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QMJHL: A Strong Year For The Draft |
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The QMJHL has often come under fire in draft circles as being the weak sister of the CHL trilogy. It's often been the case that the Q provides stars here and there, but generally has lacked depth that the WHL and OHL seem to provide year in and year out. This year is shaping up to be the strongest draft...well ever, from the QMJHL in that it has serious depth to it, not only in high-end talent, but going into the fourth round even. It's great to see the progression in a league that has been criticized perhaps too heavily and has a stigma for high octane production that can't translate to the NHL (We all know the names). The Q has morphed though in recent years and with the former powerhouse Saint John Sea Dogs, surprising Shawinigan Cataractes and the high powered Halifax Mooseheads primed for serious contention at the Memorial Cup, we're seeing a league on a slow but steady rise.
My friend who watches a ton of QMJHL games and is an avid, if not slightly overt Quebec enthusiast and often helps me whenever I write about Q players. He's written a list that I wished to share with everybody and help it get more attention. If you want to learn more about Q players or ever have any questions his name is Étienne Pouliot and he's on twitter and such.
1) Jonathan Drouin: Hands down the best player in the LHJMQ this season. Best set of hands and most creative player in the draft, high compete level, plays in every situation(PP, PK).
2) Nathan Mackinnon: No he's not the next Crosby, but he's still a heck of a player. Very tough player to check in 1 vs 1 as he is very strong. Best skater in the draft by a good margin. Not many flaws in his game, NHL ready. Still lots of room to improve, as he has a high potential.
3) Frédérik Gauthier: Big Shutdown Center with offensive potential. Elite defensive player with his reach and his anticipation, already plays a Pro game. High hockey sense. Needs to fill his frame to be a physical force at the next level.
4) Valentin Zykov: Very strong on the puck, heavy wrist shot. Has the hands to finish. Excels at protecting the puck or winning puck battles. Has to work on his skating, which to me is slightly better than average.
5) Anthony Mantha: Pure goal scorer, good puck handling, his reach makes him hard to check for defenders. Has had a ridiculous development curve since the 2nd part of the 2011-2012 season. He's alright defensively, but you get the feeling he's not useful if he doesn't score. He can pass the puck too.
6) Adam Erne: Powerful skater with strong ethic and good hockey sense. Adamant forechecker. Mostly a goal-scorer offensively.
7) Zachary Fucale: Best goaltender in the draft to me. I'm no goalie expert , but this kid is good.
8) Samuel Morin: Very mobile for a 6'7 guy, solid defensively, still raw offensively but there is potential. Is developing a mean streak.
9) Laurent Dauphin: Good hands, seems to always be on the puck. Average skater but makes up for it with his IQ. Needs to bulk up pretty badly. Strong work ethic and character.
10) William Carrier: Powerful skater, needs to improve his first few steps, but is quick on skates. Good frame. Two-way ability. Character player that isn't afraid to finish his checks. Possesses a heavy wrister that did some damage early this season.
11) Anthony Duclair: One of the most talented players of this list, but there are questions about whether or not his game will translate to the Pros. Very good skater and most of the time a threat offensively. Questionable defensive game, work ethic and attitude.
12) Émile Poirier: Swift skater, which makes him a major threat in Junior. Takes the puck to the net and has a nice set of hands. Not a fan of his defensive zone coverage, but Groulx will make him better in that department.
13) Yan-Pavel Laplante: Smart player with character and leadership capabilities. He is creative off-the-rush but keeps it simple when the play settles in the other team's zone. Two-way winger that plays with his heart on his sleeve.
14) Jonathan-Ismaël Diaby: Shutdown defenseman that will drop the mitts with anyone. Very tough to play against. Possesses a heavy slapper. Good skater for his size.
15) Jan Kostalek: Two-way defender, not the biggest but plays a gritty game. Smart player, good anticipation. Good outlet pass. Has to get stronger.
16) Vincent Dunn: Gritty in-your-face player with offensive potential.
17) Nick Sorensen: Two-way winger that is pretty complete. Thing is he's not particularly great at anything.
18) Gabryel Paquin-Boudreau: Described him here http://univershockey.ca/b.../2013/03...ienne-pouliot/
(Adam)
He's small (5'10 ish) but has really good speed and excellent hands. He brings an all out offensive game, though needs work in his back checking and defensive awareness. He ramped up his play in the playoffs scoring 9 goals and 18 points on the runner-up Baie-Comeau Drakkar squad. He's overshadowed by Valentin Zykov on his team, but he's an interesting player with good upside that we'll likely see drift to around the 4th round.
19) Marc-Olivier Roy: Jack-of-all-trades with average skating. Good work ethic and defensive game.
20) Kurt Etchegary: Give it his all 100% of the time, character player with leadership capabilities. A bit on the small side. Good skater and smart with the puck. Would be surprised if he becomes more than a 3rd liner.
Jérémy Grégoire: Gritty shutdown center with some offensive potential. His game is moulded for the playoffs. Strong on faceoffs and in board battles. Really mature for one of the youngest players in the draft. Needs to improve the explosion in his first few strides.
21) Phillipe Desrosiers: He had a couple good seasons in a row, in the Midget AAA where he was dominant and then with Rimouski where he stole the job from a veteran.
22) Sven Andrighetto: Terrific skater with lots of poise and creativity offensively. Strong work ethic. Victim of the number's game.
23) Nikolas Brouillard: Offensive D with a lot of flair, PPQB. Is extremely weak physically and has work to do defensively. His anticipation level is quite high.
24) Christopher Clapperton: http://univershockey.ca/b.../2013/04...ienne-pouliot/
(Adam)
Small (5'10 wink wink) but with the heart of a lion. Clapperton went undrafted last year, but there is no way he doesn't hear his name this time, even if it is in the later rounds. He has amazing work-ethic and he has a gritty/pesty side to his game as well. You'll find him in the danger zones all game long and he just wants to score goals. He's reminiscent of Habs rookie Brendan Gallagher in that he has the same playstyle and is also a smaller player that relies on his willingness to compete around the net, rather than the typical speed demon small player.
25) Vladislav Lysenko: Hits like a Mack Truck, can be pretty nasty. Is willing to drop the gloves although he's not the best fighter, he's working on it. Average skater. Coughs up the puck/ does turnovers almost every game. Has a good slapper, but that pretty much resumes his offensive game.
There are certainly other players such as Gobeil, Gravel, Weegar and Murphy, but those will be drafted later in the draft.
Hope you enjoyed it and great work as always Étienne.
For those waiting on me and my own writing and such, I'll have a draft eligible players at the Memorial Cup coming soon. There are several very good high-end talents in the tournament, as well as several depth players who have some upside.
Thanks for reading.
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