BearQC
Registered User
- Feb 22, 2024
- 13
- 6
Yeah, its the track that kids pick nowadays. QMJHL needs a better education program.
2025 QMJHL Draft
- Thread starter Rinkthoughts
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Well please tell me how you get a better education in many of the small American cities in the USHL...
scoutman1
Twitter - scoutman33
??? if you play 3 years in the league you get your university paid for, teams have educators that travel with the teams....what else would you expect?
my brother played with james in the summer 2023 and his dad was saying that james wasnt coming back cause he wanted to go ncaa. Might have change now that chl players are gonna be eligible to play college hockey but I still doubt he comes back
Most people don't realize how piecemeal the high school education these kids actually get . In school for half days and on the road for days , just how does an average kid survive in this situation . Having worked in the education field , I saw how many really good kids struggled and had difficulties with their courses and they were in school every day all day !!! We are seeing many kids going to prep schools where education is paramount and they also play a very high level of hockey . Many get committed to D1 schools but are required to play Junior A before going to university . If you really think having a teacher travel with Major junior teams can make a difference , just think of the variety of courses players take . How could one human being really have any major influence on these students . When you understand that one in every 100 major junior players every makes it to the NHL , you will have a better understanding why so many kids decide to opt for the eduction path instead ,In reality , education is going to be how they earn a living . Not to mention that it has to be more difficult to start your education at 21 or 22 years of age . Eric Lindros , when asked what his biggest regret was , said that he wished he had gone to university instead of major junior . Many of his friends went that way and over four years, built such close friendships that lasted a lifetime . He felt that because of his talent . he still would have made it in pro hockey , With the upcoming change in NCAA rules , many more players will be opting for the D1 route and I guess you can't blame them !!!
Just happened to take a closer look at the above list and noticed that there were only two players listed as playing U18 AAA HOCKEY . How can you compare kids who play solely against 15 year olds to kids (15 ) who play against 17 and 18 year olds . There is NO comparison !!! How much harder is it to play against bigger , stronger and more experienced players ???? Amassing huge numbers in U14 or U15 is not quite the same as trying to score in a U18 league !!!
I'm not sure what you're getting at here. This information is from last year when the kids were all Bantam age, and they all played the equivalent of Bantam in their respective area except for Alexis Joseph, who was granted permission to play U18 as a 14-year old due to his ability and who is ranked number 1 on the list. It's not like most of these kids had a choice to play anything other than U15.
In my opinion I think that is too basic a way of looking at with regards to development which is not how good scouts and teams rank players (parents on social media that's a whole other story haha) . Yes, playing against older kids/young men will show how that player is developing with regards to playing against kids with more experience and it is impressive when these players do well (I'm leaving Joseph out of this conversation as I feel he is an outlier and a special player regardless of where he plays.
The kids that dominated U15 are usually the ones who get the opportunity to play prep or single age group in the US/GTHL/OMHA where they join programs that have pro style facilities and programs that help develop players and prepare them to perform at the next level . For example a kid who dominated U15 and is now in the states playing at a pro rink, practices 4 times week , off ice, skills training , mental coaching playing against the best of his age group is not going to be ranked lower because he isn't playing AAA in Quebec .
Scouts have a tough job to do and they have to factor lots of things when grading a player . For the record i don't agree with a lot of the rankings on the list that was posted but its not just because they are playing at their own birth year but that's part personal bias for me i'm sure .
Rankings will change and I'm sure this whole NCAA/CHL thing will cause a stir but a the end of the day the teams usually mostly get it right at the end of the year. Most of the kids drafted will come out of Quebec AAA and there will be a few kids that get missed for various reasons.
The kids that dominated U15 are usually the ones who get the opportunity to play prep or single age group in the US/GTHL/OMHA where they join programs that have pro style facilities and programs that help develop players and prepare them to perform at the next level . For example a kid who dominated U15 and is now in the states playing at a pro rink, practices 4 times week , off ice, skills training , mental coaching playing against the best of his age group is not going to be ranked lower because he isn't playing AAA in Quebec .
Scouts have a tough job to do and they have to factor lots of things when grading a player . For the record i don't agree with a lot of the rankings on the list that was posted but its not just because they are playing at their own birth year but that's part personal bias for me i'm sure .
Rankings will change and I'm sure this whole NCAA/CHL thing will cause a stir but a the end of the day the teams usually mostly get it right at the end of the year. Most of the kids drafted will come out of Quebec AAA and there will be a few kids that get missed for various reasons.
scoutman1
Twitter - scoutman33
There is a comparison, i been doing this gig for a for LONG time, just because a kid is playing a level up against older kids does not mean that you can not assess these players....your looking at their skating, positioning, IQ, ability to make plays, two way....you might have a kid play U18 that is 6'02 but skates choppy, and does not play great two way and have a guy playing very well a level down that plays his butt off, has skill and is a great skater...when comparing your making an educated guess at that time how i think players are ranked on talent.
sometimes playing a level up does not give you the ability to work on weaknesses in your game because you are trying to play your offensive game that got you to where your at rather than work on your weakness. It is not easy for scouts to do anything with accuracy in this business and it is all left to educated guesses....
