The time has finally arrived. After eight months of watching, note taking and write ups the 2024 QMJHL Draft is merely a week away, and with that comes the release of our final rankings for the 2008-born class. From the first stage of the QMJHL Cup all the way until now, it has been a privilege to get to watch these players grow and develop and I am very excited for so many of them to get to hear their name called on draft day.
With this being my first year scouting a draft class from start to finish, I don’t really have much experience to fall back on to grade the work I’ve done throughout the year. It was difficult trying to establish my own scouting philosophy while also trying to forge better time management skills when it comes to watching and evaluating players. I can honestly say this project has been one of the more arduous yet rewarding and fulfilling tasks I’ve had the opportunity to complete over a long period of time. It was made a lot easier by the help of everyone on the Puck Preps staff.
This article will be my closing thoughts on this year’s draft class as I try to justify some of my opinions at the top end of my rankings, provide you with some names to keep an eye out for in the middle rounds and also highlighting some honourable mentions at the end of the article.
My Take on First Overall and the Consensus
There was plenty of movement in our rankings from start to finish, with a group of 8-10 players swirling around the top ten range for the majority of the season. The only constant throughout the year was Shattuck St Mary’s forward Tynan Lawrence who held the #1 spot on our list from start to finish. If he were to report, which seems improbable since has tendered in the USHL with the Muskegon Lumberjacks, Lawrence has the all the tools to be a premiere #1 center in the QMJHL, including the smarts, skill and defensive acumen. In my opinion, he’ll be the biggest wildcard on draft day.
The other player I would consider taking at first overall is Trois-Rivières forward Chad Lygitsakos, who finds himself at 2nd on our list. The diminutive yet dynamic forward had a scorching end to the year, which was capped off by dominant performances at the QMJHL Cup and Cross Border Challenge where I thought he was the best player at both events. Lygitsakos brings a game-breaking element that I haven’t seen throughout the rest of the draft class, which makes me secure in my projection that he will be a first line playdriver at the next level.
At the end of the day it doesn’t matter what I would do at first overall, but what will actually happen on draft day. With the Remparts recently trading up to acquire first overall, the highly likely scenario is that they will select Quinte Red Devils forward Maddox Dagenais, who we have 7th on our list. Dagenais possesses a really intriguing size and skill combination that give him one of the highest ceilings in this year’s class. We discuss the pros and cons in Dagenais’ game extensively in our end of season assessment on his player profile page.
An Interesting Top Tier of Defensemen
There are four defenseman who I considered classifying as the best defender in this draft, namely Alexandre Taillefer (3rd), Cameron Chartrand (6th), Benjamin Cossette-Ayotte (8th) and Biagio Jr. Daniele (12th). What makes this group so interesting is the diversity of their strengths, as they each bring something different to the table.
Ultimately, I settled on Taillefer as the best defender in this class. This may sway from public consensus, but I believe his overall toolkit and upward developmental trajectory separates him ever so slightly from the rest of the class. If it came down to it, he would be the defender I’d be pushing my team to select first.
As of now the consensus #1 defender seems to be Cossette-Ayotte. His aggressive style of defending mixed with his excellent vision from the offensive blueline definitely make him an interesting defender. I do believe that his foot speed is a developmental area for him, although the payoff is high if the team that selects him can help in that regard.
High Risers
The top 10-12 range hasn’t changed much since the new year, when a specific group of players started to establish themselves as the cream of the crop in this class. The one player who was able to break into this tier in the final edition of our rankings is St Eustache forward Thomas Rousseau, who jumped ten spots from 15th to 5th. The cerebral and skilled winger was one of the main catalysts for a team who managed a semi-final berth in the M18 Québec circuit playoffs, finishing with 14 points in 11 games. Going back and rewatching some of his playoff games made it clear to me that he’s one of the more intelligent players in this class and that he possesses more skill than I originally anticipated. He may not go as high as I have him here, but I think he’ll make a team quite happy on draft day.
Benjamin Olivier was another player who saw a significant rise in our rankings, going from 27th to 14th. I realized I may have lowered him a bit too much after what I thought was a sub-par QMJHL Cup performance. After going back a taking a look of some of the tape for his club team, I was instantly reminded at how much he drove the bus consistently for whatever line he was on. Olivier has been one of my personal favorites throughout the entirety of the year and I’m excited to see where he ends up on draft day.
