Scouting Report
EVALUATED 18/04/2023
Brayden Olafson
Head of Eastern Canada Scouting
At the beginning of the season, I was certainly not in the camp of folks who would’ve considered Emile Guite to be a contestant to be selected first overall, but throughout the course of the year, and especially in the last couple of months, my views have changed drastically. This is a player who I truly think has the potential to evolve into the best junior players of the group. Whether that trajectory continues on to the professional level, I’m not quite as certain, but at the end of the day this is about who will have the biggest impact on their junior organization. When it comes to Emile’s likely path to maximum success, the elements I consider key are things like his adaptability under pressure, his ability to execute with precision and without hesitation, as well as the wide array of foundational technical skills that enable him to do so. Despite his generous size and reach, his puck handling is discreet and precise. His strides, while not necessarily the most visually appealing, are in fact efficient. From shift to shift he’s able to remain creative and unpredictable, utilizing many of the same tactics and strategies as his 1st overall competitors, such as the ability to manipulate pace in transition, identify narrow and evolving pass seams, and cross through traffic with reliable control of the puck. Next to Nathan Lacompte, I would likely consider Guite to be the second most lethal shooter in the class, largely because of how quickly he can act to catch his opposing defenders and goalies off guard. He also applies similar tactics to channel his opponents into the lane of his choosing while moving with agility and pace on the forecheck. While there may be more uncertainty with Guite’s projection than anyone else in this conversation, I think there could also be the most potential for offensive upside, goal scoring and versatility. In any case, he’ll be one of the most fascinating players to follow over the next couple years.
Skating
7Puck Skills
8.5Hockey IQ
8.5Playmaking
8.5Scoring
9Physicality
8.5Defense
7.5Overall
8.21Scouting Report
EVALUATED 05/01/2023 Brayden Olafson
Head of Eastern Canada Scouting
This month the player who proved my early-season assessments to be insufficient over and over again was St-Hyacinthe forward Emile Guite. Flanking one of the other most highly-touted forwards in the class, our 4th ranked Caleb Desnoyers, Guite has regularly been the most impactful player on his line, driving pace in transition and making himself available as a threat in open ice. He seeks creative lanes to make himself available or to carry the puck and has both great vision and creative thinking to deceive his opponents. With all of these tools in addition to his mature frame, this might not be the last jump that Guite makes in our rankings before draft day.
Skating
8Puck Skills
8.5Hockey IQ
8Playmaking
8Scoring
8Physicality
8Defense
7Overall
7.93Game Reports
EVALUATED
Donesh Mazloum
Regional Scout - Western Canada
Guite had himself a game and is putting together a mighty impressive tournament. He finished with two goals and an assist on the night and sits at first in the tournament in goals and second in points. His two goals came on almost identical powerplay one-timers 22 seconds apart in the last minute of the second period to ice the Swedes chances. His assist was a pretty backhand saucer off the wall into the slot that Desnoyers buried. His prowess and comfort level on the backhand was something I noticed throughout the game as he shows impressive zip both when passing and when shooting off the backhand.
Game Reports
EVALUATED
Noah Poirier
Regional Scout - USA
Another young talented playing in Chicoutimi, Guite might just be one of the best pure goal scorers in this tournament. He and Caleb Desnoyers chemistry carried right over from their time last year in St.Hyacinthe U18 with Desnoyers playing set up man to Guite every chance they could in this game. Guite opened the scoring in the first on the powerplay from his position by the right faceoff dot as Desnoyers found him cross seam and Emile had enough time to walk in and rifle a shot far side for the tally. He also grabbed an assist on the game tying goal as he got the puck at the same spot but instead of shooting to score, he pressured the defenders in and fired a low shot which was redirected by Cole Temple.
Game Reports
EVALUATED Donesh Mazloum
Regional Scout - Western Canada
Guite is an intriguing player and is one I’ll continue to focus on as the tournament progresses. He started this game strong, scoring Canada White’s first goal with a really slick and perfectly placed forehand-backhand deke past the outstretched goalkeeper, and he continued to show flashes of offence throughout the game. He’s at his best off-puck where he has a good sense of timing as he cuts into lanes and has a feel for when to sag off contact to gain separation as a passing option. He had some curious moments with the puck on his stick where he struggled to problem solve as effectively but I think the tools are there for him to be a point producer for this team.
Game Reports
EVALUATED Donesh Mazloum
Regional Scout - Western Canada
Guite is an intriguing player and is one I’ll continue to focus on as the tournament progresses. He started this game strong, scoring Canada White’s first goal with a really slick and perfectly placed forehand-backhand deke past the outstretched goalkeeper, and he continued to show flashes of offence throughout the game. He’s at his best off-puck where he has a good sense of timing as he cuts into lanes and has a feel for when to sag off contact to gain separation as a passing option. He had some curious moments with the puck on his stick where he struggled to problem solve as effectively but I think the tools are there for him to be a point producer for this team.
Game Reports
EVALUATED
Brayden Olafson
Head of Eastern Canada Scouting
Voted MVP of the tournament earlier in the week, Emile Guite's continued to give reasons to enforce the excitement about his lethal release. While the Gaulois were short on even-strength opportunities early in the game, Guite executed a number of high quality shots to keep the tug-of-war for momentum relatively even. He's often able to get his shot off before any of his opponents even recognize that he's taken possession. He was great at finding pockets of space on the rush so that he was available to get a shot off. He was quick and efficient when it came to pulling pucks from congestion and used some nifty, but subtle puck handling to evade pressure as he selected his skating lanes. He often deferred to linemates in transition but could be relied on to make a few key passes to get the puck to where it needed to be. Shortly after SSF opened the scoring, Guite's ability to recognize and pounce on loose pucks came into paly as he jumped on a backdoor rebound from Rapheal Precourt and fired the puck into the back of the net.