Just wondering if anyone got to watch the Q Cup in Moncton this past weekend and what you think of the quality of players who participated ?
A lot of very impressive players especially on the New Brunswick and Nova Scotia teams. I think the most impressive player in the tournament was easily Sam Berthiaume, team Nova Scotia had no business winning the tournament with the absolute onslaught of offence that came their way from New Brunswick, but Berthiaume put on a a stellar performance. Very impressive prospect.
Like beauty , what is impressive in hockey is in the eye of the beholder lol !!! I agree that there were many impressive players on the NS and NB teams and that Berthiaume was probably the strongest goalie there but I totally disagree that there was an onslaught of offence by NB in either game . NB did look like they may have been practicing a little more than NS in the first game but they were completely outplayed in the second period of that first game . The game was basically a 3-2 game with an empty net goal to finish the game . In the second game , NS looked like these kids were finally getting accustomed to playing together and they were very impressive scoring on their first shift . I heard several scouts talking about how strong NS looked after that first period . In a five game series , I feel NS would win 3 out of 5 because their forward lines were all very strong and any line could be a first line . They were especially strong down the middle . Their d men were also extremely mobile and made great breakout passes . So if you combine this with above average goaltending , I don't think the word "onslaught" would ever be used to describe the tempo of either game but certainly not the final game !!! Once again , the eye of the beholder is important here lol .
The beholder is a long time scout who has been spot on with more kids than years your kid has been alive.
My opinion only but after watching the games only thing really changed for me is that Jax Ginnish is now challenging for top D.
D
Ginnish
Norman
Dunlop
You could make a case for all 3 being number one as they all offer something a little different. Norman has the best edges and a year in the GTHL should take some of the "do too much out of him " Ginnish was a real eye opener and will be watched a ton while in my opinion Dunlop has probably been the most consistent D man in this age group over the past 3 years .
Forwards
Veitch
Schnarr
Sercerchi
Welsh
Maclean
Great group of forwards but still have Veitch at the top due to his ability to create offence while playing that power forward game that teams love at the next level. Schnarr has the potential and def has the size to be a top pick and by the looks of the video they both seem to be still growing haha. Maclean is a pure goal scorer with good size and pedigree while I felt Sercerchi and Welsh were probably the best overall at this tournament, Still very early and rankings could change but will be nice to see them all with top tier players at the next portion of the Q Cup.
Berthiaume
He has out played everyone in his age group in Atlantic Canada in my opinion and will be a top pick to a very lucky team in the Q .
D
Ginnish
Norman
Dunlop
You could make a case for all 3 being number one as they all offer something a little different. Norman has the best edges and a year in the GTHL should take some of the "do too much out of him " Ginnish was a real eye opener and will be watched a ton while in my opinion Dunlop has probably been the most consistent D man in this age group over the past 3 years .
Forwards
Veitch
Schnarr
Sercerchi
Welsh
Maclean
Great group of forwards but still have Veitch at the top due to his ability to create offence while playing that power forward game that teams love at the next level. Schnarr has the potential and def has the size to be a top pick and by the looks of the video they both seem to be still growing haha. Maclean is a pure goal scorer with good size and pedigree while I felt Sercerchi and Welsh were probably the best overall at this tournament, Still very early and rankings could change but will be nice to see them all with top tier players at the next portion of the Q Cup.
Berthiaume
He has out played everyone in his age group in Atlantic Canada in my opinion and will be a top pick to a very lucky team in the Q .
I don't think anyone is questioning your ability to discover talented kids but rather not in compliance with your analysis of the game outcomes . This beholder has probably been around hockey for more years than you have been alive and my views of those games are as relevant as yours . To give you an idea how far back I go , I was fortunate enough to watch Marty ST Louis play for four years at the University of Vermount .And we know that Al MacNeil and the Calgary scouts thought he was too small to play in the NHL . In the eyes of those beholders he could't even play for their AHL team in St John NB . We all know how that scenario played out . He was the most dynamic hockey player I had ever seen in D1 hockey . So my point is that many people see different things in every hockey game and whether you are a scout or just a well seasoned observer , we are all entitled to our personal interpretations of what has transpired .
scoutman1
Twitter - scoutman33
here is a very early top 40...some guys will be going USA route for sure and some might even apply OHL but right now these guys are from QMJHL territory so i am ranking them...I also have not seen most of these guys more than twice so far so this list will be changing a lot im sure.
