Alex Tuch
BY: SUFYAN JAWED
July 31st 2024
The goal of this new series is to give insight into a player on every team. The player will be randomly chosen by a panel of people close to me and this will hopefully give the general public better knowledge on a certain player in the show. Maybe you only really watch your hometown team, this will give you insight into a player that you may not have thought of in a deeper capacity.
Alex Tuch - Right Winger
Age: 28 (May 10th, 1996)
Height: 6’4 Weight: 219 Lbs
Handedness: Right
Born: Syracuse, New York, USA
National Team: USA
Draft: Round 1, 18th overall, 2014 NHL Entry Draft
Junior Team: Boston College
NHL Year Status: Going into 9th year
Contract: 7 years x 4.75 (In year 6 of 7)
Team Role: Top 6 Forward
Career Stats
2023 - 2024 Stats
Strengths:
Strength in Tight
Tuch has a big frame and he gets in areas where he can use that ability to its full effectiveness. 18 of his 22 goals this past season came from right between the circles or the lower slot. Actually just his shot attempts in general, his heat marker is from the lower slot, just look at his shot chart.
Tuch does not give up space in front and finds the soft spots among chaos. This goal against the Penguins is a great example of that as he gets himself open enough even while being surrounded by opposing defenders.
Breakaway Speed
For a guy as big as he is, Tuch has great speed, he finds himself blowing past defenders at a pretty decent rate. According to NHL Edge, Tuch was in the 85th percentile for top skating speed at 22.99 MPH and in the 77th percentile for speed bursts over 20 MPH. This goal against the Leafs last year is a great example of how he’s able to turn on the jets and reach his top speed with the the puck on his stick and catch opposing defenders flat-footed.
As he turns up the neutral zone he finds the hole in the defense and keeps his legs moving.
Leadership
Although Tuch hasn’t had a letter on his jersey yet, I foresee that coming this season. If not, Tuch has shown immense leadership abilities in his career. Not only does he use his size to establish himself as an offensive force, but he also uses it to create space for his linemates and stand up for them if they’re getting run at. Tuch has no issue mixing it up if he feels the need to, and it helps increase the production of his young, skilled linemates, such as Tage Thompson when they don’t have to worry about settling scores. What makes him invaluable is the fact that he picks his spots well. Yes, he’ll protect his guys, but his main focus is to help the team win, whether it is through offence, laying the body or fighting here and there.
Tuch is a more valuable commodity than the average fan probably considers him to be. He has established himself as a strong top 6 winger over the last few seasons and his leadership qualities mixed with his offensive abilities will make him one of the most important factors to the Sabres success going forward.