Game Reports
EVALUATED Brayden Olafson
Head of Eastern Canada Scouting
Guite's feet haven't been particularly quick in transition, but he was able to make some really nice long range cross-seam passes on the rush in lieu. His nifty stickhandling in tight spaces help him to extend possession while making headway simultaneously. He has done a great job crossing the zone with possession to find himself a pocket of space to distribute from & generally seems to be the top Gaulois today. He's made some super dangerous passes, finding space for himself to do it with very discreet but powerful movements. His puck handling is so slick and unpredictable. He has such a high degree of technical skill that he maximizes by changing pace, and using different elements on every shift, & always doing something different to keep his opponents guessing. He had a clutch goal late in the game to tie things up 2-2. Wrist shot from the slot that he just punched through the goalie.
Game Reports
EVALUATED
Joel Henderson
Head of Scouting
If you only watched the highlight goal where Emile dragged to his backhand and roofed the puck in the slot, you’d understand how someone might think his potential was high. He’s not a player who panics often whether on a D zone recovery or by scanning his options in the offensive zone. He keeps his head up, scans, calibrates, and chooses. He’ll catch you off guard too with quick spins and releases from distance if he thinks the goaltender’s vision is taken away.
Game Reports
EVALUATED Joel Henderson
Director of Scouting
Probably the most impressive sequence was when he pulled a puck off the half wall and managed to immediately accelerate into the middle for an opportunity. It showed me that his hands are quicker, he reads pressure well, and he can capitalize on that open space no matter the situation. I like watching players who aren’t cookie cutter with their offensive strategy. Emile seemed to see the space open to him and was willing to adapt his game accordingly. He made a one-on-one move to hesitate in his play in unconventional moments. I like the creativity.
Game Reports
EVALUATED
Jordan Malette
Regional Scout - Ontario
Guité was mainly a benefactor from playing with Desnoyers & Carrier, as they did most of the heavy lifting in transition. Emile was mainly the final touch on an offensive sequence, which suited him well, as the primary skill I noticed in his arsenal was his shot. He didn’t need much time or space to drag and unleash a lethal wrist shot. Paired with his shot, Emile was always looking to find open space for a pass, resulting in being wide-open for two one-timers that Emile wired home. Outside of his shooting ability, he did display some flashes of playmaking and individual skills. In small areas, notably on the half-wall, he excelled using quick puck movements to evade defenders and create space for himself.
Game Reports
EVALUATED Chase Allen
Regional Scout - USA
Getting things started for us in this one was Emile Guite. Wiring a shot short-side on the powerplay to open the scoring, his shot came off his stick with incredible velocity and found the back of the net in no-time. Later in the first period he took a defender 1-on-1 off the right-side as he attacked with speed he got them turning ever so slightly to gain a step and pull off a deke that let him get around his man before corralling the puck back to his forehand, enabling him to get a shot off in tight. Seeing that he’s capable of pulling off these 1-on-1 moves with speed and seemingly out of nowhere it would’ve been nice to see him try and execute a few more of these moves in this one. Later in the game he had a very nice net-drive, where he dropped the shoulder and managed to carve out some space for himself as he opened up enough space to get a shot away. Once again, another situation where I felt as if he continued to rush the puck himself and either crash the net or try and use his skill to create some space, would have him likely as a Game Rating score of 4 opposed to a 3.5, but it’s very close nonetheless. A final note, Guite continued to flash his shooting talent with 2 heavy one-timers on the right-side of the ice on the powerplay. Keeping the feet sturdy whilst unloading with strong rotational force in the torso, he has a bomb of a one-timer.
Game Reports
EVALUATED Brayden Olafson
Head of Eastern Canada Scouting
There are certainly times when this kid plays like he’s ready for the next level. There are some players who impress me by their ability to recognize white space in transition, but I’m not sure if there are many 15-year-olds who’ve impressed me as much with their ability to see white space at high-pace in the offensive zone. Guite’s creativity and decision making pace in the offensive zone made it look easy for the Gaulois to get the puck to the middle of the ice and generate high-quality shots on net. Individually, he possesses a high quality shot of his own that he gets plenty of use with. He’s able to get himself to the middle of the rush and change the angle of his shot to get around defenders and keep the goaltender guessing. Of late he’s been one of the top forwards in the 2007 class.
Game Reports
EVALUATED Brayden Olafson
Head of Eastern Canada Scouting
In spot-instances I thought Guite could be a valuable player in transition, using his ability to manipulate speed and position to help scramble his opponents and open lanes. He also played well away from the puck, positioning his stick well to block lanes and create turnovers.
Player Card
- All Data is derived via 5v5 per 60 minutes rate displayed in percentile format.
- Data Courtesy of In Slat.
SIGNED:
Chicoutimi Saguenéens
01/09/2023
LEAGUE PREDICTION
-
CHL
Confirmed
100%
TEAM PREDICTION
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Chicoutimi Saguenéens
Confirmed
100%
TIMELINE
- 2023
01/09/2023
Chicoutimi Saguenéens sign Émile Guité
- 2023
10/06/2023
Émile Guité drafted by the Chicoutimi Sagueneens