Jun 18 Rick Springhetti ranks his top 20 QJMHL draft eligible prospects for 2011

In the next of a series of articles in anticipation of the NHL entry Draft, Mckeen’s scout/reporter Rick Springhetti ranks his top 20 QJMHL draft eligible prospects.

 

20- Alexandre Grenier (Halifax) RW

Signed by the Quebec Rempart in January as a 19 year old, Grenier quickly became an important part of the team. A good skater with a large frame, Grenier is hard to contain when he’s possession of the puck. His shot is hard and he uses it often. Was recently traded from Quebec to Halifax.

 

19- Troy Vance
(Victoriaville) Defense

An American defenseman, Vance’s rights were acquired by Victoriaville from Rouyn-Noranda at the start of season at the suggestion of an NHL scout. Joining the team in January, Vance quickly adapted to the pace of the QMJHL and was used a lot by the coaching staff. He’s a big defenseman with a hard shot on net and he’s rapidly improving his passing skills. Although he is a rather good skater for a 6’5” player, he could still improve his footwork, which is to be expected.

 

18- Scott Oke

(Saint John) LW

A big forward, Oke is not expected to offer much in terms of offence at the next level but he will hit everything that moves, can skate well enough to keep up with opponents, play solid defense and will not take a shift off.

 

17- Olivier Archambault

(Drummondville) LW

A smaller forward, Archambault is a quick and shifty skater who can control the puck well. Darting in and out of traffic, he makes can be difficult for opponents to keep up with him. He has to improve his defensive commitment and his mental approach as he gets very frustrated when things don’t go his way. He was recently traded from Val D’Or to Drummondville.

 

16- Jonathan Racine (Shawinigan) Defense

Racine is a tough defenseman who mainly takes care of business in his own zone. He uses his effectively to cut the passing lanes and angles his opponents well although he has trouble against quicker opponents. He was often trusted by the coaching staff to take on opponents better forward more often as season progressed.




 

15- Jean-Francois Leblanc (Val D’Or) Centre

A tall, lanky centre, Leblanc has to some issues with mobility that should improve as he grows into his body. He’s a smart two-way centre who works hard on his defense, has quick hands and can pass the puck effectively. 





 

14- Maximilien LeSieur (Shawinigan) RW

A 6’0”, 205 lbs forward, LeSieur is an extremely fast skater who can play all 3 forward positions. While not a very gifted scorer, he can contribute offensively if given an opportunity while still taking care of business in his own zone. 



 

13- Yannick Veilleux
(Shawinigan) LW

A lanky forward who tends to play more of a finesse game, Veilleux is a good passer who shows some creativity with the puck. He has a smooth skating stride and gives an honest effort on the ice. As Veilleux continues to fill-out, he should be able to bring a more physical aspect to his overall game.

 

12- Philippe Maillet

(Victoriaville) Centre

In my opinion, Maillet is the most underrated draft-eligible player playing in the QMJHL. He’s good skater who thinks the game extremely well and his gives a strong effort at both ends of the ice. Although rather small at 5’9”, he’s still managed to produce 69 points in 67 regular season games and was one of the better Victoriaville forwards during the last playoff run.


 

11- David Honzik
(Victoriaville) Goaltender)

A big goaltender that covers a lot of space, Honzik was very impressive in his first season in North America. He’s a butterfly goaltender with a large stance, quick feet and has a good glove hand. He’s not much of a puck handler and won’t stray too far away from his crease.

 

10- Logan Shaw
(Cape Breton) RW

A 6’3” forward, Shaw has some filling-out to do physically as he’s only around 185 lbs right now. An average skater, he possesses very soft hands, a hard shot and he’s willing to go to the net hard. Doesn’t shy away from physical play and his effort level is consistent. 



 

9-Xavier Ouellet
(Montreal) Defence

A smooth skating defenseman who picks-up speed quickly, Ouellet can pass the puck well, especially on the power-play where he can really take advantage of extra time and space. Defensively, he does well when playing the puck but he’s not very big and can get pushed around physically. Logged a lot of big minutes for the Montreal Juniors and seemed to tire in the second half of the season which caused him to commit a lot of errors defensively.

 

8- Jean-Gabriel Pageau
(Gatineau) LW

A smaller player, he’s a fast, shifty skater that gives opponents a hard time. His shot is not the hardest but he hits his target. 



 

7- Christopher Gibson
(Chicoutimi) Goaltender

A calm goaltender that anticipates the play well, Gibson has a good glove hand and is able to handle a lot of shots. 



 

6- Phillip Danault
(Victoriaville) LW

A hard-working, courageous forward, Danault is a good skater who manages to win battles for positioning. 



 

5- Zack Phillips (Saint John) Centre

An average skater, Phillips has very good anticipation and doesn’t miss out on too many scoring opportunities.

 

4- Thomas Jurco
(Saint John) RW

A dynamic puck handler, he has good size, skating ability and shot. One issue is his hockey sense that is rather average.

 

3- Nathan Beaulieu
(Saint John) Defence

An offensive defenseman who is rapidly improving his defensive play, Beaulieu passes the puck well and can be a good point-man on the power-play.



 

2- Sean Couturier
(Drummondville) Centre

A tall, lanky centre, Couturier can do a lot of things; produce offensively, play good defense, play at the point on the power-play.

 

1- Jonathan Huberdeau
(Saint John) LW

A forward with fantastic hands and vision, Huberdeau doesn’t score by skill alone, he also has a very good work ethic and courage. 


 

 

 Rick Springhetti has been QJMHL scout for Mckeen’s hockey for the last 3 seasons and has also contributed scouting reports for prospects all over the world. For more information on Mckeen’s hockey visit http://mckeenshockey.rivals.com/. Rick can be reached at rick1042@hotmail.com or follow him on Twitter : @rick1042

 

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