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 43rd to 54th of the QMJHL’s CSR List
43 Julien Bonnet LSD St-Hyacinthe Gaulois: Good skater, solid pivots and gap control, needs some work on the explosive side of things, but that will come with more strength and reps at higher levels, active stick, good first pass, good compete level and grit to his game, solid two way presence, good release from the backend, good puck skills, obviously not going to bring a ton of offence and doesn’t need to, he projects to be a shutdown, stay at home defender
44 Anthony Flanagan RSF College Esther-Blondin Phenix Strong skating forward, good speed, has the ability to play both positions, projects to be a solid middle six energy winger at the Jr level, hunts pucks on the forecheck, responsible two-way winger, active stick in all three zones, processes the game very well, goes to the dirty areas of the ice, Will have to get stronger upper body wise if he wants to play through the middle at the Jr. level, skates well enough to play there, solid heavy release and accurate shot, good puck skills in traffic and good quick release,
45 Jayden Lazare RSD Lac St-Louis Lions: solid skater, good gap control, needs some work on his pivots, getting quicker from a lateral mobility perspective, but he does have a good foundation, good puck skills and composure with the puck in all three zones, solid two way defender, good shot from the point position, raw talent here, but definitely some good talent here, won’t light the world on fire offensively, transitions pucks well, great composure on the offensive blueline, needs to work on getting more pucks through especially when taking slapshots,
46 Olivier Duhamel RSD College Charles-Lemoyne Riverains: Solid skater, good pivots and mobility, thinks the game well, good instincts offensively to jump into the rush when needed, good gap control, active stick in all three zones, willing to take a hit to make a play, plays with some grit, good puck skills and patient with the puck especially along the offensive blueline, can quarterback a power play at the U18 level, has the skating ability and mind to do it at the Q level as well, needs to get stronger and more assertive at times, good shot from the point position,
47 Antoine Pilotte LSF Laval-Montreal Royal: good skating winger, energy player, reliable two-way presence, can play in any situation, active stick, good on the forecheck, thinks the game well, solid puck skills, needs to get stronger and a touch quicker to be even more effective in a checking/energy line role at the next level, not a flashy prospect by any means, takes pride in playing the game and position the right way, good shot, needs to get to the middle more frequently, so a little more engaged at time would be good to see, those aspects of his game will improve as he gets stronger,
48 Connor Sturgeon LSD Moncton Flyers
Sturgeon has all the tools to be an effective shutdown nasty two-zone defender at the next level, critics will key in on his skating as a weakness, he does need some work on his mobility and agility from a backward skating perspective, but let’s look at all the positives he brings to the table, he has a good stick, great shot from the point, solid gap control, At 6’3, he moves very well for his size, he has a good first step, is a very good forward skater, good vision and good first pass,
From a gap control perspective that area needs some refinement, but you could say that about a lot of young defenders, At times his positioning, routes to pucks and pivots are problematic which causes him to get caught in between especially in the neutral zone, Critics will say this is caused by his skating, getting caught in between is problematic playing against speedy opponents, on the surface that’s perhaps why his skating doesn’t look the greatest at times, he needs more knee bend and needs to work on his backward skating agility and pivots, but again this kid has tons of potential, Some of his games and performances throughout the season were outstanding, others were a struggle, a less is more approach and small refinements in his game and skating will definitely serve him well at the next level, he will excel within a shutdown role at the Jr level, he will bring a ton of value to any team that selects him, he’s skilled enough with the puck to be on the weakside for the power play to set up for one timers, he’s a good penalty killer with a good stick, scouting is all about projecting and developing, where will Connor Sturgeon be at 18, 19 and 20? There’s tons of potential here and that’s what matters most.
49 Logan Quinn RSD Pictou Weeks Majors Quinn is very solid defensive prospect, good pucks skills and solid first pass and gap control, he has a good stick in all three zones, Quinn is a powerful raw skater, he will have to continue to refine his edges and agility, but you can tell he’s invested in getting better every day. Less is more for many young defenders and Quinn meets that criteria as well, when he simplifies his game he’s very effective, he processes the game well and has the potential to be a nasty shutdown two-zone defender. He has a solid shot from the blueline. There are flashes of his game that really jump off the page, which shows great potential, less is more right now for Quinn, this player has tons of potential and is trending in amazing trajectory, he could surprise a lot of teams on draft day, and become a steal for any team. Logan Quinn possesses the intangibles to be a very effective defensive prospect at the next level, there’s be solid progression in his game throughout the season which is the critical factor in projecting his full potential.
