The future of the QMJHL is upon us. Going strictly off the QMJHL CSR’s Final List, I dive into some quick analysis on the 2023 draft class. In this edition I will be providing some analysis and scouting reports on players listed from 21th to 31st of the QMJHL’s CSR List
21 Justin Blais College Notre-Dame Albatros LSD
Good skater, good edge control and gap control, active stick in all three zones, good instincts for the position, processes the game very well, jumps into the play effectively, skates well enough to play both sides, but more natural on his strong side good puck skills and first pass, plays the game with grit, will need to get stronger upper body wise to win battles below the dots in his own zone, good release from the backend, needs some work on fitting pucks through with accuracy, but all young defenders need to work on that aspect of their game,
22 Luke Foley Valley Wildcats LSF Good skater, plays a solid two-way game, good puck skills, needs to continue to work on playing in traffic, good passer and vision, processes the game well, prototypical power forward, like all power forwards, needs to keep his feet going and be active and engaged in all three zones to reach his full potential at the next level, good on the forecheck has a long reach, has a good release, energy player with offensive upside, has the skill and ability to play in a top 6 role at 18 and 19 at the next level.
23 Elliot Dube College Notre-Dame Albatros LSF: strong skating forward, power forward potential, plays with tons of energy and grit, decent in the faceoff dot, good puck skills and distributes pucks well, needs to work on quickness and explosiveness, good shot, has a knack for getting to the net, tons of potential here if he continues to refine his skating, definitely could play the wing as well and might started there and then get moved to the middle halfway through the season, projects to be a solid checking line two-way center with offensive upside, could definitely contribute on any power play downlow or net front presence, has good hands in tight
24 Olivier Groulx Chateauguay Grenadiers LSF : strong skater, will need to improve his quickness and first step, especially when he receives the puck on regroups and open ice to reach his full potential at the next level, good two-way winger, good on the halfboards and in one on one battles, good puck skills, solid in traffic in the offensive zone, here’s a kid that could put up big numbers and be a strong power forward if he refines his skating at the next level, has a good quick accurate release,
25 Bo Damphousse Lac St-Louis Lions RSD: processes the game very well, He’s an extremely efficient and effective transitional defender. He has good edges and mobility; he has solid puck skills and doesn’t panic with the puck in all three zones, He takes good routes to pucks and picks and choses the right times to jump into the rush. Good gap control, and good stick, It’s all about getting stronger and making sure he can win one on one puck battles against bigger opponents, projects to be a solid two-zone shutdown defender, has a good shot from the point, but isn’t going to light the world on fire offensively, he’s not that type of defender, he will lock things down and be tough to play against in your face defender at 18 and 19 at the Q level.
26 Samuel Meloche Chateauguay Grenadiers LCG : solid technique, square to the shooter, very agile and moves well, challenges the shooter and cuts down the angle well, down a little early at times, good lateral mobility, battles hard in there, good compete, solid rebound control, but that aspect of his game does need some refinement, solid glove and good downlow,
27 Drew Allison South Kent Selects LSD: Strong skating defender that can play both sides of the ice, good gap control and puck mover, good puck skills, projects to be a solid two and half zone transitional defender at the next level, good offensive instincts, processes the game very well and knows when to pick and choose his spots, will need to get stronger upper body wise to win more battles, defends well, needs to add a little grit and edge to his game while defending below the dots, good shot from the point and distributes pucks well in all three zones, tons of potential here, smart player that knows the position and game very well,
28 Brady Peddle Bishops Kearney Selects LSD: very good skater, good edges, needs to work on getting pivots a touch quicker in one on one situations, needs to get stronger upper and lower body wise, but that will come with age, good stick, skates well enough to play both sides, but seems more natural on the right, solid gap control, takes good routes to pucks on puck retrieval solid first pass, confident with the puck in all three zones, defends well and does have an element of grit and push back to his game which needs to come to the surface more often at times while defending.
29 Zachary Hachey LSD College Charles-Lemoyne Riverains: shutdown stay at home defender, solid puck skills and good gap control, active stick, needs to work on his skating, pivots and lateral mobility to reach his full potential at the next level, can play both sides, but better suited to be on his strong side, good shot from the point position, can definitely play a nasty in your face style of game, but definitely needs to work on his skating ability and quickness to be able to close in punish opponents coming out of the corners.
30 Anthony Allain-Samake LSD Ottawa Senators U18 AAA: phenomenal skating transitional defender, good puck skills, good gap control, will have to get stronger upper body wise to be able to handle stronger heavier players at the next level, he is winning puck battles with skating ability and edge control right now and has great escapability, great poise with the puck when under pressure in all three zones, good shot from the point, when this kid gets stronger, look out he will be a dynamic two and a half zone defender at the next level,
31 Jabez Seymour RSD South Kent Selects Academy: Prototypical power forward in the making, good skater for his size, very agile and possesses great puck skills, great in traffic and extremely effective on the forecheck, could be a dynamic force at the Q level if he gets a touch quicker and more explosive, great shot, drives the net incredible well, creates time and space for himself and teammates, plays with a ton of grit and on the edge, good stick and is responsible in his own zone, will have to refine some aspects of defensive game to excel at the next level in a top 6 role, solid on the halfboards, great hands in tight,
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