Avalanche Draft Profile: Shane Bowers

Get to Know Shane Bowers

Date of Birth: 7/30/1999
Place of Birth: Halifax, NS, CAN
Ht: 6’0″ Wt: 170 lbs
Shoots: Left
Position: Center
Team (League): Waterloo Black Hawks (USHL)

Statistics

What Scouts See

McKeen’s Hockey:

Watching Shane Bowers enter the offensive zone with the puck on his stick, is to watch a first round pick. Confoundingly, he can be absent from the scoresheet for long, painful stretches. His production in the USHL is that of a second or third rounder. Thankfully, for his sake, there is more to his game than points. Dependable in his own end, capable of playing in all manpower situations. I also get the impression that he did not receive the ice time in Waterloo that many other prospects of his ilk would receive in the USHL. His point scoring, when we isolate even strength scoring, is more impressive. He finished 12^th in league-scoring, but was sixth at even strength. As mentioned above, I suspect that Bowers will put up more eye-popping numbers in the NCAA with Boston University. In another year, Bowers would be assured to have to wait until the second round to hear his name called on draft day. This year, he has a good chance to be selected in the back third of the first and projects as a strong middle six forward at the highest level.

Future Considersations:

A solid 200-foot player who works hard…adequate top-end speed that will only improve as he gets stronger…balanced on his skates and when he explodes, he can create breaches in the other team’s defense…shows good initial burst…plays with a lot of gumption and makes life hard for opponents…willing to play in the dirty areas of the ice…a nice ability to read the play…does a good job of using his body to protect the puck…hands are not overly flashy, but he does a good job of using his body to protect the puck…dangerous as he takes a quick step out from the wall to the front of the net or comes from behind the net to get off a quick shot…intelligent decision-maker who moves the puck well and makes the right choices…defensively, he plays with some grit, making life tough on his opponent…patiently lets the play come to him…just a real versatile difference-maker at both ends of the rink.

What BSN Avalanche sees

Bowers is a steady player who doesn’t jump off the ice or wow you in any real way. He has flashes of supreme talent but they’re far enough between them you never expect to see that player on a consistent basis. Ultimately, he’s an exceptionally hard-working center with a very strong two-way game and a commitment to making life miserable for his opponents through relentless effort and a physical brand.

He’s a swiss army knife style of playere where he will hurt his opponent in as many ways as he can but none of them on their own will be devastating. A smart player who simply makes the right decisions all the time, Bowers is a difference-making center who won’t carry an offense but flat makes your team better.

Highlights

NHL Potential

The offensive upside is a real question mark as his production wasn’t anything special but his ability to impact the game in so many facets makes him a different kind of high-level forward. He best profiles as a second-line center if the offense develops and a third-line center if it doesn’t.

How Prospect Fits in Avalanche Organization

You’re going to read this a lot in the center profiles because the Avalanche are so deep at the position and this draft is very center-heavy but the fit isn’t immediately obvious. What Bowers has over many of the other centers in this draft is an excellent defensive reputation and a physical brand the Avalanche have sorely lacked.

Given he’s ranked as a solid first-round prospect likely to be taken in the 20’s, Bowers would have to experience a tumble in order to land in Denver but if he does he brings an element to the position the team currently lacks in its skill-heavy center depth as a potential defensive stopper.