50 Eddy Doyle LSD Kensington Wild: Eddy Doyle could surprise a lot of people and teams. Critics will look at his size and strength as a potential drawback, but this kid can really play, he thinks the game very well, does everything at top speed, he can definitely be a solid transitional two-way defender at the Q level. Eddy skates very well, just needs to get stronger so he can win his share of puck battles downlow at the Jr level, he transitions pucks well, knows when to jump into the rush and support it, he also knows when to lug the puck and can skate out of trouble, needs to work on closing the gap at times and getting more engaged with his stick below the dots in his zone, but that will come with more reps and experience, you can tell this kid loves the game and is committed in getting better and better every day, here’s another player that delt with an injury this season, which shouldn’t be held against him, this kid is driven to get better and reach his full potential
51 Olivier Bertrand Metcalfe RSF St-Eustache Vikings Strong skating two-way center, energy player, good speed and a very active stick, hunts pucks on the forecheck, good puck skills, solid in traffic, good in the faceoff dot, jumps to open ice, can find those areas of the ice, hard working forward, skates well, but will have to get a little quicker and more agile to reach his full potential playing in the middle at the Q level, relentless work ethic, can play in any situation, another great example of the size of a player holding him back in some people’s minds, this kid can really play and probably could be ranked a lot higher, he will need to get stronger, but could be a very effective player at both positions at the Jr level,
52 Charles Desmet RSF St-Eustache Vikings : strong skating winger, two-way presence, energy player, hunts pucks on the forecheck, very effective on the forecheck, solid puck skills, ok in traffic might need some refinement in that area, processes the game well, good passer, good hands in tight, can play both positions, projects to be a solid two-way winger or a bottom six checking/energy center at the next level, good heavy release, can definitely step in right now in a bottom six role and contribute, he’s physically ready to contribute, skates well enough and brings energy
53 Noah Collette LSD Moncton Flyers
Noah Collette is great skater, puck mover, offensive transitional two and half zone defender with the potential to be a full three zone defender at the next level, he does need some work on this defensive side of things, but you could say that about every other defender in this years draft, he has a great stick, at this point it’s all about getting stronger and taking good routes to pucks on puck retrieval which he does, a late season injury probably kept some people from seeing him vs top end similar talent, which is unfortunate, especially when some people perhaps moved him down their lists or “rankings” because of it, which is total bull shit if you ask me, this kid can flat out play, just needs to keep working on his positioning and intensity on the defensive end of things so he can reach his full potential at the junior level and beyond, Will have to continue to use his smarts and know how to use leverage and his stick to his advantage to win battles at the next level, which will come with more reps and experience, this aspect of his game was also naturally occurring throughout the season based on his hockey IQ
Collette does have a lot of similar traits to that of Lukas Cormier, but it’s incredibly hard and perhaps unfair to make comparisons like that for any young player. It’s ok to say he plays a similar style to that of Cormier, but not the exact same as Cormier, that’s just not fair. Noah Collette is Noah Collette and he is trying to forge his own path within the game, His skating is exceptional, his processing of the game and overall skill set is off the charts, his edge control and agility are second to none, he has an excellent first pass, and has great instincts when to jump into the play and drive offence, he has an active stick in the D zone, but I would like to see him engage more and close in on players in one on one battles below the dots in his own zone. He has a great shot, and composure on the offensive blueline,
Obviously, one perceived notion that might be holding Collette back would be the perceived lack of size, His smarts, skating and edges are so good that he wins battles in all three zones based on that his skill, it’s evident he will have to get stronger to reach his maximum potential at the next level, but clearly I wouldn’t bet against Noah Collette, because this kid is driven to get better and better,
54 Logan Roop LSF Pictou Weeks Majors: solid skating winger, good feet for his size, two-way presence, reliable player, can play in any situation, good hands and puck skills, good in traffic, needs to get stronger which will help his explosiveness from a skating perspective and being stronger on the puck in one on one battles, no question has power forward potential, needs to drive the net more and get to the middle with more regularity and consistently, great vision and passer of the puck, tons of potential here, processes the game very well and finds quiet areas of the offensive zone and can bury from those areas because of his shot,
FDS Sports Blog 