“Tourning Heads”
Niko Tournas has turned heads throughout his path in the game and with Mark Divver’s tweet earlier this week announcing his invite to the Boston Bruins Rookie Camp, those that follow the B’s quickly became intrigued. Everyone sees the numbers and the amount of goals this kid has scored and he continued that trend a season ago in his first foray into the QMJHL.
43 as a rookie at the CHL level is no small feat. Nevertheless, with so much intrigue surrounding Tournas’ upside or pro potential comes even more questions regarding his trajectory.
There’s no question Tournas is a pure goal scorer, there’s really no other way to say it and we all know the value associated that, but it’s the work that he has put into to other areas of his game that should be the most exciting aspect of his game.
“Draft Plus One or Two”
Why didn’t Niko Tournas get drafted in June? Well, everyone would be quick to say the obvious response to that being his skating ability, but the step he took in that aspect of his game jumped off the page especially early on in the season.
Tournas worked extremely hard on his stride, edge control, agility and really gained a lot of quickness and explosiveness. Tournas did the most damage posted up on the power play for one timers, but with his increased agility and speed he became a weapon in open ice, especially off the rush. His puck skills in traffic and ability to release the puck accurately was a difference maker for the Cats offensive attack.
Skating would be the easy answer to Tournas getting passed over in the draft or perhaps NHL organizations are taking “a wait and see” approach this year, but teams might have also been pretty cautious not to jump at a 19-year-old winger with perceived skating woes. The strides he took with his skating ability put him on the radar and garnered a lot of attention from NHL scouts, so what does the future hold for a player like Tournas?
When Q teams keyed in on him and tried to take his one timer away, he continued to find a way to score and put points up which speaks to his increased willingness to diversify is game. He had a solid amount of push back and grit throughout the season. However, as the season progressed and the playoffs arrived Tournas struggled at times in traffic and lost some board battles. From a far it appeared that he might have been banged up during the Cats playoff run. There’s no question this kid can play, but adding even more grit and compete to his game is one area that has to improve if he wants to play a top six scoring role at the pro level. Tournas is currently committed to The University of New Hampshire for the 2027-2028 season and perhaps some more developmental time at the NCAA route would benefit him greatly. His overage year in the QMJHL brings intrigue and great promise, but with that comes even more added pressure and responsibility to drive things offensively and “be the man” for the Moncton Wildcats.
“Comparable Goal Scorers”
In the hockey world everyone wants comparables or comparisons. Ironically a former Bruin Glen Murray comes to mind when watching Tournas. Obviously, Murray had a ton of grit and loved to go to the dirty areas of the ice to score. The game has changed a lot from when Murray laced them up at hockey’s highest level, but their shot and ability to play in tight areas and puck skills mirror each other quite well. With Tournas’ added speed he challenged defenders on the perimeter, but this season he will have to get to the middle and engage even more. Murray understood his strengths, identity and made a living in the middle of the ice finding a way to get open in the quiet areas of the ice to score. Like other young gifted natural scorers Tournas is still refining those aspects of his game.
The 2026-27 season will be a big test for Niko Tournas, but an invite to B’s Rookie Camp could propel him to new heights.
It’s always interesting to see how pure goal scorers who are perceived to have skating issues or other aspects of their games excel and prove critics wrong as they progress throughout their path in the game.
Niko Tournas’ intriguing journey continues.
The Quick Shift 