About a week before the 2022 QMJHL, I sat down and wrote the following about potential sleeper picks from Atlantic Canada. Sleeper picks that hit are incredibly rare, but monumental for the growth and progression of any organization.
Graphic Content Courtesy the Charlottetown Islanders
What’s a “sleeper pick?” Well, I’m sure every scout and organization across the sporting world have their own definition for that one. Nevertheless, in this article I take a look at potential “sleeper picks” from Atlantic Canada. Rankings are rankings, it’s what a player puts into their game and all of the sacrifices after their name is called at the draft that matters most. As for the sleeper picks, it’s all about the quiet talent or the talent that “whispers.”
All some players need is an opportunity to take off and prove all the critics wrong. “Sleeper picks” make those that really know a player (their skill, character and the intangibles they possess) look like geniuses. There are a ton of examples of players from this neck of the woods who have been drafted in the later rounds that have excelled at the QMJHL level and beyond. This year will be no different. Every organization hopes every prospect they select hits, but in all reality that doesn’t always happen. It’s the “sleeper picks” that no one is willing to take a chance that pays dividends in the long run for any organization. In many ways “sleeper picks” surprise the hell out of people, but those that do their homework know how to project and know what type of impact a “sleeper” can have when given the right opportunity will ultimately hit a homerun on draft day.
Matthew Butler: 5’6 LSF Pinnacle Growlers: (Ranked 79th) “Oh he’s too small to have an impact at the next level.” How many times have you heard that one? I’m sure many people have said the same for Newfoundland’s Matthew Butler, which is complete BS if you ask me. If you can play, you can play and Matthew Butler can flat out play the game. This kid is dynamic play making forward who possesses an extremely elusive skill set. He’s a solid skater who can put it into an extra gear at a moments notice. Butler has incredible instincts and hockey IQ, fantastic vision and compete level. He’s solid defensively but will need to work on his stick positioning when defending below the dots at the next level, especially if he wants to play through the middle which he can definitely do. Butler plays big, he understands body positioning extremely well. At times he needs to engage a slight bit more defensively, but that is often the case for players that think one or two plays ahead and always end up with the puck on their stick. He’s very good in the face off dot. The team that drafts Butler will more than likely start him on the wing, and then move him to the middle around the half way mark of the season. He will have to get stronger in order to win puck battles on the halfboards in his own zone, but that will come with time, hard work and reps against tougher competition. Butler is more defensively accountable than Brady Burns, but thinks the game equally as well as Burns does from an offensive perspective. Butler has tremendous offensive instincts very similar or comparable to that of Josh Nadeau, Butler has a very solid accurate shot and quick release. This kid is a massive “sleeper pick” due in large part to his size. Obviously, some organizations will steer clear of him because of his stature which is totally wrong, while others will covet and value his amazing skill set and individual talent. Matthew Butler is the type of “sleeper pick” that organizations will say they won the draft because they selected him where they did! This kid will be an unbelievable player in the league at 17!
As the Islanders press release read yesterday, they did swing for the fences on Butler, and hit a massive homerun with the ultra-talented scoring forward signing and committing to the QMJHL. Butler will excel in the Q.
From sleeper pick to star forward, Matthew Butler is a player to watch entering the 2023/2024 season.
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