Capping off our 2025 QMJHL Draft coverage were taking a look at the four teams from the Central Division and how feel they all fared on draft day. Among those teams are the Drummondville Voltigeurs, Shawinigan Cataractes, Sherbrooke Phoenix and the Victoriaville Tigres. Thanks for following along this season and can’t wait to get started on our 2026 QMJHL Draft coverage, which should begin as early as this summer.
Drummondville Voltigeurs
The Voltigeurs didn’t have a pick until the 3rd round, where they selected Notre-Dame forward Alexy Lafleur with the 45th overall selection. We had Lafleur right around where Drummondville ended up taking him; a tall and lanky player with good offensive ability that has room to fill out and add another physical dimension to his game. The point totals wont wow you, with 11 in 37 games, but I really liked his progression as the year wore on and his performance at the QMJHL Cup helped solidify him as a top-50 talent in this year’s class. With the 55th overall selection the Voltigeurs got one of the better goaltenders in the entire draft in Mathys Fortin. The 6’4 and 163 lbs netminder played 21 games for the Saint-Eustache Vikings this season, putting up a 3.08 GAA and .906 SV% to go along with an 11-8-0 record. He’ll likely head back to the Vikings for 2025-26 season before making the jump to the QMJHL in 2026-27 and battle for the starting job in Drummondville. I really liked their 4th round selection where they took Laval-Montréal forward Loic Brunet at 60th overall. We had him pegged as a late second round pick thanks to his shrewd puck distribution and solid physical tools, but his lack of one outstanding characteristic may be the reason why he slipped in the draft. I think he’s the type of player who could fit into a QMJHL lineup right away and find some success, but I wouldn’t mind seeing him head back to Laval-Montréal for the 2025-26 season, take on a bigger offensive role and try to add some creativity to his arsenal.
Favorite Pick: Loic Brunet
3-45 Alexy Lafleur (F)- Notre-Dame Albatros
3-55 Mathys Fortin (G)- Saint-Eustache Vikings
4-60 Loic Brunet (F)- Laval-Montréal Rousseau-Royal
4-61 Xavier Cormier (D)- Bishop’s College Varsity
5-75 Dérik Morin (F)- Trois-Rivières Estacades
6-101 Cooper Campbell (D)- Lovell Academy
8-144 Antoine Robichaud (F)- Gatineau L’Intrépide
9-162 Thomas Favreau (F)- Richelieu Gaulois M17
10-180 Ethan Fitzpatrick (F)- Northwood School
11-198 Mathieu Lemieux (D)- Richelieu Gaulois M17
12-216 Gavin Callahan (D)- Mount St. Charles 16U
Shawinigan Cataractes
The Cataractes had themselves a really solid draft, especially in the first few round where theyre selections aligned quite well with our own draft board. They surprised a few people with their first pick, taking local talent Frédéric Bergeron at 15th overall. Although we had Bergeron as more of an early 2nd rounder, you’d be hard pressed to find a more detailed and intelligent 200-foot centerman in this entire class. Bergeron has all the tools to be able to step into a QMJHL lineup right away, and although the offensive production may never be elite, I think he’ll be able to carve out a career as a dependable middle-six centerman in the QMJHL. Getting Malik Desrochers at 35th overall supplied them with great value late in the second round (we had him at 26th) and allowed them to add a pesky and tenacious forward with some serious goal scoring upside if all things break right. He’ll need another year in M18 for Sant-Hyacinthe to continue to develop physically, where I expect he’ll be one of the top producers for the Gaulois. At 41st the Cataractes took Magog defenseman Yoan Carrier, a player who was expected to go much higher in the draft although he went right around where we had him on our board. Carrier is a player who is still honing out his offensive game but shows a willingness to activate and engage as much as he can in order to garner puck touches for himself, all while supplying a physical and steadying presence on the defensive side of things. I think he’s a guy who definitely earns a QMJHL spot sooner than later, but the offensive progression will dictate just how far up a depth chart he plays. Grabbing Nathan Ouellet at 51stth overall was yet another solid value pick for Shawinigan in the 3rd round. Ouellet absolutely terrorized the M17 circuit towards the end of the year, especially in the playoffs where he finished with 14 GOALS in 8 games (17 points in total). I expect him to have a really strong year for Séminaire St-François next season if he opts to play there and he could potentially join the Cataractes either halfway through 2025-26 season or full time in 2026-27.
