# Alex Tuch

Alex Daniel Tuch (/ˈtʌk/ TUCK; born May 10, 1996) is an American professional ice hockey forward and alternate captain for the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the first round, 18th overall, by the Minnesota Wild in the 2014 NHL entry draft. Tuch has also previously played for the Vegas Golden Knights.

## 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. 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. 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, 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.

### Minnesota Wild

On April 13, 2016, Tuch signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Minnesota Wild to begin his professional career. 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. 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. 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 team Vegas Golden Knights as part of an agreement with Vegas that Minnesota would select Erik Haula in the 2017 NHL expansion draft. On October 3, 2017, Tuch was assigned to the AHL's Chicago Wolves to begin the 2017–18 season. He was recalled from the Wolves on October 15, and he scored his first NHL goal against Tuukka Rask of the Boston Bruins that night. 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.
In July 2021, Tuch underwent off-season shoulder surgery, which would prevent him from playing the majority of the 2021–22 NHL season

### 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. Eichel, the former 2015 second overall draft pick, had been enmeshed in an acrimonious dispute with the Sabres for some time prior to the trade. Tuch, a Sabres fan as a child, expressed enthusiasm about joining the team. He made his debut in a December 29, 2021 loss to the New Jersey Devils, recording an assist. His first goal as a member of the Sabres came in a 4–3 overtime loss to the Boston Bruins on January 1, 2022.
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. A notable game came on March 10, 2022, when Eichel made his first appearance in Buffalo against 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.
On October 20, 2022, Tuch scored his first career hat-trick in a 6–3 win over the Calgary Flames. He would score his second hat-trick of the season on April 1, 2023, capping it off with a shorthanded goal in another 6–3 win versus the Philadelphia Flyers. Tuch's 2022–23 campaign marked career highs in goals, assists, and points, finding offensive success in his second season playing alongside Tage Thompson and Jeff Skinner.

## Personal life

Tuch was born to parents Carl and Sharon in Syracuse, New York and grew up in nearby Baldwinsville. He is of Slovak ancestry through his great grandmother. Tuch has two younger siblings who are fraternal twins; his brother Luke was selected in the second round of the 2020 NHL entry draft by the Montreal Canadiens and currently plays professionally for the Laval Rocket of the American Hockey League (AHL), and sister Leah, a field hockey player. Tuch grew up as a fan of the Buffalo Sabres.

## Career statistics
### Regular season and playoffs

| | | | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | 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 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2022–23 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 74 | 36 | 43 | 79 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2023–24 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 75 | 22 | 37 | 59 | 54 | — | — | — | — | — |
| NHL totals | NHL totals | NHL totals | 454 | 131 | 184 | 315 | 159 | 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 |
| 2023 | United States | WC | 4th | 10 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 4 |
| Junior totals | Junior totals | Junior totals | Junior totals | 18 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 18 |
| Junior totals | Junior totals | Junior totals | Junior totals | 10 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 4 |

## Awards and honors

| Honors | Year |
| World U-17 Hockey Challenge bronze medal | 2013 |
| IIHF World U18 Championship gold medal | 2014 |