NHL Draft | A look at the three best Quebec hopefuls

The NHL Central Recruiting last week released its preliminary list of North America’s top skaters for the next draft. There are 30 QMJHL players there. Out of the lot, three of them are classified A, that is to say that they are expected to be chosen in the first round. Press presents them to you.

Katherine Harvey-Pinard
Press

Tristan Luneau – defender – Gatineau Olympiques

Tristan Luneau was the first pick in the QMJHL draft in 2020. The 6’2 ” right-handed defenseman collected 18 points in 31 games in his first season with the Gatineau Olympiques, which was cut short. , due to COVID-19.

At the end of the campaign, he won the Raymond-Lagacé trophy, awarded to the defensive rookie of the year in the Courteau circuit, in addition to being named to the all-star rookie team. His head coach, Louis Robitaille, is full of praise for him.

“He’s a young man who is incredibly mature, even though he’s only 17,” he said at the outset. He’s passionate about the game. All the details you expect from a player, he will do them. When I talk about details, I mean off the ice too. He takes care of what he eats, his physical condition, his physical and mental preparation. ”

A native of Victoriaville, Luneau was the captain of his U18 AAA team – previously midget AAA – the Estacades de Trois-Rivières, in his last season on the circuit in 2019-2020. He had 30 points in 37 games that year. At 14, during the Canada Games, he was the best defender of the Quebec team. And this, even if he played with and against players older than him.

Coveted by the Wisconsin Badgers in the NCAA the year of his draft, he finally opted for the QMJHL, to the great delight of the Olympics.

Last summer, Luneau had to undergo surgery for a lower body injury. He was sidelined for a few months and missed the first three games of the season. He was shut off the scoresheet the next six games. But he quickly regained the touch, amassing 12 points, including 3 goals, in 13 games. It is used almost 22 minutes per game on average, according to Sportlogiq.

“Beyond the points, it’s really to find your bearings, says Louis Robitaille. We feel extremely comfortable despite the fact that he did not have a training camp and that he missed the start of the season. ”

“What I like about Luneau is that there is progression, he wants to improve,” he adds. He knows he has to keep improving his game, it’s fun to work with him. We can see his maturity on the ice, his calm with the puck. He makes others around him better. ”

Defenders always take a little longer than attackers to establish themselves in the National League. According to Robitaille, Luneau will have to keep keeping it simple, not trying too hard to create offense.

“With his talent, he will be able to generate attack. I think he’s a guy who is extremely good at beating the pressure with the puck, thanks to his skate, his skill at handling the puck, making plays at high speed. On the defensive side, it’s about maturing physically to win your one-on-one melee battles. He is 17 years old in a league where there are young men aged 19-20. ”

Nathan Gaucher – center – Remparts de Québec

At 18, Nathan Gaucher is in his third season in the QMJHL. A 6’3 ”, 207lb center player, he was the first-round pick, eighth, for the Quebec Remparts in 2019.

“It was really all of our scout staff who adored him a lot, including Patrick [Roy], who had seen him play, ”recalls the deputy general manager of the Remparts, Christian Vermette.

“At that point, what was impressive and what’s still impressive about Nathan was really the combination of his greatness and his skills, whether it was with the puck, his skate – which he had. improved a lot since joining us. The work he has done over the past few summers has paid off for him. He’s a better skater now. ”

Gaucher scored 13 goals in 59 games in his first season on the Tour. He scored one more last season in half the games (30).

“He had a good progression. He really exploded offensively. This year, he continues in the same vein. He’s a guy you can use in any situation. ”

This season, according to Sportlogiq data, Gaucher is used an average of 17 minutes per game in a team that ranks fourth overall and strives for top honors. He has won 59% of his face-offs so far and has a record of 9 goals and 10 assists in 23 games as well as a +8 rating.

“The team that will draft him will not only have a hockey player, but also a good person,” said Mr. Vermette. He is a guy who cares about his team, about leadership. With Nathan, you are not mistaken, you come across an individual A1. ”

Maveric Lamoureux – defender – Drummondville Voltigeurs

Selected at 12^e Ranking in the 2020 draft, Maveric Lamoureux is, at 6’7 ”, a defenseman who can easily be called a giant. If players of this size can sometimes lack coordination, it’s the opposite in his case, in the opinion of his coach Steve Hartley.

“I find that on the contrary, it is the fluidity of his game that strikes the eye for a recruiter,” he emphasizes. […] I think he has the package of a prototype defender today in the National League. ”

In his first season on the circuit, the former Élites de Jonquière posted a record of 7 points in 24 games and a rating of +9. He accumulated 26 penalty minutes. According to Hartley, it’s when Lamoureux keeps a game simple that his attacking side shows up.

“It’s a constant progression,” he says. Last year after Christmas, he had made good progress, the more he kept it simple and he had play on the power play. Same thing this year. ”

In fact, this season, Lamoureux averages more than 23 minutes of playing time per game, according to Sportlogiq. So far, he has amassed 10 points in 23 games. Both of his goals were scored on the power play.

“Lately, his little offensive side may have come out a little more. Is he going to be an offensive defenseman in the NHL? I do not think so. But I think he’s going to be very good defensively and be able to bring offense because he has a very good shot, a heavy shot for a 17-year-old. ”

The current situation with Lamoureux reminds Hartley that of Dawson Mercer, who played with the Voltigeurs for two and a half seasons. The latter now wears the uniform of the New Jersey Devils.

“There are those who thought he [Mercer] would be [un attaquant] top 6, others a top 9, he recounts. I thought he was a young man smart enough to find a chair. The same goes for Maveric. He is brilliant, [c’est] a student of the game. He wants to be a hockey player. It doesn’t matter what role he’s going to find himself a chair. I’m not worried. ”