Favorite Pick: Nathan Ouellet
1-15 Frédéric Bergeron (F)- Trois-Rivières Estacades
2-35 Malik Desrochers (F)- Saint-Hyacinthe Gaulois
3-41 Yoan Carrier (D)- Magog Cantonniers
3-51 Nathan Ouellet (F)- Québec As M17
4-71 Simon Chartier (F)- Lévis Chevaliers
5-82 Benjamin Corso (D)- Amos Forestiers
5-86 Louis-Émile Dumais (F)- Séminaire St. François Blizzard
5-89 Dax Robichaud (G)- Fredericton Caps
6-98 Cedrik Goyèche (F)- Lanaudière Pionniers M17
6-106 Kamden Jackson (G)- Seacoast Performance Academy 15U
6-107 Isaak Bérubé (D)- Moncton Flyers
9-149 Justin Cloutier (D)- Jonquière Élites
10-179 Nathan Kydd (F)- Cole Harbour Hunters
11-197 Hayden Gagnon (F)- Lanaudière Pionniers M17
12-215 Jesse Satov (G)- Lac St Louis Lions Black M17
Sherbrooke Phoenix
The Phoenix nabbed themselves a potential top-six forward with the 16th overall pick by selection Saint-Hyacinthe forward Emrick Nolette-Robidoux. There’s no denying Nolette-Robidoux’s array of offensive tools, from his high-end puck skills, vision and deceptive playmaking acumen that allow him to consistently connect on passes to the middle of the ice from off the wall. The one thing that will currently hold him back from reaching his potential in the QMJHL is the skating ability, which at the current moment prohibits him from generating space for himself using his feet. I think he’ll be best served under the tutelage of QMJHL development coaches next year in order to improve, and I think the skill level is good enough to slot him in as a middle-six forward right away. I was a bit surprised by the selection of Raphael Dupré in the 2nd round at 32nd overall, a player we had pegged more as a 4th-5th round pick. That being said, I can definitely the appeal in a player like Dupré, who is a physically developed and speedy north-south skater who can create off the forecheck and is difficult to knock off stride. Another year with Esther-Blondin will do him some good as he takes on an expanded offensive role perhaps add some other offensive elements to his game. Getting Cameron Haye at 47th was fantastic work by the Phoenix brass, one of the more tenacious players in the entire draft. We had Haye ranked at 22nd overall after a strong season with the South Kent 15U squad and an impressive showing at the end of the year at the QMJHL Cup. He was a pretty high pick in the USHL Draft to the Dubuque Fighting Saints, which may have scared some teams away, but if he ends up reporting to the Phoenix this could be seen as a massive steal in the future. A mid-round pick I really liked as well for Sherbrooke was their selection of another Saint-Hyacinthe forward Elliot Bibeau-Rivard at 65th overall. He’s one of the better skaters in the entire draft, using his quickness consistently to disrupt plays all over the ice and create turnovers which lead to puck touches for himself and his linemates. The offense ceiling may not be massive, but I think there’s a real pathway to him being a highly effective bottom-six penalty killer for the Phoenix throughout his QMJHL career.
Favorite Pick: Cameron Haye
1-16 Emrick Nolette-Robidoux (F)- Saint-Hyacinthe Gaulois
2-32 Raphael Dupré (F)- Esther-Blondin Phénix
3-47 Cameron Haye (F)- South Kent Selects 15U
3-56 Kurt Beck (D)- Boston Jr. Eagles 15U
4-57 Kaiden Donia (D)- Groton School
4-65 Elliot Bibeau-Rivard (F)- Saint-Hyacinthe Gaulois
7-119 Samuel Rodrigue (G)- CCL Dynamiques M17
7-122 Mason St. Louis (F)- Brunswick School
8-137 Mathis Bernier (D)- Magog Cantonniers
10-173 Jérémy Quevillon (D)- Amos Forestiers
11-191 Parker Banks (F)- Stanstead College Prep
12-219 Zachary Poitras (G)- Triolet Harfangs M17
Victoriaville Tigres
With their first pick in the draft at 11th overall the Tigres took forward Deryk Lemaire, a mature and physical player out of the Magog Cantonniers program. We had Lemaire pegged as more of a late first rounder, but I do think the overall projectability of his game made him highly attractive to teams in this range. I think he’ll be able to step into the Tigres’ lineup right away and make an impact as bottom-six forward, although I’m a bit more hesitant on the offensive upside long term. I thought their second-round pick was a homerun of a selection, taking Saint-Eustache forward Loik Gariépy. Gariépy’s season started a bit later than most as he dealt with an injury in the first half of the year, but his steep developmental progression over the year made him one of my favorite prospects by the years end, finishing at 9th overall on our board. He possesses some of the best hands in the entire class along with a strong playmaking acumen that could make him a top-six forward for Victoriaville in the not so distant future. Another pick I really liked for them was their selection of Louis-Félix Guay in the 4th round at 62nd overall. Guay was the most productive U16 defender in the Québec M18 circuit this year, finishing with 25 points in 42 games and flashing high-end puck rushing capabilities from the backend. I think he’s one of the more deceptive and capable puck distributors in the entire draft from the offensive blueline inwards, and has the potential to become an effective contributor from the backend while quarterbacking the Tigres’ top power unit in the future, although he’ll need at least another year with Saint-Hyacinthe to hone out the defensive details in his game.
Favorite Pick: Loik Gariépy
1-11 Deryk Lemaire (F)- Magog Cantonniers
2-19 Loik Gariépy (F)- Saint-Eustache Vikings
2-34 Maxime Dodier (D)- Polyvalent de Thetford Mines
4-62 Louis-Félix Guay (D)- Saint-Hyacinthe Gaulois
4-63 Alexis Desroches (F)- Gatineau L’Intrépide
5-88 Alexis Guévin (F)- Trois-Rivières Estacades
6-96 Vincent Deveault (F)- Esther-Blondin Phénix
7-11 Christopher Kelly (F)- Lac St Louis Lions
7-121 Antoine Chidiac (G)- Laval-Montréal Rousseau-Royal
8-129 Thomas Laprise (D)- Richelieu Gaulois M17
8-135 Zakary Savoie (F)- Nanaimo Clippers
9-147 Henri Côté (F)- Séminaire St. François Blizzard
12-201 Thomas Corriveau (G)- Collège Claretain M18 D1
12-214 Édouard Borne (F)- Séminaire St. François M18 D1