Archambault taken first by Val-d’Or

QUEBEC CITY P.Q. — The QMJHL held it’s annual meetings that ended with the QMJHL entry draft on Saturday June 6. Just as CSR (Central Scouting) had indicated in their final rankings, center Olivier Archambault from Esther-Blondin College (Midget AAA) became the first player selected by Val d’Or Foreur in the 2009 QMJHL annual entry draft.

For hockey players ages 15-17 years old who one day dreams of playing in the NHL, the QMJHL draft is the first step in the right direction. Some players indicated to all of the QMJHL teams that they preferred to keep their eligibility to the NCAA. Five players clearly indicated their preference for the NCAA, regardless of whether or not they are drafted, they will not play in the QMJHL. Those players are: Philippe Hudon (2^nd CSR Choate Rosemary Hall), Xavier Ouellet (5^th CSR ranked Charles Lemoine College), Brent Andrews (11^th CSR Cornwall Thunder), Pierre Durepos (14^th Moncton Flyers) and Jonathan Huberdeau (17^thSt Eustache). Except for Hudon, all of the other four were taken in the first round. Still, teams decided to take chance in the hope of making at least one of them change their mind and come to play in the QMJHL. Scouts that gravitate towards the QMJHL will agree that you won’t find a franchise player or a player that you will be able to build your team around in this years draft, but you will find some good players who will help your team be better for years to come. Six teams did not have first round selection: Acadie-Bathurst Titans Baie-Comeau Drakkars, Cape Breton Screaming Eagles, Quebec Remparts, Rouyn-Norenda Huskies, and the Rimouski Oceanics. One renowned independent scouting firm, the International Scouting Services described the Val-d’Or’s first selection as an excellent skater who is hard to knock off the puck. He also has excellent hockey sense and puck control and sees the play a step ahead of his peers. Archambeault is not a big player but makes up for it with his strength and puck protection and is an offensive treat. Archambeault is seen by the ISS as a future offensive star, a true number one center who can become a potential point generator. With the second selection, the Shawinigan Cataractes went for Yannick Veilleux from Saint Eustache. The 6’2″ 187 pound left winger is seen by ISS as a player with good size who can protect the puck while driving to the net. Veilleux has a good shot that is consistently on net and keeps his feet moving in the offensive end and consistently has puck possession. He is not flashy but scouts liked what the saw of him at the Telus Cup Challenge. The young left winger is seen as a future top two line winger who will score. Selecting third overall, Lewiston decided to go with center Francis Beauvillier from Antoine Girouard College. International Scouting Services describes him as a good skater that has very good speed, lateral movement, and good puck control with very smooth hands. He also is very dangerous in one-on-one situations and once in close he can finish. As far as his QMJHL potential goes he will be considered a very skilled player that will adapt well to the Q once is strength develops and could play on a second power play unit. With their second selection in first round the, fourth overall, Val-d’Or selected a center from Antoine Girouard College, Jean Francois Leblanc. At 6’4″ 187 pounds, he was one of the biggest forwards taken in the first round. Ranked 6^th by CSR and 3^rd by ISS, his is considered a good skater with great mobility. He has good hockey sense and is very good leader who understands the play and can be used on the power play and penalty killing units. ISS scouts feel that he needs to improve is shot and generate more contact and his puck control skills. On the other hand, Leblanc is recognized as being strong on the puck and usually wins the battles in the corners. He protects the puck well and has good hands. Leblanc has the potential of a first line player who will play hard and can bring some offense. With the fifth selection, the Moncton Wildcats went for left winger Rapha ë l Bussieres from Charles Lemoyne College. The left winger is a very good skater, possesses very good hockey sense and puckhandling skills and is a very good leader. He is recognized for his work ethic who works the corners well and is a very good forechecker. He needs to learn how to slow the game down, improve his consistency, and learn to better play in his defensive zone. He could become a second line winger who you can win with. With the first of their three first round selections, Chicoutimi decided to go for center Rock Regimbald from the Gatineau Intrepides. When asked to talk about his strengths, scouts agreed that he has good hands around the net, good scoring ability and is good offensively. He needs to improve his skating, his defensive zone coverage, and his play on the penalty killing. The ISS see’s him playing an offensive role and be able to play on the power play. With the seventh selection, the Prince Edward Island Rockets went for defenseman Jimmy Oligny from Charles Lemoyne College. The 5’ 11″ 182 pounder was ranked the 13^th best prospect by CRS but 29^th overall by ISS. Last year Oligny had 10 points in 45 games, and 6 points in 16 playoff games. Oligny’s strength is puck controls skills and as good vision. He will need to work on being able to produce more offensively by taking more shots on net. QMJHL potential: Could become a top three defensemen. With the eighth selection (second in first round) Shawinigan went for defenseman Jonathan Racine from Saint Eustache. The 6’1″ 166 pounder is very good mobile skater. He has great hockey sense and can be a good passer. He is a solid hitter and plays defense very well. He doesn’t panic in his own zone. He sees the ice well and makes good first passes out of the defensive end. He likes to jump in the play to keep the pressure alive in the offensive zone. QMJHL potential: The ISS sees him as a top three defenseman in his 2^nd year. A solid power play and penalty killing defenseman. With the ninth selection the Victoriaville Tigres went for Phillip Danault, a 5’10″ 158 pound center from Trois Riviere. Danault can play both ends of the rink. He puts in a second effort on the backcheck and in puck battles. He has good vision and has the ability to be a good playmaker. ISS seems to like his skill set and potential in the Q. The Saint John Sea Dogs were the first team that took a chance on recalcitrant player who indicated that he’d prefer to keep his NCAA eligibility open instead of playing in the