After watching this 2009-born Eastern Canadian class for the better part of two years, the time has finally come for some of them to hear their names called at the Videotron Center in Québec City over the course of this upcoming weekend. It’s been quite the rewarding experience getting to follow this group of players for the amount of time that I did, getting to see them improve and develop and turn into the players they are today. It’s only my second year scouting the QMJHL Draft for Puck Preps, but I can say that this draft class is highly impressive and will produce no shortage of high-end players at the next level. In total, 131 players cracked our final list, which you can access via the 2025 QMJHL Draft Rankings page.
A Tier of Their Own
The first thing you might notice is a new face at the top of our list in 6’4 and 200 lbs centerman Alexis Joseph, who finishes the year as our #1 prospect. Throughout most of the year he was cemented in our #2 spot due to his elite combination of size and natural talent, but I was hesitant about putting him higher because of a lack of engagement and consistency in some of my early viewings. I was enamoured with him as a 14-year-old player playing M18 last season, but I did feel there was a bit of stagnation in his game in his draft-eligible season and even spoke to some members of the scouting community who shared that sentiment. What really changed my opinion on Joseph was his play late in the season at showcases where he was pitted against players his own age. I thought he was fantastic at the QMJHL Cup in April and showed me a side of his game (physicality and defensive engagement) that I hadn’t seen for large stretches throughout the year. He was equally fantastic at the Cross Border Challenge in May, solidifying his spot at the top of my board. For the team that drafts Joseph, I think you’re getting one of the higher ceiling players to come out of the province in quite some time and a future superstar center for your franchise.
I can’t stress enough how close I came to having Stanstead defender Malik L’Italien at #1 on my board before ultimately deciding to go with Joseph. He’s been my favorite defenseman in this draft from start to finish, but it was his play at the QMJHL Cup that almost sold me on him being the best player in this draft. The physical tools are just absurd for a defender his age, combining high-end four-way mobility along with slick puck handling ability and a physical edge that allows him to command the game every time he steps over the ice. I think there will be some developmental hurdles for L’Italien, as he does try to rely on his aforementioned physical tools a bit too much, sometimes looking off teammates and trying to skate around pressure and get himself into complicated situations. Despite this, I think if were talking pure upside he’s right up there with Joseph in terms of how dominant he can be if he continues to hone out the details of his game.
Bishop Kearney Selects forward James Scantlebury was our top-ranked prospect throughout a large majority of the season, but ultimately finds himself at #3 on our final board. At the end of day Scantlebury may very well still be my favorite prospect in this entire class, combining a non-stop motor with high-end processing along with an overflowing offensive toolkit that allows him to generate chances for himself and his linemates at a very high rate. While I thought he had a strong QMJHL Cup performance, I did think some of his physical tools lagged behind the prospects we’ve mentioned above and may limit his upside compared to those two. Also, at 5’8 and 171 lbs he’s already quite filled out and I’m not entirely sure how bigger he’s going to get. Despite that, I think he has all the makings of an elite junior hockey player and could very well be the best player to come out of this class when it’s all said and done.
Tier Two: A Strong Class of Forwards
The rest of our top-10 is dominated by forwards, consisting of mostly Québec natives but being led by one of the more promising prospects to come out of Newfoundland in recent memory in Benjamin Veitch, who comes in at 5th on our final board. Veitch is one those swiss army knife players who can do whatever you ask of him, whether it by applying physical pressure on the forecheck as the F1 or utilizing his high-end shooting mechanics to be the trigger man on any line he plays on. The puck skills are impressive as well, which he combines with his 6’2 and 196 be frame to overpower defenders and get himself to the middle of the ice. I don’t know if he’s necessarily a line driver at the next level, but I do believe the physical tools and overall versatility in his game will allow him to step in right away and make a positive contribution to whatever team that drafts him.
Antoine Provencher has been one of the highest risers for us all season long and finds himself at 6th to end the year. He had a strong year for Charles-Lemoyne at the M18 Québec circuit, finishing top-5 in rookie scoring with 48 points in 40 games. He’s not the most overly creative forward, but his shrewd puck management and ability to thrive in small areas in the offensive zone will allow a coaching staff to play him in all situations and allow him to make an immediate impact once he steps into the league. He’s one of the smartest off-puck players in the entire draft as well, consistently getting himself into open ice both off the cycle and the rush and flash strong finishing ability from around the net.
