Bourque to skip UNH, head to QMJHL
Like his father, the youngest Bourque will play in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
Ryan Bourque, a Boxford native and son of Bruins legend and NHL Hall of Famer Ray Bourque, will forgo a verbal commitment to the University of New Hampshire to suit up for the Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League next season.
Bourque, 18, was Quebec's seventh-round choice in last year's junior draft. He was ranked 61st among North American skaters in this year's NHL Central Scouting midseason rankings. He will have up to three years of junior eligibility. The Remparts' owner, general manager and coach is NHL Hall of Famer Patrick Roy, a former teammate of Ray Bourque's with the Colorado Avalanche.
US Under-18 team coach Ron Rolston said Bourque is an elite player in his age group who will be productive at the next level.
"He does everything for us, and he provides leadership," said Rolston. "He'll be a valuable asset to Quebec."
A 5-foot-8, 165-pound left wing, Bourque played the last two seasons with the U.S. National Team Development Program. He had 19 goals and 24 assists in 47 games this year, second on the Under-18 team. He will play for the US in the Under-18 World Championships, which begin April 9.
Ray Bourque played three seasons for the now-defunct Sorel (later Verdun) Eperviers, or Blackhawks, of the QMJHL.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
UNH loses Ryan Bourque to the QMJHL
Like father like son Ray Bourque's kid Ryan Bourque is going to play in the QMJHL and has backed out of his verbal commitment to UNH. Sounds like a significant loss for the Wildcats. You have to wonder how solid the Bourque's commitment to the Wildcats was? What is more interesting is the comments following this blog post and the debate on whether the NCAA versus CHL debate.
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Must've not really been interested in the college route. Ray Bourque's other son Chris Bourque did play at Boston University but that was only for one year before he signed.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to think it was because the Fighting Sioux trounced Boston University that year in the NCAA Tournament regional that Worcester :).