Golden Knights expect big things from Alex Tuch

LAS VEGAS --Alex Tuch first heard about it on Twitter. Then, on June 21, while watching the NHL Expansion Draft on TV, he found out it was official: He had been traded to the Vegas Golden Knights by the Minnesota Wild.
It was a somewhat stunning turn of events for the 21-year-old forward, considering defensemen Matt Dumba and Marco Scandella, and veteran center Eric Staal, were left unprotected by the Wild.

But the Golden Knights ended up taking none of them. Instead, they signed Wild free agent forward Erik Haula and were given Tuch in a trade for doing so.
"It's a real good opportunity," said Tuch, who played six NHL games last season. "Obviously, it's not an established team, so we'll see what happens. I'm really excited about being a part of this."
The Golden Knights also are excited about Tuch, who is 6-foot-4, 222 pounds.
"I saw him play with the U.S. national team a couple years ago and he's been developing well," Golden Knights general manager George McPhee said last week. "It's hard to get that kind of size and scoring."
Minnesota selected the Syracuse, New York, native with the No. 18 pick in the 2014 NHL Draft. After playing two seasons at Boston College and helping it reach the 2016 NCAA Frozen Four, Tuch played for Iowa of the American Hockey League last season, when he had 37 points (18 goals, 19 assists) in 57 games.

"It looked like he was ready to break through and play on our club next year," Minnesota general manager Chuck Fletcher said.
But the Wild had to scramble to protect who it wanted to in the expansion draft. To prevent losing an established player, Minnesota traded Tuch to Vegas for a third-round pick in the 2018 NHL Draft.
"We wanted a young player that we could have for the next 10 or 12 years," McPhee said. "He has size and scoring ability and he was a guy that we targeted. It was a good deal for both clubs. They kept their club intact. They'll be in good shape for a few years but admitted that he's a guy they'll miss in a couple years."
Tuch arrived in Las Vegas and helped other young players get through their first development camp.
"It's nice to have those guys here with the younger guys because they can lead," said Wil Nichol, Vegas director of player development. "They can show them this is the way things are done. And they want to do that."
Tuch, who has become more confident as a player and touted his physical play in front of the net, said his goal is to be on the Vegas roster when the season begins.
"Trying to show the coaching staff how hard I've been working in the summer," he said. "I think I have a lot to offer and I've improved a lot since last season and hopefully I'll be a key factor this year."