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Adam Boqvist breaks out with 6 goals in 2 games during OHL playoffs

Posted on by Ian McLaren

Four goals in a single game is an accomplishment in and of itself. When they’re scored off a defenseman’s stick, it’s something pretty special.

That’s exactly what Blackhawks prospect Adam Boqvist did during Game 3 of an Ontario Hockey League playoff series between his London Knights and the Windsor Spitfires.

Here’s a look at how they all went in.

It doesn’t take a deep dive to notice how and from where Boqvist scored these goals, looking a lot like Blackhawks legend Bobby Orr in the process. Three came on the power play, and all four were from close proximity to the net, albeit in somewhat different ways.

“He did a good job of going to different areas,” Knights coach Dale Hunter said after the game. “One was back door, one was down the flank and the fourth one, the biggest one, was thanks to a good pinch, and he shot low (on the glove side) finally.”

Boqvist said the last time he scored four goals was when he was around 10 and still playing center, and credited his teammates for the big game.

“Three were on the power play and we have a good PP,” the 18-year-old told the London Free Press. “It’s good teammates setting me up. I had an open net. Just put the puck in the net. It’s nice when the puck goes my way.”

Hunter noted the performance reminded him of former Knight John Tavares, who scored four for the Maple Leafs earlier in the week.

“Good things happen when you do the right thing on the ice,” Hunter said. “He’s been playing well defensively and it translates over. Johnny T goes to the net and that’s how he gets rewarded. Adam was rewarded too.”

As mentioned last week, the one part of his game where there appeared to be room for immediate improvement is shot rate, as Boqvist ranked 13th among OHL defensemen after averaging 2.76 shots on goal per game during the regular season. Boqvist’s four goals came on six shots, and he recorded three in each of the previous two playoff games. That gives him 12 total through three games, a big average bump so far in the postseason.

“He’s been shooting pretty well down the stretch so for him to come up with a big game sniping, it’s a big win for us,” Hunter added, and he’ll almost certainly be encouraging Boqvist to keep firing the puck towards the net as often as possible.

Windsor head coach and former NHL forward Trevor Letowski also raved about Boqvist’s big game.

“(Boqvist) is an elite player in the league he scored some goals not a lot of other guys score,” Letowski said. “Even on the game winner, he pulls it off the wall like that and makes our guy miss him. He was outstanding, obviously.”

Boqvist’s four goals were added to the single secondary assist recorded on the power play back in Game 1, giving him five total points through three games, all London wins.

As it turns out, he wasn’t quite done toying with the Spitfires.

Boqvist scored another two goals in a Game 4 victory, one on the power play and the other at even strength.

Again, Boqvist credited his teammates:

“When you have good teammates who make good passes, you just try to hit the net,” he said. “I don’t think (all the) goals mean anything more. I just want to play well defensively so the coaches trust me out there.”

The Knights completed a sweep of Windsor with that win, and Boqvist finished the series with the following stat line:

  • Goals: 6 (2 even strength, 4 PPG)
  • Assists: 1 (secondary PPA)
  • Shots: 14/

Not bad at all for his first OHL playoff series.

Up Next

The Knights will have a playoff series against the lowest remaining Western Conference seed, and that will more than likely be the Guelph Storm (and fellow Blackhawks prospect MacKenzie Entwistle).

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