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Crunch October Recap: Don’t write Barre-Boulet off just yet

By Stephen Parrino |
(Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
(Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
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It has been a rough start for the Syracuse Crunch, but Alex Barre-Boulet has been a bright spot in the early going.

The expectation was for the forward group to be a step down from last season after losing a wealth of experience in the likes of Remi Elie, Charles Hudon and Otto Somppi, but it is hard not to be a little disappointed with the 1-3-3 record the team has gotten off to this season.

Barre-Boulet should not be counted out

You must hand it to Alex Barre-Boulet. Even after not managing to stay on an NHL roster for the past three seasons, he has found yet another gear to elevate his game in the AHL with the Syracuse Crunch this season.

Off to a team-best start of 2 goals, 10 assists, and 12 points through the first seven games, Barre-Boulet is currently well ahead of his historic point rate. Rather than being a low sample anomaly, his shooting percentage is well down – currently 7.1% – from his career percentage of 13.0.

Assuming that number edges higher towards his career average over the course of the season, it is very likely we will see Barre-Boulet set career bests in most scoring categories.

Even when he’s not scoring, his shot is always a force to be reckoned with, and an asset in creating opportunities for others on the ice.

However, Barre-Boulet’s offense has not been his biggest obstacle in staying in the NHL.

Last season we mentioned Barre-Boulet was beginning to see an increased role in all game situations – namely the penalty kill – and so far that trend has continued with him seeing at least one or two shifts on any given Crunch penalty kill effort. While penalty killing will likely never be a strong enough asset of his to earn an NHL spot, it should continue to help him build the on-ice defensive mentality that could finally secure him an NHL spot in the bottom-six if a top-six spot remains out of reach.

So far, it looks like that defensive mentality is improving as Barre-Boulet has pressured opponents and forced turnovers multiple times this season. Whether he puts it altogether at some point, or not, it is hard not to be impressed by his continuous upward trajectory now in his fifth AHL season.

Season Stats

Alex Barre-Boulet has been the standard thus far, but Crunch newcomer Felix Robert has made a strong impression early on and has helped fill in the scoring gap of the veterans that left the team over the offseason.

Season Scoring Leaders

  1. Alex Barre-Boulet – 7GP, 2G, 10A, 12Pts, -2
  2. Felix Robert (F) – 7GP, 6G, 4A, 10Pts, +3
  3. Darren Raddysh (D) – 7GP, 3G, 7A, 10Pts, +1
  4. Gemel Smith (F) – 7GP, 3G, 7A, 10Pts, -3
  5. Simon Ryfors (F) – 7GP, 5G, 3A, 8Pts, Even
  6. Daniel Walcott (F) – 7GP, 2G, 4A, 6Pts, +2
  7. Trevor Carrick – 5GP, 2G, 1A, 3Pts, +1
  8. Jack Finley (F) – 7GP, 1G, 2A, 3Pts, +2
  9. Gage Goncalves (F) – 7GP, 0G, 3A, 3Pts, +2
  10. Ryan Jones* (D) – 7GP, 0G, 2A, 2Pts, -5

Season Goaltending Leaders (Save%)

  1. Max Lagace – 5GP (1-2-2), 3.71 GAA, 0.892 SV%
  2. Hugo Alnefelt – 2GP (0-1-1), 4.08 GAA, 0.886 SV%

* – Player is not signed to an NHL contract by Tampa Bay or on the team’s reserve list

Lineup from October 29th vs. Cleveland Monsters

The Crunch’s most recent game lineup is mostly representative of the lines they have used thus far this season.

Notably, Dumont has been out of the lineup since picking up an injury in the second game of the season, but he is expected to be back by the first half of December.

Forwards

Gabriel Fortier – Simon Ryfors – Gemel Smith

Gage Goncalves – Felix Robert – Alex Barre-Boulet

Jaydon Dureau – Jack Finley – Daniel Walcott

P.C. Labrie – Ilya Usau – Lucas Edmonds

Defense

Trevor Carrick – Darren Raddysh

Ryan Jones* – Sean Day

Declan Carlile – Jack Thompson

Goalies

Hugo Alnefelt

Max Lagace

Scratches: Gabriel Dumont*, Bennett MacArthur, Grant Mismash, Tyson Feist*

* – Player is not signed to an NHL contract by Tampa Bay or on the team’s reserve list

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