Luke Tuch is on a longer development path.
Luke Tuch is a potential power forward. He’s in the midst of his first season with Laval and he’s been below average. He’s a rookie and I give him some extra understanding because of that but he’s also going to be 23 in March so the clock is ticking.
One thing that has to change next season are his offensive zone starts. He’s at 92% a clear sign that he has to work on his two-way game. So anyone thinking he might be close to the NHL, he’s not. It doesn’t mean he can’t improve significantly next year or the year after, he can. Some players take longer to develop.
Tuch has good hands and can score down low. His shooting percentage is good and that’s why he gets power play time. He has to get over ten goals this season. So far he has five and six assists in 34 games. His discipline isn’t bad with 40 PIMS. There’s some good in these numbers.
Tuch is much stronger than he was a few year’s ago. He’s hard to handle in the crease and he can make some patient passes to set up scoring chances. There’s still a chance he can play in the NHL, his timeline is tracking with the Canadiens rebuild so that’s ok too.
Tuch is averaging 1.89 hits per game according to InStat. That’s a number that can grow. When he hits you, that’s 215 pounds hitting you and that’s going to help him win puck battles over time. Right now, he’s only winning 35% of them.
Tuch is tracking as a potential 4th line player at this point in time.