The Montreal Canadiens may have a Jamie Benn in their ranks
Honestly, I'm a big fan of the Josh Anderson, Brady Tkachuk, Matthew Tkachuk, Alex Tuch and Jamie Benn type of players. I love power forwards, which are quite rare in the National Hockey League. So rare that you don't even find one on average per team. True power forwards I count on both hands, and then the Habs are blessed with one of the best, the "power horse" Anderson.
That being said, throughout the Blue-White-Red's excellent lineup of prospects, there is one Luke Tuch, the brother of the other. Tuch was selected in the 2nd round (47th pick) by the Canadiens in the 2020 draft. The 6-foot-2, 205-pound behemoth had an excellent first campaign with Boston University in 2020-21 with 11 points, including six goals, in 16 games. Tuch has been described as a gentle bully with underrated talent.
Luke, who is six years younger than his brother Alex, says that while his brother gives away two or three checks per game, he would give away six or seven! Luke is a funny young man and is very confident in his abilities. Here is what he said about the comparisons between his brother and himself:
"We are two completely different players. We both have good size and some similar tendencies on the ice, but I'm a more physical player while his game is more about speed. He established that trademark in his rookie year in Vegas.
It's hard to compare us. I watch every game he plays. I try to take a lot of cues from his game. He's always in front of the net and he's good at getting the puck out of his territory. I look at those things, but our mindsets are still a little different. He might end the game with two or three checks, but I'll have six or seven. I think we'll have different roles in the future, and that's fine."
Yes, he is certainly inspired by his older brother, but his perfect role model seems to be Dallas Stars captain Jamie Benn, who is known as a star and an exemplary captain:
"I like his physical presence, his heavy shot. He plays like a power forward, but he's also an effective 200-foot player. I think he's a great leader and he has a lot of skills that I want to copy." -Luke Tuch
All in all, I liked this selection by Trevor Timmins and Marc Bergevin, but after reading this, I like him even more and I can't wait to see him play with the Montreal Canadiens and/or the Laval Rocket in the not too distant future.
