QMJHL Draft Prospects Preview

2011 QMJHL Entry Draft Preview – Players ranked 1 to 6 by CSR

Saturday, June 4^th in Victoriaville, Quebec

The 2011 QMJHL Entry Draft in Victoriaville is just 3 weeks away and its time to preview the players ranked in the 1^st round of the QMJHL’s CSR Rankings.

Your Halifax Mooseheads have again stockpiled several high draft selections as the team continues its philosophy of building through the draft.  The Moose hold 4 selections in the top 40 picks, as well as 8 in the first 5 rounds.  These include selections at 4, 22, 25, 49, 63, 73 and 79.   Last June, the Mooseheads selected Luca Ciampini (2^nd overall), Andrew Ryan (19^th overall), Darcy Ashley (25^th overall), Simon Desmarais (28^th overall) and Francis Turbide (37^th overall). 

Be sure to follow us on twitter at @HFXMooseheads for live coverage from the draft floor as the Mooseheads make their selections. 

A preview of the top 6 ranked prospects for the 2011 QMJHL Entry Draft on Saturday, June 4^th is below:

1. Nathan MacKinnon

Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia

5’ 10.5” 170lbs

Winger

2010-11 Regular Season:

Shattuck St.Mary’s

40gp    45g      48a      93pts   72pim

It’s no secret Mackinnon is the consensus #1 ranked player in the draft.  The native of Cole Harbour has had a banner year, starring for Shattuck, the Nova Scotia Canada Games team, as well as Team Atlantic Under 17 despite being just 15 years old.  There’s

not much to dislike with Mackinnon’s game.  His skating, vision, quick release, tenacity for the puck and competitive nature separate him from the rest of the draft class this year.

2. Jonathan Drouin

5’ 8.5” 153lbs

Centre

2010-11 Regular Season:

Lac-St.Louis Midget AAA

38gp    22g      36a      58pts   38pim

Drouin and his abilities have unfortunately been a victim of the hype surrounding Mackinnon when it comes to QMJHL draft talks in mainstream media.  The diminutive forward put together a season in Quebec Midget AAA as impressive as any 15yr old heading into the QMJHL Draft in quite some time.  He finished 4^th overall in league scoring during the regular season and followed that up by leading the Lions to a league championship and the Telus Cup.  Drouin led all playoff scorers with 28 points in just 15 games, as well as 6 points in 6 games at the Canada Games. 

3. Anthony Duclair

5’10” 155lbs

Centre

2010-11 Regular Season:

Lac-St.Louis Midget AAA

34gp    25g      32a      57pts   36pim

Duclair had identical statistics as Drouin his teammate in Lac-St.Louis, but has made it clear to QMJHL teams that he is headed the NCAA route.            Duclair is a terrific skater and playmaker with high-end skill.  He also starred on the Quebec Canada Games team, along with several of the players ranked by CSR, which took home silver in Halifax last February.

4. Jeremy Gregoire

5’11” 187lbs

Centre

2010-11 Season:

Magog Midget AAA

38gp    28g      25a      53pts   42pim

Gregoire, the Captain of Team Quebec at the Canada Games, is a good-sized centre with all the extra intangibles.  Believed by many to be the best leader available in the Draft and a future Captain of a QMJHL team, Gregoire also has the skills to be deemed a complete package. He may lack the pure offensive instinct of the top 3 in some scouts eyes, but it’s tough to argue what he did with Magog and Team Quebec this year on the stat sheet.

5. Guillaume Gauthier

5’9.5” 161lbs

Centre

2010-11 Season:
St.Eustache Midget AAA

40gp    23g      21a      44pts  

Considered to have a high level of hockey sense, Gauthier might be the best playmaker available in the Draft along with Drouin.   He finished 3^rd in scoring for St.Eustache and followed up his regular season with 15 points in 10 games during the playoffs.  Gauthier also had a solid Canada Games tournament, scoring 4 goals including the shootout winner against British Columbia in the opening game of the tournament.

 6. Alexandre Belanger

5’11.5”, 171lbs

Goalie

2010-11 Regular Season:

Magog Midget AAA

26gp    14-91-2 record            0.885 save %   3.36gaa

Belanger is the top ranked goalie by CSR and was another member of Team Quebec at the Canada Games, splitting goaltending duties with Philippe Desrosiers (ranked 13 by CSR).  Belanger had an up-and-down year and really battled consistency in his game but is clearly among the elite goalies available this year.  Scouts like his size and agility along with his chances of being a solid number 1 goalie in the QMJHL for many years.

We'll be back next week with a preview of the players ranked 7-12 for the upcoming QMJHL Entry Draft.