Ryan Howard is a player who I’ve been hot and cold on throughout the year. At his best he’s a player who imposes himself physically, is heavy on the forecheck and plays a fast north-south offensive game with a heavy shot off the rush. There are times where he can fade into the background when his physical game isn’t up to snuff, which does make me wonder about his projection as a top-six forward at the next level. In the end, I decided to bump him up from 30th to 16th after a strong QMJHL Cup and Cross Border Challenge showing (although he only played two games at the latter). With Howard I see a player with a very high floor who’s going to be able to help your team no matter what, even if it’s in a bottom-six role. When you’re drafting the first round you definitely don’t want to miss, and with Howard you’re getting someone who is definitely going to play and impact the game at the next level.
Jean-Samuel Daigneault is another player who earned a decent uptick in this final ranking, going from 33rd to 19th. His play at the Cross Border Challenge was spectacular, as I thought he demonstrated the ability to use his high-end toolkit more effectively to impact play in the offensive zone. The production definitely won’t wow you in any way shape or form, but the skating and size combination in conjunction with the daredevil approach I saw at the end of the year make me more optimistic that he’ll be more than just a rangy stay at home defender at the next level.
Some Last-Minute New Entries
The highest new entry player on our list is easily Liam Dubé who makes his debut at 29th. The dual Canada/Switzerland native has been playing for Gottéron’s U17 club throughout the year, putting up 49 points in 40 games which was good enough for second in league scoring. It is yet to be confirmed if Dubé will make the jump to the QMJHL next year or if he will remain in Switzerland, where his father coaches HC Fribourg-Gottéron, to continue his development. He was a tough player to scout this season as he played all of his hockey on a larger ice surface, making our projection of his game a bit more difficult. He’s not the swiftest of skaters, but he easily compensates for this with his intelligent puck managing and high-end playmaking ability. The real question for Dubé will be whether he can continue to successfully implement his style of play when his time and space becomes much more limited on a smaller ice surface.
Victor-Morrissette Richer, a player who I had a difficult time getting tape of due to him playing in the Québec high school circuit, makes his first appearance on our list this year at 57th after a very strong QMJHL Cup performance. The 6’0 and 174 lbs forward combines good puck shielding and offensive ability to operate in the offensive zone and create offense while under pressure. He may need a year or two to develop outside of junior hockey, but I’m a real believer in the upside.
Our highest ranked re-entry player is Charlie Morrison from Champions Hockey Academy U17, who slides in at 83rd on our list. The 6’2 and 181 lbs defender recently suited up for the Miramichi Timberwolves at the Junior A National Championships, where he showed some intriguing offensive upside from the backend. His October birthday makes him a very young re-entry as well and leaves him a longer developmental road than most 2007-born players in this draft.
Honourable Mentions
There were plenty of players who I wanted to include on our final list that I just wasn’t able to find room for. Almost all of the players mentioned below I could be persuaded to place on my list, and it was definitely tough to leave some of these names out of our rankings. Having said that, these are all players I believe and who I expect to be drafted on June 8th.
Alex Allain (F) – South Kent Selects 15U AAA
Nicholas Basque-Christmas (D) – Sydney Rush
Noah Boily (D) – Beauce-Appalaches Canam M17
Xavier Bourdages (F) – Châteauguay Grenadiers
Malik Bourque-Vigneault (D) – Team Maryland 15U AAA
Frédérik Brisebois (F) – Collège Charles-Lemoyne Riverains
Jacob Christianson (D) – Gatineau L’Intrépide
Angelo Jr. Colletti (F) – Laval-Montréal Rousseau Royal
Gavin Connors (F) – East Coast Blizzard
Charles-Antoine Dallaire (D) – Saguenay Lac St-Jean Bleu et Or M17
Brody Dawson (F) – Sydney Rush
Elliot Deslisle (F) – Québec Blizzard M17
William Frenette (F) – Collège Charles-Lemoyne Riverains
Justin Gagnon (F) – Sherbrooke Harfangs M17
Zack Miller (F) – Laval-Montréal Rousseau Royal
Wassim Rabbath (D) – Châteauguay Grenadiers
Samuel Roy (F) – Collège Charles-Lemoyne Riverains
Charles Simard (D) – Jonquière Elites
Luca Stasi (F) – Lac St Louis Lions
George Tsatas (D) – Lac St Louis Lions
For more detailed scouting and game reports on each player in our top 100, visit the 2024 QMJHL Draft Rankings Page.