Noah Warren and Tristan Luneau | Inseparable

Edmonton, Lausanne, Gatineau and maybe, one day, Anaheim. The smartest will wonder if this is the flight itinerary of some really unlucky guy, and in 2022, would we really be surprised?

Guillaume Lefrancois
The Press

But these are rather the cities where Noah Warren and Tristan Luneau have played – and will play? – together.

The two Quebec defenders are obviously destined to be linked. On Friday, the Anaheim Ducks claimed Warren at 42^e rank, then Luneau at 53^e.

“As we said, the best scenario was to be drafted by the same team. Couldn’t ask for better! exclaimed Luneau, a few minutes after his selection on Friday.

So the friendship draft continued. After the Canadian, who brought together the Slovaks Juraj Slafkovsky and Filip Mesar the day before, it was the turn of the Ducks to make two friends happy. Their story began in summer tournaments, notably at the Brick tournament in Edmonton, where, barely 10 years old, they teamed up for the Ice Storm of Montreal.

“Noah has always been the biggest on the team, the strongest, and that hasn’t changed! launched Luneau. Looks like we’re still the two kids playing hockey. We were 10-12 years old, we left on weekends for summer tournaments. There, it’s a bit like that, we’re going to a hotel, we’re going to play our tournament, but it’s a bigger traineeship, a little ! »

The sleeper

Luneau and Warren have been teaming up in Gatineau for two years. Both being right-handed, however, they do not play in the same duo. They also have styles at the antipodes.

They have nevertheless developed a nice bond. “On the bus, we were always seated next to each other, describes Warren. Me, I sleep often, he must find me flat from time to time! »

Louis Robitaille, head coach of the Olympiques, was beaming to see his two proteges claimed.

“It shows that I lead extraordinary young men. Tristan has been through a lot of adversity. He was the first overall pick in the QMJHL, he underwent leg surgery which was highly publicized. He always put his personal situation aside to focus on the team. And when Noah arrived, he was playing limited minutes, not 30, 35 minutes per game. We built his game, and there he was drafted at the start of the second round. »

Products from here

The QMJHL concludes this 2022 draft with 19 players drafted, less than the Ontario Junior League (35) and the Western Junior League (28).

Once again, the Ducks made their contribution, claiming three products from the Courteau circuit. Thursday, they had selected Nathan Gaucher at 22^e rank.

“Martin Madden [fils] is one of the only chief recruiters in Quebec, recalled Robitaille. Stéphane Pilotte spends countless hours in arenas, like others. These are Quebec recruiters who have shown in the past that they are not afraid to come to us. »

Indeed, the Ducks are used to dipping into the court of the QMJHL. In 2017, their first two choices were Maxime Comtois and Antoine Morand. In the last six drafts, they have selected nine skaters from the Quebec circuit.

Pilotte nevertheless admitted that the fact that Madden is based in Quebec, “it matters”. “But if a scout from Quebec doesn’t have other opinions that support him, it will be hard to assert his choice. If our scouts who do “crossover” [du croisement] don’t like them, it won’t pass. We are not in the seventh round, we are at the start of the repechage. It takes consensus. »

During Robitaille’s press briefing, colleague Stéphane Leroux came to warn Robitaille that another of his proteges, Samuel Savoie, had just been claimed by the Blackhawks at 81^e rank. “That’s chills too,” said Robitaille spontaneously.

“It’s my boyfriend Alex Rouleau who is there [chez les Blackhawks, comme recruteur au Québec]. We played against each other. I know he likes that kind of player. It’s the fun of them picking up guys you know, trying their luck with your players. »