the puck. He’s able to beat defenders with pace as well. Boisvert has an excellent shot and is a threat to score from the faceoff dots. I don’t love his playmaking as he’s certainly more of a shoot-first type of player but he can make tough plays. His compete is fine. He’s not going to be known for that aspect of his game but he wins enough battles and uses his size. He could be a middle-six forward in the NHL.“
From Scott Wheeler (The Athletic): “It’s not easy to score 30 goals in the USHL in your draft year, let alone 35-plus, and this year’s Muskegon team has had two players do that in Boisvert and Matvei Gridin. It’s even harder to do as a center who is counted upon and keyed in on. But as one rival USHL coach put it to me: “Sacha Boisvert is a really good player.” Boisvert, a top prospect in Quebec growing up who was a first-round pick into the QMJHL even after he’d gone to the U.S. for the final two years of his minor hockey, is a North Dakota commit who was named to the USHL’s All-Rookie Second Team last year after he finished third on the Lumberjacks in scoring as a 16-year-old. As a 17-year-old, he was named an alternate captain for Muskegon and has played big minutes, often playing 20-24 in the second half of the season before finishing fifth in the league in goals (36) and 11th in points (68 in 61).
Boisvert’s got desired height and position on his side, room to fill out his once-wiry frame (which he already added a bunch of muscle to last summer; he still looks lean with further growth to come), and NHL skill and competitiveness. Intangibles come up a lot when you speak to people about him (he even dropped the gloves a few times this year, including in the playoffs). The skill includes a quick and accurate NHL-level release, good instincts on and off the puck, above-average feet (he’s a decent skater, even if a little upright in his stance), a developing power game and great feel with the puck on his stick both at speed and in slowing the game down (though a high grip and long stick can occasionally limit him with the puck so far out in front of his body). Add in his impressive work ethic and a two-way commitment and there’s a lot to like. He’s got to put some more weight on and improve in the faceoff circle (which will come with more strength) but there’s a projectable game there with the right development/refinement and I’m confident the staff at North Dakota will do a good job with him. He’s got middle-six upside and there was some top-15 chatter about him late in the year, but after struggling to be a game-changer in tighter playoff games, I wonder if that has softened.”
