Thursday, June 29, 2023

Light year for QMJHL at NHL Draft

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The 2023 NHL Draft went pretty much as expected for the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

Only 12 players from the QMJHL heard their names called in rounds two through seven on Thursday in Nashville. No players from the league were picked in Wednesday's first round.

As expected, newly acquired Drummondville Voltigeurs forward Ethan Gauthier was the first QMJHL player selected, going in the second round, 37th overall to the Tampa Bay Lightning, a team that has frequently drafted from the Q over the years.

Moncton Wildcats offensive defensemen Etienne Morin joined Gauthier in the second round, going 48th overall to the Calgary Flames. Morin joins the likes of former Saint John Sea Dogs Jeremie Poirier and Yan Kuznetsov in Calgary's defensive prospect pool.

Here's a look at where all the QMJHL players landed in this year's NHL Draft.

Round 2, 37th overall by Tampa Bay - Ethan Gauthier (Drummondville)

Round 2, 48th overall by Calgary - Etienne Morin (Moncton)

Round 3, 77th overall by Vegas - Mathieu Cataford (Halifax)

Round 3, 83rd overall by Nashville - Dylan MacKinnon (Halifax)

Round 4, 116th overall by Seattle - Andrei Loshko (Rouyn-Noranda)

Round 4, 122nd overall by New Jersey - Cam Squires (Cape Breton)

Round 4, 128th overall by Montreal - Quentin Miller (Quebec)

Round 5, 131st overall by Chicago - Marcel Marcel (Gatineau)

Round 5, 145th overall by New York Islanders - Justin Gill (Baie-Comeau)

Round 6, 191st overall by Florida - Luke Coughlin (Rimouski)

Round 7, 199th overall by Philadelphia - Matteo Mann (Chicoutimi)

Round 7, 224th overall by Columbus - Tyler Peddle (Drummondville)

The only real surprise to be picked was Gatineau Olympiques forward Marcel Marcel, a 19-year-old who had a strong showing at the world juniors with Czechia. He was not included in NHL Central Scouting's final rankings.

Shawinigan Cataractes defenseman Jordan Tourigny, who tumbled to 123rd in NHL Central Scouting's final rankings, was not selected.

No Sea Dogs were picked. Forward Cole Burbidge was listed by many as a late round pick but ultimately was not selected. He will likely be invited to an NHL development camp in the coming days.

A few other notes from this year's NHL Draft:

  • UConn forward Matthew Wood, who went 15th overall to the Nashville Predators, has a lot of family in the Miramichi area.
  • The OHL didn't have a player chosen until No. 18 when Owen Sound's Colby Barlow went to the Winnipeg Jets. The OHL had 35 players selected in total, the most of any CHL league.
  • Bradly Nadeau of the BCHL's Penticton Vees, a native of Saint-François de Madawaska, went 30th overall to the Carolina Hurricanes. Nadeau and his brother, Josh Nadeau, are committed to play at the University of Maine in 2023-24.
  • Drummondville's Tyler Peddle was the final pick of the draft.
  • Picks by league breakdown: 
    • OHL: 35
    • WHL: 33
    • QMJHL: 12
  • The USHL had 39 players picked (which includes players from the USNTDP). 68 current or committed NCAA players were chosen.
  • A tremendous tweet from the Charlottetown Islanders during the first round.
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