QMJHL. With the tenth selection, the Sea Dogs selected Pierre Durepos from the Moncton Flyers in New Brunswick midget AAA. Playing a second year in midget AAA proved to be beneficial for the 5’ 11″ and180 pounder. He was Moncton’s leading scorer from the blueline and averaged over a point a game and was the quarterback on the power play. Durepos strength is power play control, consistency and puck movement. ISS saw him becoming top four defensemen in his second year. With their second selection in the first round Lewiston decided to go with center Jean Francois Plante from Magog Cantonniers. Ranked 10^th overall by the ISS and 18^th by CSR, Plante is considered to have good size, is an excellent skater, has very good puckhandling skills and excellent hockey sense. His vision, skating and passing skill are his principal strengths. Areas of improvement are his consistency, his physical play and his defensive play. ISS considers Plante’s QMJHL potential as a playmaking center, offensive contributor, a top second line player and will have a role on the power play. With the 12^th pick, the Gatineau Olympiques selected Benjamin Laliberte, a right winger from Laval Bourassa. Strong on his skates, the 6’1″ 170 pounder has a good skating stride. He has good size and is willing to go in the corners and in front of the net. His skating, offensive drive and his offensive toughness are considered his strength. He needs to improve in the defensive zone and his defensive responsibilities on lost face offs and back checking are the most predominant things needs to work on. QMJHL potential: Expected to be a second line power winger. With their second selection in the first round (13^th overall), Chicoutimi selected Gabriel Vermette, a left defenseman from the Gatineau Intrepides. Vermette is big, strong defenseman that plays with an edge and keeps his game simple. He makes good decisions in the defensive zone. He is a very good skater and that should help him adapt to the junior level. Overlooked in last years draft, he should be a solid pick this year. At 14, Montreal decided to take a chance on another player that clearly indicated his preference for the NCAA route. Montreal selected Xavier Ouellet from Esther-Blondin College. Ranked 4^th overall by CSR and 11^th by ISS, he is considered very mobile and can change direction on a dime. He is very knowledgeable of his position and plays the blueline with poise and smarts. He handles the puck well under pressure and makes smart decisions with the puck. Potential: Solid and steady top three defensive defensemen in the Q. The Halifax Mooseheads were the third team to take a chance on players that indicated their preferences for the NCAA. With their 15^th selection Halifax went for Brent Andrews, a left winger from the Cornwall Thunders. Brent is a physical, dominating force on the ice. He has good skills and can handle the puck with ease. He was a key figure in helping his team win the Monctonian Championship, the PEI title. He also was one of the top players in the Atlantic prospects game. Andrews strength is his competitiveness, net drive and his strength and size. He needs to improve his skating stride, face-offs and needs to shoot more often. Potential: A first line center that will play in all situations. A character player. With the 16^th selection, their second in first round, the Moncton Wildcats selected Dillon Donnelly from the Lac-St. Louis Lions. The son of a former Quebec Nordiques enforcer has excellent size, is good skater, has very good puckhandling skills, and is considered to have good leadership. The ISS scouting report on Donnelly describes him as someone with great poise with the puck and consistently makes good outlet pass. Although he has an awkward skating stance, he is very effective and is a strong skater. He is a hard guy to play against and possess good one-on-one skills. He uses his size well, thinks the game through and is very steady who makes few mistakes. He needs to use his offensive abilities more, and needs to work on his skating posture technique and first stride. Potential: Top three defensemen, a tough guy that plays with an edge and will play in all situations. With their third selection in first round (17^th overall), Chicoutimi went for the only goaltender selected in first round, Robin Gusse from Esther-Blondin College. Robin is mostly recognized to be a technically sound goaltender that has good lateral movement and possesses good reflexes. He also has a quick glove hand and plays his angles well. One of Gusse’s best attributes is his competitiveness when it counts and play better under pressure. He has good mental toughness and plays the angles well. The area that needs to improve is his second shot response, seeing the puck in traffics and on rebounds. QMJHL potential: Could play a starters role in his second or third year in the Q. With the last selection in first round, the Saint John Sea Dogs took another chance on a player who didn’t seem interested in playing in the QMJHL. Jonathan Huberdeau, the Saint Eustache product isn’t the biggest player at 6’0″ 149 pounds, but he has great hockey sense and vision. He is very smart and makes excellent plays and passing decisions. He is recognized as making players around him better. Vision, puck control and playmaking are considered his strength. He needs to work on back checking and defensive battles. QMJHL potential: Second line offensive player and should play on the first power play unit. The Quebec Remparts made their first selection with the 35^th pick in the second round. Patrick Roy’s team selected the second goaltender in the draft when the young Jimmy Appleby from Trois Rivieres was selected. The young 5’9″ 167 pounder is very good technically. He also has very good mobility and glove hand, and works the angles very well. Even if he isn’t the biggest goaltender he makes himself look big by good positioning. One of his best attribute is his consistency. He plays with lots of confidence and can handle the mental side of the position. There are some scouting staffs that considers him the number one pick in the 2009 draft. He should be a solid first or second round pick. QMJHL potential: Need another year in the midget ranks for development, a future number one netminder. A special thanks to the International Scouting Services to provide scouting reports on the players being draft in the 2009 QMJHL entry draft. Without them it will be much more difficult to write this article. http://www.lhjmq.qc.ca/lang_en/index.php?page=1 Contact the author at: serge.poulin@prohockeynews.com