There are a lot of armchair general managers preparing for the 2020 version of the QMJHL Entry Draft – which starts at 7:30 p.m. tonight. However, as Saint John Sea Dogs head scout and assistant general manager Anthony Stella said during the recent “Tuesday Night Takeover” show of Facebook Live, he and his team of scouts have spent countless hours in cold arenas around the world preparing for this weekend. One could say “they’re making their lists and checking them twice” for their Christmas in June.
While people outside of Stella’s “cone of silence” likely will never see the actual final list, the team at Station Nation has prepared its own reference list for the draft. To do so, we start with the player rankings published by the QMJHL Central Scouting team. Then we subscribe to the HockeyProspect.com QMJHL Draft Guide and, in the past two years, we have supplemented the spreadsheet with the rankings of a respected Quebec area scout – Benoit Belanger.
The Station Nation Composite Draft Rankings highlight the diverse opinions of the various scouts, especially this year. Most notably, outside of rather minor differences in round one (i.e. 5-10 positions), the range for rounds two through six can be as much as 60-75 positions. Also, we, like most fans, may only see some of these players once or twice prior to their draft day. With that in mind, here is a list of players that the Sea Dogs could target in the draft this weekend.
(NOTE: Since president and general manager Trevor Georgie has made it known that the Sea Dogs are “open for business” on the trade front, the actual draft positions may change during the draft)
ROUND 1 – BAC No. 3 overall (acquired 2019-01-06 for Alex D’Orio)
After consensus No. 1 – Tristan Luneau – the next five players all show outstanding skills which project them to be impact players in the QMJHL and likely NHL stalwarts down the road. Antonin Verreault (St-Eustache - QC) and Luke Woodworth (South Shore - NS) are small centres with incredible offensive talents. Michael Mastrodomenico (Laval-Montreal – QC) is a mobile two-way right-handed defenseman. Leighton Carruthers (Halifax – NS) and Michael Lastarza (Shattuck St. Mary’s – QC) are a pair of power forwards with size and outstanding shots.
ROUND 1 – DRU No. 15 overall (acquired 2017-12-19 for Joe Veleno)
Noah Warren (Charles-Lemoyne – QC) is a huge (6’4” 203 lbs.), mobile defenceman who represented Canada at the 2019 Youth Olympics. He reportedly may benefit from another year in midget AAA as he grows into his body. Dylan Andrews (Cole Harbour – NS) is a strong two-way centre with high-end skating and hockey IQ.
ROUND 2 - RIM No. 34 overall (acquired 2020-01-06 as part of the Nicolas Guay/Jeffrey Durocher trade)
Donovan Arsenault (Kensington – PEI) is a right-handed power forward with size and a lethal shot. Simon Hughes (Charlottetown – PEI) is another power forward, although left-handed, from the Island who also displays high-end offensive skills. Hughes is a player who Benoit Belanger had moved way up his list recently due to the buzz he’s generating amongst the scouting fraternity.
ROUND 2 - SHE No. 38 overall (acquired from HFX 2020-06-03 for Robert Orr)
This may be a good spot for the Sea Dogs to target a goaltender. While Vincent Fillion and Charles-Edward Gravel are generating first round consideration, Remi Delafontaine (Magog – QC) has been given strong reviews across the board. If all three of these goalies are gone by No. 28, Drew Maddigan (Halifax – NS) is another big, two-way left-handed defenceman that could find his way into the Q very quickly.
ROUND 3 - GAT No. 38 overall (acquired from SHE 2019-06-08 as part of a draft pick swap during the 2019 QMJHL Entry Draft)
Lane Hinkley (Toronto – NB), a New Brunswick native who took his talents to the greater Toronto midget league, is another left-hand defenceman with excellent size and skating abilities. Closer to home, Sam Oliver (Rothesay-Netherwood - NB) is a strong two-way centre with high hockey IQ and an accurate shot.
ROUND 4 - BAT No. 59 overall (acquired from HFX 2020-06-03 for Robert Orr)
If the top three rated goaltenders are drafted before No. 38, this may be the next logical place to target one. Riley Mercer (Tri Pen – NL) and Cruz Loughlin (East Coast – NL) are a pair of mobile back stops from The Rock who project to be solid to outstanding goalies at the next level. Michael D'Orazio (Shattuck St. Mary’s) is a large (6’3”) goalie who has posted outstanding statistics at the prestigious prep school.
ROUND 4 - CHA No. 70 overall (acquired 2018-08-27 for Kevin Gursoy)
Drew McIntyre (Sydney – NS) is another right-handed power forward with size, grit and a lethal shot. Anthony Lavoie (Levis -QC) is a mobile left-handed defenceman out of the strong development program in Levis. Antoine Roy (Rothesay-Netherwood – NB) is another strong centre developing his skills in the RNS program.
ROUND 5 - RIM No. 88 overall (acquired 2019-06-08 in the Alexis Belisle trade)
This is where differences in opinions truly become widespread. So, we will highlight three players from the Maritimes who have generated buzz due to their size and/or skating abilities. Shayne Bjorn (Rothesay-Netherwood – QC) is a tall (6’3”) rangy winger who should only get stronger and better as he fills out. Carter Ansems (Valley – NS) also stands out of the ice with size (6’5.5”) and fluid skating – he too could develop into an imposing figure in the QMJHL. Ethan Dollemont (Rothesay-Netherwood – NB), a right-handed defenceman, is a Quispamsis native that may be a great fit in Sea Dogs blue, black and white.
Rounds 7 – 14
The Sea Dogs currently have their own draft slots in rounds 7 (120), 9 (156), 11 (192), 13 (228) and 14 (246). This is where we can expect Georgie, Stella and the scouting staff to dig deep in their search for hidden gems. If the Sea Dogs want to add another local product to the stable, Kiefer Lyons (Saint John Vitos) is a name to keep in mind. There are also a number of other outstanding prospects in New Brunswick, notably from the Moncton Flyers system.
Let the draft fun begin…
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