After having focused on the top draft eligible prospects that could be of interest to the Montreal Canadiens at the #9 spot or higher barring a trade to move up, the focus shifts to taking a closer look at a number of prospects coming out of the QMJHL. It is not considered to be a very strong year for Q prospects despite Pierre-Luc Dubois being ranked the #1 North American skater by the NHL Central Scouting. It is the first time that a Q player has been ranked that high since a chap named Sidney Crosby in 2005.
For this blog I reached out to Willy Palov, a Halifax based reporter who covers the QMJHL extensively. If you are not already following him on Twitter then you are missing out on a prime English source for Q news and happenings.
Dubois getting the #1 North American skater nod from the NHLCS could not have been predicted back when the midterm rankings were released. At the time, he was not even the top ranked junior player in the Q. That honour belonged to Julien Gauthier who came in at 4th but eventually dropped to 14th for the final rankings. Gauthier is a big power forward who has drawn favorable comparisons to Rick Nash. I asked Palov what happened to cause Dubois to rise and Gauthier to drop so dramatically?
“Scouts place a fair bit of emphasis on the second half of a prospect's draft season and Gauthier hit a plateau after the world juniors. Part of that was probably fatigue so he could still land in the top 15 if scouts look past that. Dubois, on the other hand, took his game to another level down the stretch. During his rise, Dubois made the biggest gains with scouts by showing he could be an elite offensive player instead of just an exceptional two-way contributor.”
It should be noted that Gauthier’s performance at the Scouting Combine was quite impressive. It should come as no surprise though as he is the son and grandson of bodybuilders who have won the Mr. Canada competition. At 6’3” and 230lbs, Gauthier has the potential to become a true power forward in the NHL, merging physicality with a goal scorer’s touch. He is projected to be picked in the 15-25 range.
There are number of smaller players coming out of the QMJHL with lots of offensive talent but question marks on if their size will prevent them from reaching the NHL. Russian import forward Vitali Abramov is 5’9” and recorder 38 goals and 55 assists in 63 games en route to being named the Rookie of the Year in the QMJHL. He is ranked as a potential late first round pick but likely destined for the 2nd round. Similarly, defenceman Samuel Girard is of the same height/rankings and is a true powerplay quarterback and playmaker. He recorded 74 points in 67 games and another 22 points in 20 playoff contests with the Shawinigan Cataracts. I asked Palov If they were even two inches taller would you believe that they would be ranked higher? What do they each need to work on to make it to the NHL?
“I believe Girard is the most talented power-play quarterback in the draft, even ahead of Jake Bean. For me, there is no doubt he would be a top 10 pick if he were taller than 5'11". NHL teams worry about his ability to handle bigger forwards in five-on-five situations but are intrigued by him as a specialist. Abramov bucked the trend of many Russians by making a seamless transition to North America and maintaining his consistency all season. He and Girard will both need to work on their lower body strength to make the jump to the NHL.”
Girard was named to the Q’s 1st All-Star Team, won their Most Sportsmanlike Player and the CHL’s Sportsman of the Year awards. That says a lot about his character, a vital Itrait for Trevor Timmins and Marc Bergevin. It is rare to see smaller defencemen in the NHL as they really have to work that much harder and do at least one thing extraordinarily well in order to make it. Former Montreal Canadiens defenceman Mike Weaver recently wrote a personal essay about this for The Player’s Tribune that I highly suggest checking out.
Pascal Laberge of the Victoriaville Tigres is considered a C/RW and has decent size at 6’1” and 181 lbs. He is also projected as a late first round/early second round pick. With 23 goals and 45 assists in 56 games, some scouts say that he is too unselfish and overthinks things as he looks to pass rather than use his very good shot. I asked Palov if his future/ceiling is as a strong two-way center or top six winger in the NHL?
“He projects as an offensive, No. 2 centre because he has such great vision. He is also very effective on the power play.”
“Laberge is a high-skilled forward with good hockey sense,” said NHL director of Central Scouting Dan Marr. “He’s a strong skater with an extra gear to pull away with the puck.”
Yet another small forward from the QMJHL is Maxime Fortier who exploded this season with 77 points in 68 games for the Halifax Mooseheads. Some say he could be the hidden gem of the draft. As the NHL gets faster and more and more smaller players are finding success, are teams less hesitant to take a risk on a small but gifted player?
“As long as a smaller player knows how to play in traffic and has enough speed to break away from defenders, teams will not be scared off the way they were 15 or 20 years ago. Fortier has both of those qualities.”
Selected #1 overall by the Saint John Sea Dogs in the QMJHL draft two years ago, defenceman Luke Green’s stock has plummeted as his point total was stagnant this season. He had impressed with 36 points in 60 games during his rookie season but did not improve on those numbers this year with 35 points in 61 games. Some say it is because he focused on being defensively sound and so he is now a more well-rounded defenseman while others believe that perhaps Green has plateaued. Projected to be a second to third round draft pick, I asked Palov which is it?
“It's a bit of both. Green's skating made him a tremendous project coming out of midget but he had a lot to learn about positioning and one-on-one coverage. He has worked hard with Saint John assistant coach Paul Boutilier on his defensive play and is a much more complete defender now. His offensive potential is still there but he also plays behind Thomas Chabot and Jakub Zboril with the Sea Dogs so that's part of the a reason why his numbers weren't better. But he must also show more of a willingness to take over games.”
Defenceman Frederic Allard of the Chicoutimi Saguenees had terrific numbers in the Q finishing 2nd in points for a defenseman with 59 but is projected to be picked anywhere from the 2nd to 4th round. He needs to be more consistent in his own end but is considered a general on the powerplay. A good player comparison according to Palov is David Svard of the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Forward Vladimir Kuznetsov (not related to Evgeni) was taken 1st in the import draft last season and seemed to have a good season. He's strong, protects the puck well and seems to be a hard worker. He has the makings of a power forward at 6’2”, 213 lbs and he is not afraid to use his size to create havoc. Kuznetsov is projected to get selected anywhere in the 3rd to 5th rounds. I asked Palov if having a season under his belt and now adjusted to North America, do you expect him to take his game to the next level?
“I see him taking another step forward next year. He plays a heavy, North American-style game but the one concern scouts have is his feet are a tad heavy.”
If Kuznetsov works on his skating he could be a great mid to late round pickup.
The final player from the QMJHL that I asked Palov about was Otto Somppi from Finland who had an okay 1st year in North America and a teammate of Fortier's with the Mooseheads. Some say his shoulder injury derailed him a bit after a strong start. He is a two way center that is responsible in his own end and usually a playmaker/pass first type on offense. Somppi finished 8th in rookie scoring this season despite missing time due to his injury. He has also has represented Finland at a number of international tournaments. Could he be considered a late round steal?
“Somppi is a real sleeper. He has terrific vision and is bigger than you might expect. He started to use his shot more in the second half and I see him making a big jump statistically next season.”
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