| Alex Tuch | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | May 10, 1996, Syracuse, New York, U.S. |
| Height Weight |
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 220 lb (100 kg; 15 st 10 lb) |
| Position | Right wing |
| Shoots | Right |
| NHL team F. teams |
Buffalo Sabres Minnesota Wild Vegas Golden Knights |
| NHL Draft | 18th overall, 2014 Minnesota Wild |
| Playing career | 2016–present |
Alex Daniel Tuch [1] born May 10, 1996) is an American professional ice hockey forward for the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted by the Minnesota Wild in the first round, 18th overall, in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.
Playing career[]
Youth and college[]
As a youth, Tuch played in the 2008 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the Lemieux Academy minor ice hockey team from Phoenix, Arizona.[2] Tuch was ranked 12th by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau on their final list of the top draft-eligible North American skaters leading into the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, where he was projected to be selected in the first round.[3][4] Tuch was eventually selected by the Minnesota Wild as the draft's 18th overall pick.
Tuch trained with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program team from 2012 to 2014, winning a bronze medal with Team USA at the 2013 World U-17 Hockey Challenge and gold at the 2014 IIHF World U18 Championships.
From 2014 to 2016, Tuch played college hockey for Boston College in the Hockey East Association. He was named to the 2014–15 Hockey East Association Pro Ambitions All-Rookie Team,[5] tallying 14 goals and 14 assists his freshman year. In 2015–16, he contributed with 18 goals and 16 assists in 40 games, while heading to the NCAA Frozen Four with the Eagles.[6]
Minnesota Wild[]
On April 13, 2016, Tuch signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Minnesota Wild to begin his professional career.[7] In his rookie professional season, after attending the Wild's training camp, he was reassigned to the club's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Iowa Wild, for the 2016–17 season.[8] Tuch provided a power-forward presence for Iowa, recording 18 goals and 37 points in 57 games. In the second half of the season, he received his first recall to Minnesota and made his NHL debut on February 4, 2017, against the Vancouver Canucks.[9] That season, he appeared in six NHL games with the Wild, but did not score a goal.
Vegas Golden Knights[]
On June 21, 2017, Tuch was traded to the expansion Vegas Golden Knights as part of an agreement with Vegas that the team would select Erik Haula in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft.[10] On October 3, 2017, Tuch was assigned to the AHL's Chicago Wolves to begin the 2017–18 season.[11] He was recalled from the Wolves on October 15,[12] and he scored his first NHL goal against Tuukka Rask of the Boston Bruins that night.[13] Tuch went on with Vegas to the 2018 Stanley Cup Finals, where they eventually lost in five games to the Washington Capitals.
On October 19, 2018, the Golden Knights signed Tuch to a seven-year, $33.25 million contract extension.[14]
In July 2021, Tuch underwent off-season shoulder surgery, which would prevent him from playing the majority of the 2021–22 NHL season[15][16]
Buffalo Sabres[]
On November 4, 2021, Tuch was traded by the Golden Knights along with Peyton Krebs, a 2022 first-round draft pick, and a 2023 second-round draft pick to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Jack Eichel and a 2023 third-round draft pick.[17] Eichel, the former 2015 second overall draft pick considered a generational talent, had been enmeshed in an acrimonious dispute with the Sabres for some time prior to the trade.[18] Tuch, a Sabres fan as a child, expressed enthusiasm about joining the team.[19] He made his debut in a December 29, 2021 loss to the New Jersey Devils, recording an assist.[20] He soon became a fan favorite in Buffalo, with many citing him as a natural choice to the take up the team captaincy previously stripped from Eichel.[21][22] A notable game came on March 10, 2022, when Eichel made his first appearance in Buffalo with the Golden Knights, culminating in Tuch stealing the puck from Eichel in the final minute to bury it in the empty net, resulting in a 3–1 Sabres victory.[23]
On October 20, 2022, Tuch scored his first career hat-trick in a 6–3 win over the Calgary Flames.