1. Alexis Joseph—F—Phenix 6’03/185 15 11 08 19
2. James Scantlebury—F—Bishop 16U 5’09/165 24 19 24 43
3. Matys St-Gelais—SeaCoast 15U 5’10/187 24 22 12 34
4. Zack Arsenault—F—SSF 5’11/168 12 12 09 21
5. Dominic Schnarr—F—Bishops TNPHL 6’04/201 03 01 02 03
6. Sam Berthiaume—G—South Kent 15U 6’02/170
7. Thomas Charbonneau—D—Shattuck 6’01/161 19 07 13 20
8. Luca Desjardins—F—Seacoast 15U 6’00/170 24 04 27 31
9. Maxwell Branton—F—Toronto Marlies 0’00/000 00 00 00 00
10. Cameron Haye—F—South Kent 15U 5’10/165 25 14 23 37
11. Benjamin Veitch—F—St Andrews U18 6’01/190 01 00 00 00
12. Louis-Etienne Halley—F—Vikings 6’03/183 15 06 08 14
13. Malik Desrochers—F—Phenix 5’08/161 14 07 08 15
14. Emrick Nolette Robidoux—F—Saint Hyac 6’00/159 14 08 06 14
15. Nicolas Blanchette—D—Amos 6’00/187 14 02 07 09
16. Justin Beaulieu—D—SSF 5’09/134 13 04 05 09
17. Nolann Heroux—F—Vikings 5’08/141 15 04 07 11
18. Liam Armit—F—Stanstead U17 6’01/150 03 02 03 05
19. Brock Lyons—F—Saint John 5’09/160 12 15 03 18
20. Mathys Fortin—G—Vikings 6’04/163 04 01 2.81 .903
21. Antoine Provencher—F—CCL 5’11/168 14 02 10 12
22. Phenwick MacLean—F—Steele 6’01/150 12 07 06 13
23. Deryk Lemaire—F—Magog 6’01/176 15 02 08 10
24. Alexis Benoit—Gatineau 5’10/150 06 03 03 06
25. Quinn Norman—D—Vaughan Kings GTHL 6’00/154 00 00 00 00
26. Ethan Jones—F—Eash Coast Blizz 5’11/157 17 06 16 22
27. Carson Ferdinand—F—South Kent 15U 5’10/176 22 07 10 17
28. Loik Collin—D—Phenix 5’11/155 15 01 02 03
29. Jeremy Quevillon—D—Amos 5’11/150 16 01 04 05
30. Henri Cote—F—SSF 5’08/132 13 03 08 11
31. Jesse Dunlap—D—Rothesay U18 5’09/180 09 02 03 05
32. Simon Chartier—F—Levis 5’10/179 17 06 05 11
33. Jeremy Jasmin—D—Vikings 6’01/154 15 01 05 06
34. Cole Renaud—F—Saint Hyac 6’00/154 14 04 06 10
35. Alexis Bonin-Lallemand—D—Vikings 5’11/154 15 02 03 05
36. Tanner Hayden—F—Pictou 5’10/154 11 11 10 21
37. Max Psarras—G—Ottawa Valley U16 6’00/181 04 02 3.16
38. Alex Desruisseaux—F—Levis 5’06/133 17 06 11 17
39. Xavier Halloran—G—Gatineau 5’11/170 03 03 2.35 .936
40. Zakary Horat-Edouard—F—Montreal 5’07/160 14 06 06 12
1. Alexis Joseph—F—Phenix 6’03/185 15 11 08 19
2. James Scantlebury—F—Bishop 16U 5’09/165 24 19 24 43
3. Matys St-Gelais—SeaCoast 15U 5’10/187 24 22 12 34
4. Zack Arsenault—F—SSF 5’11/168 12 12 09 21
5. Dominic Schnarr—F—Bishops TNPHL 6’04/201 03 01 02 03
6. Sam Berthiaume—G—South Kent 15U 6’02/170
7. Thomas Charbonneau—D—Shattuck 6’01/161 19 07 13 20
8. Luca Desjardins—F—Seacoast 15U 6’00/170 24 04 27 31
9. Maxwell Branton—F—Toronto Marlies 0’00/000 00 00 00 00
10. Cameron Haye—F—South Kent 15U 5’10/165 25 14 23 37
11. Benjamin Veitch—F—St Andrews U18 6’01/190 01 00 00 00
12. Louis-Etienne Halley—F—Vikings 6’03/183 15 06 08 14
13. Malik Desrochers—F—Phenix 5’08/161 14 07 08 15
14. Emrick Nolette Robidoux—F—Saint Hyac 6’00/159 14 08 06 14
15. Nicolas Blanchette—D—Amos 6’00/187 14 02 07 09
16. Justin Beaulieu—D—SSF 5’09/134 13 04 05 09
17. Nolann Heroux—F—Vikings 5’08/141 15 04 07 11
18. Liam Armit—F—Stanstead U17 6’01/150 03 02 03 05
19. Brock Lyons—F—Saint John 5’09/160 12 15 03 18
20. Mathys Fortin—G—Vikings 6’04/163 04 01 2.81 .903
21. Antoine Provencher—F—CCL 5’11/168 14 02 10 12
22. Phenwick MacLean—F—Steele 6’01/150 12 07 06 13
23. Deryk Lemaire—F—Magog 6’01/176 15 02 08 10
24. Alexis Benoit—Gatineau 5’10/150 06 03 03 06
25. Quinn Norman—D—Vaughan Kings GTHL 6’00/154 00 00 00 00
26. Ethan Jones—F—Eash Coast Blizz 5’11/157 17 06 16 22
27. Carson Ferdinand—F—South Kent 15U 5’10/176 22 07 10 17
28. Loik Collin—D—Phenix 5’11/155 15 01 02 03
29. Jeremy Quevillon—D—Amos 5’11/150 16 01 04 05
30. Henri Cote—F—SSF 5’08/132 13 03 08 11
31. Jesse Dunlap—D—Rothesay U18 5’09/180 09 02 03 05
32. Simon Chartier—F—Levis 5’10/179 17 06 05 11
