Everyone loves a good old-fashioned mock draft! Lets take a closer look at how the 2022 QMJHL Draft could shake down this summer
*** Note – draft order of the top-5 is based on the QMJHL Draft lottery that took place in late May (article here). The draft order after that – taken from Alex Pilote’s Twitter account @alex_pilote
#1 (Cape Breton) – Tomas Lavoie D (College Esther-Blondin). If Lavoie doesn’t go first overall, I’m Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny put together. Lavoie is a smooth-skating righty who’s 6’2 192 – he’s gigantic, shoots the puck very well and has a long, technically excellent skating stride. Lavoie made the Q Cup look easy, effortlessly breaking forechecks and controlling the game. Cape Breton gave up close to 50 goals more than the next closest team this year; Lavoie helps alleviate some issues in this regard.
#2 (Victoriaville) – Gabriel D’Aigle G (St. Hyacinthe). D’Aigle is a monster at 6’2 190, and pairs it with elite athleticism. None of Victo’s goalies are top-tier prospects, so D’Aigle becomes too enticing to pass up for the Tigers at this position. D’Aigle is the real deal, an athletic big man that performed fairly well at the Q Cup for Team White.
#3 (Chicoutimi) – Sacha Boisvert C (15’s Mount Saint Charles). Boisvert is mobile, a good puck distributor, and controlled all games for team black at the Q Cup in April. This pick come with high risk, as Boisvert signed a tender agreement with the USHL’s Muskegon Lumberjacks in January . However, the Sags have multiple first round choices and can afford to swing and miss on this pick if Boisvert decides to stay on the south side of the 49th parallel. This is a case of drafting a player who is too good to turn the other cheek on at pick 3, especially with bullets left in the proverbial first round chamber.
#4 (Baie Comeau) – Justin Poirier RW (Chateauguay). Poirier lacks height, but the puck just finds him in the offensive zone and has deceptive speed. This pick could be Will Shields, but the Drakkar elect to select a Quebec native with this pick. Poirier may be the most skilled player in this draft; his hands are elite and he is a pure goal scorer. At first glance, the average fan may be like ‘that guy is ranked 4th overall?’ Poirier’s stalky build and look in his gear don’t scream Major A hockey, but after watching a couple of periods, it will make sense to you. A lot of sense, trust me.
#5 (Rimouski) – Elliot Litalien C (Seminaire Saint-Francois). A solid floor pick here. Litalien is a solid player in all zones. He’s not super flashy, but he’s one of the most complete centre’s in this draft. Litalien goes to the net in the offensive zone and is tough to move in the net front. I thought this pick was Baie Comeau, but there may have been a pre-draft trade here.
#6 (Rouyn Noranda) – Thomas Desruisseaux C (Levis). The Huskies looked a little punchless up front in games that I watched this year, prompting me to believe that a forward will be the choice here. ‘Dezzy’ offers a tonne of value with this pick – he’s fast and smothers you with a relentless forecheck. At the Q Cup, ‘Dezzy’ was the engine behind the line that featured Poirier and Yuzik.
#7 (Halifax) Quinn Kennedy C (Halifax Macs). Kennedy plays a mature 200-foot game and has a tremendous blend of smarts and skills. Kennedy crosses his feet over to attack defenders in the neutral zone as well as anybody in this draft class; the Nova Scotia native makes players around him better. There are rumours out of Haliwood that Kennedy won’t be the pick in Moose Country, but I believe it’s all a facade. Lets not overthink this – Kennedy is in green when the boys of summer have gone.
#8 (Blainville-Broisbriand) – Xavier Veilleux D (Seminaire Saint-Francois). Veilleux is a beautiful skater and has excellent edge control for a guy who is 6 feet tall. Veilleux wins battles with strength and with guile – he did not lose many battles at the Q Cup in April. Veilleux has such a safe floor; draft and walk away happy. This pick could also be Adam Fortier-Gendron. The Veilleux pick just screams Armada to me, as they always seem to have a solid club year in, year out.
