Raphael Bussieres
Forward
Born: November 5th, 1993
Height: 6'1" Weight: 194 lbs
Shoots: Left
2012-13 Team: Baie-Comeau Drakkar (QMJHL)
Acquired: 2nd round pick (46th overall) in 2012 NHL Draft
Previous Rank: NR
With all the bigger name prospects the Wild have had the past few years, one name that has slipped under the radar is Raphael Bussieres.
Bussieres has spent the past five seasons in the QMJHL, and every year has seen his game improve, as you can see by the numbers listed above. He has tremendous hands and vision (see below video), which makes him very dangerous when his team is on the attack. At this rate, he can be a top 12 player for the Wild should he continue to develop his game adequately.
Even at the past two development camps, Bussieres has looked much more solid than most of the players and still has flown under the radar.
Something that Bussieres improved greatly on this past season, was his defensive game. He has set out to be a more well rounded player, and clearly he did enough to earn his entry level contract this past summer. To give you a small sample of his improvement, he went from a -31 in the +/- column in 2010-11 to +27 last year (again, the +/- stat does not just reflect an individual's play entirely).
Bussieres will turn 20 in November, making him eligible to play for the team's AHL club in Iowa, but it remains to be seen if he will go there or just be sent back to the QMJHL for one more season.
Team of 18,001's 2013-14 Top 10 Wild Prospect List
1. Wednesday
2. Tuesday
3. Monday
4. Sunday
5. Saturday
6. Tomorrow
7. Raphael Bussieres
9. Mario Lucia
10. Gustav Olofsson
Follow Giles on Twitter @gilesferrell
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