Logan Couture*****
Country: Canada
Position: Center
League: OHL
Team: Ottawa 67's
Height: 6'1''
Weight: 195
Shoots: Left
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Scouting Report: The 67’s pivot had a rough year health wise as he was sidelined with mononucleosis and a skate cut to the leg .. never really got into any sort of groove but did play well at the U18 .. skating is usually the first knock on him but this area should not be of much concern .. not an explosive skater or shifty mover, but generates impressive power with short and compact strides .. is well-built and looks very sturdy on his skates .. a methodical worker whose movements always look comfortable and controlled .. has a good hockey IQ .. causes turnovers with an active stick and smart, well-timed pressure .. owns above average hands and vision .. makes many nifty passes on both backhand and forehand, with pressure or without, looking or not looking .. solid on the draw and is a reliable center man .. makes a conscientious effort defensively but is not a standout in his own zone .. sets up at the half boards and waits to unleash his scary one timer on the power play .. has a sneaky wrist shot as he loves to cut into the middle and use defenseman as a screen .. does not look for trouble and seems to be focused solely on his offensive efforts .. not a physically punishing player by any means but is not afraid to take a hit .. a solid center who has many likeable qualities but needs to show a consistent, healthy, and successful post draft year.
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2006-2007 Regular Season Stats
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54 games 26 goals 52 assists 78 points -1 24 PIM
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2007 Playoff Stats
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5 games 1 goals 7 assist 8 points -1 4 PIM
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2007 WJC U18 - Team Canada
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6 games 2 goals 2 assists 4 points +3 2 PIM
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Draft Day Status/Projection: Logan Couture is a solid hockey player who should go on to have a steady NHL career. There have been some comparisons to Brad Boyes floating around, and there are some similarities, but we think he has the same on ice mannerisms as Patrik Elias. Because of his generally rocky season, DraftBuzz ranks him 16th but can see him going anywhere in the range of 7-20 on draft day. He will need to ramp up his offensive production a level higher, but if the stars align, we see him as a steady top six forward.
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(photo courtesy of http://photoblog.ohlphotos.com)