33. Jeremy Jasmin—D—Vikings 6’01/154 15 01 05 06
34. Cole Renaud—F—Saint Hyac 6’00/154 14 04 06 10
35. Alexis Bonin-Lallemand—D—Vikings 5’11/154 15 02 03 05
36. Tanner Hayden—F—Pictou 5’10/154 11 11 10 21
37. Max Psarras—G—Ottawa Valley U16 6’00/181 04 02 3.16
38. Alex Desruisseaux—F—Levis 5’06/133 17 06 11 17
39. Xavier Halloran—G—Gatineau 5’11/170 03 03 2.35 .936
40. Zakary Horat-Edouard—F—Montreal 5’07/160 14 06 06 12
Thanks for the list. Thoughts on Malik L'Italien? I've seen him ranked quite high on a couple public lists but haven't seen him play. Have you not seen him play yet or just not ranked in your top 40?
scoutman1
Twitter - scoutman33
I have not seen him at all personally, and the people i still know in the scouting community have not really watched much of him either, i just asked ...I will update when i do though. Really sucks all these kids are going to prep schools now making it hard for the masses to see them.
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I think the kids going to prep school is an overall good thing because it gives them the a better opportunity to go the ncaa route. Which will in turn force the Q to improve the way it’s been developing players, which in my opinion has been lacking for a long time now. I do understand how this makes eastern Canadian scouts lives hell though having to go all the way to New England to look at the best prospects.
scoutman1
Twitter - scoutman33
so I have to ask was is the QMJHL doing in developing players that is hurting...i know when i was scouting we talked about in Quebec how more kids are playing soccer now and how hockey has become too expensive for a lot of families there...
The NCAA when i was scouting was becoming more of a fad and the kids at that time where no better off going prep schools, Zack Morin recently came to the QMJHL because it was not working out for him down there. I remember when Yasin Cisse went USA route, he was actually suppose to go 1st overall in the QMJHL draft, he went the prep and USHL route and the guy disappeared off the map...im not saying it is the same for every player but the Alex and Michael Biega disappeared off the map. It does keep options for them though, but that said the QMJHL has a pretty good school program as well.
I find the qmjhl does an okay job with their forwards but their defenders and definitely their goalies suffer due to the high scoring style of the league. I also find the Q draft is like a lottery. Some teams seem to really care about there players like Halifax Drummondville and Rimouski, while a majority of other teams seem to abandon their players if they’re not immediately ready at 16 years old. Adding on to that the ncaa route gives more time for player to develop. If a player can produce at the major junior level at 16/17 then all power to them, but I’d argue most kids don’t fully hit their stride until much later. Also the entire chl schedule is extremely demanding. I understand pressure makes diamonds but you can see the wear and tear on a lot of these kids faces, most of them look like 35 year old men coming home from a 12 hour day in the mines. The NCAA season has 34 games compared to the 64 game qmjhl season. The less games allows them to get more reps in at practice, focus on their studies and gives them the opportunity to take care of their mental health before making the complete jump into the nhl. Lastly the resources that a player gets in the ncaa are flat out better. The workout facilities, nutritionists, sports psychologists and rinks are better in most cases. If you want results look no further than the last couple drafts. The past three years 23 ncaa/ushl players were drafted in the first round while only 1 player from the qmjhl has been drafted in the first round.
