Caps Sign Francois Bouchard

From the Washington Capitals:

ARLINGTON, Va. – The Washington Capitals have signed right wing Francois Bouchard to a three-year entry-level contract beginning next season, vice president and general manager George McPhee announced today. In keeping with club policy, financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Bouchard, 19, led the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) in scoring in 2006-07, posting 125 points and a league-high 80 assists. A 6’1’’, 188-pound native of Sherbrooke, Quebec, Bouchard recorded 92 points (36 goals, 56 assists) in 68 games for Baie-Comeau in 2007-08, leading his team in scoring and finishing eighth in the league.

A two-time QMJHL Player of the Week in 2006-07, Bouchard posted a 22-game point streak on way to winning the Jean Beliveau Trophy, given to the league’s leading scorer. Bouchard was named the QMJHL’s Player of the Month in December of this season, after posting 22 points (seven goals, 15 assists) in 11 games.

Bouchard was Washington’s second-round choice, 35th overall, in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. He joined the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL) at the end of his QMJHL season and had one goal in four regular-season games for the Bears, who begin the Calder Cup playoffs tomorrow night.

The Capitals have now signed five of their selections from the 2006 Entry Draft (Nicklas Backstrom, Simeon Varlamov, Michal Neuvirth, Mathieu Perreault and Francois Bouchard).

Francois Bouchard

Position: Right Wing

Born: April 26, 1988 (Sherbrooke, Quebec)

Height: 6’1” Weight: 188 Shoots: Left

Drafted: Capitals’ second-round choice, 35th overall, in the 2006 Entry Draft

Regular Season Playoffs

Year Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM

2004-05 Baie Comeau QMJHL 54 11 13 24 13 6 1 1 2 2

2005-06 Baie Comeau QMJHL 69 33 69 102 66 4 1 0 1 6

2006-07 Baie Comeau QMJHL 68 45 80 125 72 11 7 11 18 4

2007-08 Baie Comeau QMJHL 68 36 56 92 70 5 1 1 2 6

Hershey AHL 4 1 0 1 2 - - - - -

* Won Jean Beliveau Trophy (2007) * QMJHL Second All-Star Team (2007)

Another piece to the puzzle is under contract. That 2006 draft is starting to look pretty good.