#9 (Drummondville) – Will Shields RW (BK Selects). The pure goal scorer Shields falls to 9, but It would not surprise me if Shields goes higher; the Nova Scotia native led the United States of America in scoring this past season. Shields is not going to carry the puck for long periods and he’s not all that physical; however, if paired with playmaking options like Quinn Kennedy (or Matty Butler), Shields would light the lamp with regularity. Shields had some stretches of the Q Cup where you’d say ‘he’s been quiet today’ but he only needs one shot to change the complexion of a hockey game. The Volts have shown a tendency to go with Atlantic-Canadian players in Round 1 (Peddle, Woodworth, Rotondi, etc), and their PP becomes incredibly lethal with a potential 1-3-1 of Nova Scotians across the formation.
#10 (Baie Comeau) – Adam Fortier-Gendron D (College Esther-Blondin). ‘F-G’ is very composed with the puck on his stick, has some size, and is very efficient; he can fit passes into the tightest of windows.
#11 (Cape Breton) – Owen Phillips D (Pens Elite). I’m sure there are people who are laughing at me with Phillips this low. Playing in Pitt this season – coupled with a mostly ‘equipe francais’ first round – makes me believe that teams shy away in fear of burning a highly-coveted first round choice. That said, Phillips could be a player that Chicoutimi take a stab at earlier because of their plethora of picks in this round.
#12 (Chicoutimi) – Maxim Masse RW (College Notre Dame) . The ‘Sags double down on the forward position and wait for defenceman later in the draft. Masse is a skilled two-way forward that has nifty hands around the cage.
#13 (Chicoutimi) – Julien Lanthier D (St-Eustache). I didn’t see enough of Lanthier to take him this high, but hedging all my opinions on the Q Cup only would be misguided. Smart money says Lanthier goes in round 1, and who better than a team who has an aging blue line in Chicoutimi.
#14 (Gatineau) – Marcus Kearsey (RNS). Kearsey is a beautiful skater, and is a tremendous kid. I really like this player-program fit – the Olympique have a handful of 2002’s on their defence corps, and Gatineau have had a tremendous history with NL’ers (O’Brien, Roberts, Brophy, Dean, D Sullivan, Ryder, the list goes on… and on…). I could also see Gatineau shipping this pick to a Maritime team – who collectively have very little draft capital – for a player who can put ‘Hull’ over the top this year because they are very close to being a league winner.
#15 (Rimouski) – . Spencer Gill D (Moncton Flyers). Rimouski are in a position to go with the best player available at this spot, so this pick could be a huge wildcard. Gill chose not to report to the Q Cup Phase 3 in Montreal, but one would have to think that his body of work across the entire season would be enough to land him in the first round. Gill unites with Coughlan to form a 1-2 punch on the Oceanic blue line for years to come. A lot of people are going to say ‘Kearsey over Gill? You must be outside your mind sir’ but Puck Preps (Twitter @ PuckPrepsEastCa) agrees. Preps has Kearsey ranked number-9 on their top-10 list, ahead of Phillips and Gill.
#16 (Cape Breton) – Bill Zonnon LW (Northwood Prep). I am really high on Bill Zonnon and believe that teams who saw him at the Q Cup will be too. The big Northwood Prep winger dazzled in Montreal back in April – his size, motor, speed, and skill jumped off the page at me, but what was even more impressive was his ability to find seams off cycles and get open away from the puck. Zonnon has a wide skating stride, but his feet are always moving and can make moves down the wing at top speed. Sign me up!
#17 (Val D’Or) – Justin Carbonneau F (Levis). Carbonneau has excellent feet and a skill set that would thrive on the slick surface in Val D’or. Carbonneau didn’t have a big season offensively for Levis, but I really liked him at the Q Cup.
#18 (Chicoutimi) – Mathieu Taillefer D (St-Hyacinthe). The ‘Sags cap off their franchise-changing first round by selecting the smooth-skating righty Taillefer. Taillefer skates like the wind and has PP upside with maturity.
Honorable Mention: Raoul Boilard F (Magog). There has been a lot of talk out of Boilard’s camp – including articles in the papers – that point to him wanting to play in the USHL. Boilard has been very adamant that if a Q team takes him early, he will not report to their team. Monitor this carefully – it could be a smoke screen, but I think it’s legit.
Related Content
2022 Q Draft ‘if he’s available at his ADP spot’ article – https://vhghockey.ca/2022-qmjhl-draft-if-hes-available-at-his-draft-list-spot-id-take-him-list/
2022 QMJHL Cup Notebook article – https://vhghockey.ca/qmjhl-cup-notebook/
2022 Monctonian Review video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKzzgR2OZiA&t=500s