Zack Arsenault comes in at 7th on our final board and is one of the weirder case studies from this year’s class. The first half of his season was one of the best we’ve seen from a draft-eligible player in quite some team, scoring 24 goals and 40 points in just his first 23 games before going down with a wrist injury. He didn’t quite look the same when he came back, although I thought he was decent enough in the playoffs before a porous QMJHL Cup performance ultimately put him behind some other prospects. The goal scoring ability is still nearly second to none in this class, and the overall potential with a player of his ilk is still sky high, but there’s definitely more risk involved at this juncture in his development.
Rounding out our top-10 is two Saint-Eustache forwards in Loik Gariépy and Louis-Étienne Halley, coming in at 9th and 10th respectively. Gariépy may be a surprise to some, but after coming back from injury in mid-December he has continued to get better and better throughout the season, and there were even a few games in the playoffs where I thought he was driving the bus on a line with both Halley and Nolann Héroux (11th). The individual skill is pretty high-end in moments, as he possesses the puck skills that allows him to consistently beat defenders in 1v1 situations and gain access to dangerous areas of the ice. The sample size is smaller than with most prospects in this draft, but the steep developmental climb he’s gone on since the new year should have teams excited about his potential. Halley on the other hand is your prototypical power forward, possessing a large frame at 6’3 and 183 lbs to go along with impressive puck skills and one of the better shots in the entire draft that allows him to score from range. The foot speed is going to have to improve to be impactful at the next level, but he’s shown some progression in that area throughout the year and I’d be willing to bet on the overall size and skill combination.
Top Defenders in the Class
The overall defense class for this year’s draft isn’t necessarily strong, but there are some really intriguing names towards the top of my board that I think could have really impactful junior careers. Aside from L’Italien, our next top ranked defender in this year’s class is Shattuck St. Mary’s Thomas Charbonneau, who comes in at 4th overall. He’s just such a steadying presence on the backend, combining strong mobility which he uses in conjunction with his reach to shut down plays off the rush on a consistent basis. His first pass out of the defensive zone is already so advanced for a player his age, which allows him to consistently get pucks out of his own zone and help facilitate his teams transition game. There may not be a more projectable defender in this entire class, but overall his lack of creativity in the offensive zone ultimately puts him behind someone like L’Italien for me.
The third and final defender in our top-10 is Newfoundland native Quinn Norman, who comes in at 8th overall. Ultimately, the team that drafts Norman is getting the best skater in the entire draft class, a tool that he knows how to use effectively to drive play in the right direction from the backend. His performance at the QMJHL Cup turned a lot of heads and I think really helped cement himself in a tier of his own among defenders behind L’Italien and Charbonneau. He’ll have to continue to work his on his reads in transition and his puck-moving consistency, but I think if you’re looking for a defender early in the draft, you’d be hard pressed to find one with the potential that Norman possesses.
The only other defender in our first round is Julien Nadeau, coming in at 18th on our board, a player who also suffered an injury this season but who’s performance late in the season has made him impossible to ignore. He’s a very solid rush defender who shows great timing along with a physical edge to step up on puck-carriers at the defensive blueline in order to deny zone entries at a high rate. His confidence in the offensive zone as grown immensely throughout the course of the year, as he combines a hard and heavy shot from the point along with some deceptive tactics in order to shake pressure and get himself into space down low. I think his play at the Cross Border Challenge only solidified him as a top QMJHL Draft prospect, as I thought the was the second best defender on that U16 Québec team behind L’Italien.
It’s been a blast following this 2009-born Eastern Canadian class, and I hope my thought process throughout was as transparent as it could possibly be. If ever you want to talk hockey you can always reach out via twitter @ARobScouting or via email austinrobson63@gmail.com. Thanks for following along, and I hope everyone sticks around in preparation for our 2026 QMJHL Draft coverage.