Personal life[]
Tuch was born to Carl and Sharon[24] in Syracuse, New York. He grew up in Baldwinsville, New York. Tuch is of Slovak ancestry through his great grandmother.[25] Tuch has a younger brother and sister that are twins; Luke Tuch was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2020 NHL Draft by the Montreal Canadiens and is committed to play hockey for Boston University, and Leah Tuch plays field hockey.[26] Tuch grew up as a fan of the Buffalo Sabres.[27]
Career statistics[]
Regular season and playoffs[]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2011–12 | Syracuse Jr. Stars | EmJHL | 40 | 44 | 57 | 101 | 26 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | ||
| 2012–13 | U.S. NTDP Juniors | USHL | 38 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | U.S. NTDP U17 | USDP | 56 | 11 | 15 | 26 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | U.S. NTDP Juniors | USHL | 26 | 13 | 19 | 32 | 36 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | U.S. NTDP U18 | USDP | 61 | 29 | 35 | 64 | 70 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Boston College | HE | 37 | 14 | 14 | 28 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Boston College | HE | 40 | 18 | 16 | 34 | 33 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Iowa Wild | AHL | 57 | 18 | 19 | 37 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Minnesota Wild | NHL | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | Chicago Wolves | AHL | 3 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | Vegas Golden Knights | NHL | 78 | 15 | 22 | 37 | 27 | 20 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 12 | ||
| 2018–19 | Vegas Golden Knights | NHL | 74 | 20 | 32 | 52 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | ||
| 2019–20 | Vegas Golden Knights | NHL | 42 | 8 | 9 | 17 | 8 | 20 | 8 | 4 | 12 | 8 | ||
| 2020–21 | Vegas Golden Knights | NHL | 55 | 18 | 15 | 33 | 28 | 19 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 6 | ||
| 2021–22 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 50 | 12 | 26 | 38 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 305 | 73 | 104 | 177 | 85 | 66 | 19 | 14 | 33 | 34 | ||||
International[]
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | United States | U17 | 
|
6 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | |
| 2014 | United States | U18 | 
|
7 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 14 | |
| 2015 | United States | WJC | 5th | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | |
| Junior totals | 18 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 18 | ||||
Awards and honors[]
| Honors | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| World U-17 Hockey Challenge Bronze Medal | 2013 | [28] |
| IIHF World U18 Championship Gold Medal | 2014 | [29] |
References[]
- ↑ "Wild Signs Alex Tuch To Entry-Level Contract," Minnesota Wild, Wednesday, April 13, 2016. Retrieved April 14, 2021
- ↑ Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA (2018).
- ↑ Baldwinsville's Alex Tuch moves up in rankings of NHL draft prospects. Syracuse.com (2014-04-28). Retrieved on 2014-04-28.
- ↑ 2014 NHL Draft Profile: Alex Tuch. On the Forecheck (2014-04-16). Retrieved on 2014-04-16.
- ↑ HockeyEastOnline.com – Hockey East Announces 2014–15 Pro Ambitions All-Rookie Team.
- ↑ Baldwinsville's Alex Tuch signs pro pact with Minnesota Wild (April 14, 2016).
- ↑ Wild Signs Alex Tuch To Entry-Level Contract (2016-04-14).
- ↑ "Bruce Boudreau on Wild roster cuts: 'The jobs were there to be had'", St. Paul Pioneer Press, October 5, 2016. Retrieved on May 3, 2018.
- ↑ Alex Tuch to make NHL debut for Wild on Saturday (February 2, 2017). Retrieved on May 3, 2018.
- ↑ It's official: Vegas inks Haula from Wild in expansion draft. Minnesota Star Tribune (2017-06-21). Retrieved on 2017-06-21.
- ↑ SHIPACHYOV, THEODORE, TUCH SET TO JOIN WOLVES (October 3, 2017). Retrieved on May 3, 2018.
- ↑ Tuch, Lagace Recalled From Chicago Wolves (October 15, 2018). Retrieved on May 3, 2018.
- ↑ Tuch, Shipachyov shine in debuts as Vegas beats Bruins (October 15, 2017). Retrieved on 8 March 2018.
- ↑ Vegas Golden Knights Sign Forward Alex Tuch To Seven-Year Extension. Retrieved on October 19, 2018.
- ↑ Short-handed Vegas Golden Knights lose Max Pacioretty, Mark Stone to injury after 1-1 start (October 16, 2021).
- ↑ Golden Knights' Alex Tuch: Out six months after surgery.
- ↑ Sabres acquire Krebs, Tuch, picks in trade with Vegas for Eichel (November 4, 2021).
- ↑ Sabres trade Eichel to Golden Knights after long dispute (2021-11-04).
- ↑ Lysowski, Lance. "Alex Tuch bubbling with excitement ahead of long-awaited Sabres debut", The Buffalo News, 2021-12-16.
- ↑ Hoppe, Bill (2021-12-30). Alex Tuch's debut sign of brighter times ahead for Sabres.
- ↑ Seltenrich, Brandon (2022-02-23). Sabres' Tuch Taking Sting Out of Eichel Trade.
- ↑ Stephens, Mike (2022-03-02). Alex Tuch arrived exactly when Buffalo needed him.
- ↑ Vogl, John. "'It was electric': Alex Tuch, Peyton Krebs and Sabres get best of Jack Eichel and Golden Knights", The Athletic, 2021-03-11.
- ↑ Alex Tuch. Retrieved on February 8, 2018.
- ↑ Alex Tuch.
- ↑ Luke Tuch Commits To Boston University (January 31, 2018). Retrieved on February 8, 2018.
- ↑ Longtime Sabres Fan Alex Tuch Thrilled to Wear the Blue and Gold.
- ↑ U.S. National U-17 Team upends Slovakia, 7–2, at 2013 World Hockey Challenge. boxscorenews.com (2013-05-01). Retrieved on 2014-06-27.
- ↑ Gold-Medal Game Recap: USA Wins Gold Over Czech Republic. USA Hockey (2014-04-02). Retrieved on 2014-04-02.
External links[]
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or ESPN.com, or Eurohockey.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Mathew Dumba |
Minnesota Wild first round draft pick 2014 |
Succeeded by Joel Eriksson Ek |
| This page uses content from Wikipedia. The original article was at Alex Tuch. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with Ice Hockey Wiki, the text of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License 3.0 (Unported) (CC-BY-SA). |