It’s early, really early, but there’s an interesting trend occurring in the QMJHL. Two weeks into the 2025-26 season and the circuits top 15-point getters are all under 6 feet tall. That’s right 15 players. I get it, it’s early only five games in and tons will change, especially with a lot of the leagues top guys still attending or just returning from NHL training camps, but in this day and age where height or stature is greatly emphasized and prioritized the “undersized” players are still finding a way to get it done.
The “it’s only the Q, they notorious for their small talented offensive guys,” moniker or stereotype has been around for decades. One could say the QMJHL has a history or a “rich” tradition of producing diminutive stars or scoring sensations, ironically over the course of time they all somehow are undervalued and underappreciated.
Actually 14 of the top 15 scores are actually 5’10 or under. Again, it’s only 5 games or in some cases 4 games, so for the analytic folk out there it’s not really a strong sample size, to base quality numbers or projections on.
“They’re just too small.”
Sadly, that phrase gets uttered a lot especially around draft time. Over the years, countless people have asked me about certain players and their potential at the next level. “Do you think they will be drafted, they’re a really good player eh”? Unfortunately, the aforementioned phrase “they’re just too small.” gets mentioned. To be brutally honest, I hate saying it, but it’s true on so many of levels. Very few NHL scouts will even consider writing reports or zeroing in on small players.
Are they dynamic enough? Are they elusive enough? How will they handle the physicality at the next level? Will they be relative at the next level?
There’s far too many variables for some scouts to consider when evaluating and projecting “those types” of players. One can’t forget about organization philosophy either and how that factors into the equation. Obviously, the NCAA rule change has no doubt benefited countless players across the hockey world and it has drastically changed hockey’s landscape, but it’s going to be a game changer for the “diminutive skilled players” because it’s going to provide them even more time and opportunity to hone their skills against “older, bigger players” but will also give them more exposure to NHL scouts which in turn might give them even more time to convince some of them that they belong and can contribute at the next level.
It’s really early, I get all that, and some of the top 15-point getters right now in the QMJHL might slow down and drop in league scoring, but some won’t. Perhaps staying relative and on the radar is all these “undersized” players can hope for as the season progresses. The Q’s top scorers might continue to surprise and might just break a few more stereotypes along the way.
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