2023-06-29 21:57:10
NASHVILLE – This vintage of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) will not go down in history, if only for the wrong reasons.
A meager total of 12 players from the Quebec junior circuit found takers with NHL teams – the worst harvest in history. Of those 12, only five are players who have come through the ranks in the province. A predictable result, but still disappointing.
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By comparison, USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program alone produced 13 prospects.
“We have work to do,” admitted the new commissioner of the League, Mario Cecchini. “Obviously, this is not the desired cuvée. We will aim for more each year. When we talk regarding development, there are several elements attached to that, and that will remain a concern. »
A sign that top talent was sorely lacking in this vintage, no player from the circuit was selected in the first round, a first since 2008.
In addition, only four of the 12 players were selected in the first three rounds: Ethan Gauthier (Tampa Bay) and Étienne Morin (Calgary) were selected in the second round, while Mathieu Cataford (Vegas) and Dylan MacKinnon (Nashville ) were in third.
“I always want us to have a sense of urgency around it, and today gives us reason to have it,” added Cecchini. That being said, it is very cyclical and there is no panic. »
In any case, the development problem will not be solved overnight, and the QMJHL will have to work together with Hockey Quebec to find solutions. If the development of young players is deficient before they are drafted at the junior level, the capabilities of the League are limited.
“The discussion I had with (Hockey Quebec’s general manager) Jocelyn Thibault revolved around solutions to promote growth,” said the commissioner. Hockey Quebec brings them up to 15 or 16 years old, and it is up to us to take care of them therefollowing. »
So there is work to be done at all levels. But Cecchini insisted that a repechage is not customary and that things vary from year to year. However, this was the third auction of less than 15 prospects since 2017 for the QMJHL. And the 2024 vintage does not look much better.
“It’s only a draft,” he concluded. We haven’t been in a valley for years. »
QMJHL picks
SECOND ROUND
37e Ethan Gauthier (A), Lightning de Tampa Bay
48th Etienne Morin (D), Calgary Flames
THIRD ROUND
77e Mathieu Cataford (A), Golden Knights de Vegas
83e Dylan MacKinnon (D), Predators de Nashville
FOURTH ROUND
116th Andrei Loshko (A), Seattle Kraken
122e Cam Squires (A), Devils du New Jersey
128th Quentin Miller (G), Montreal Canadiens
FIFTH ROUND
131e Marcel Marcel (A), Blackhawks de Chicago
145e Justin Gill (A), Islanders de New York
SIXTH ROUND
191st Luke Coughlin (R), Florida Panthers
SEVENTH ROUND
199th Matteo Mann (R), Philadelphia Flyers
224e Tyler Peddle (A), Blue Jackets de Columbus
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