Projection: Top-Six Power Forward

Strengths: Puck Skills, Shooting Ability, Puck Protection

Development Opportunities: Skating

The case for Halley to be an elite QMJHL power forward is so apparent, as he blends an impressive display of puck skills, vision and goal scoring ability that allowedhim to be a highly productive player for Saint-Eustache as a rookie, finishing with 40 points in 41 games. His handling ability allows him to extend his puck touches both off the rush and off the cycle, maneuvering around defenders with fluidity while also demonstrating strong puck protection ability that makes him difficult to knock off stride as he traverses the offensive zone. His shooting mechanics are among the best in this draft class, demonstrating a quick release along with great power and accuracy that allows him to be a threat to score from distance. His shooting acumen along with his heavy frame also made him a viable threat on the power play, winning battles along the halfwall to gain possession and posing as a shooting threat from the circle.

The one thing that could hold Halley back from his full potential is the skating ability, as he possesses heavy feet which limit his ability to create time and space for himself when matched up against bigger opponents. I found at the M18 level he took smart enough routes through the neutral zone that allowed him to be a decent enough puck-carrier in transition, but at the next level he’ll have even less space to operate and will probably become more of a off-puck shooting threat unless the skating improves.

Halley was one of the main offensive catalysts for Team Talbot throughout the tournament, finishing tied with the team lead in points with 7 points in 4 games. His blend of power and skill made him incredibly difficult to contain with the puck on his stick, using either his puck skills or his frame to work his way to the middle of the ice as he attacked off the rush, drew pressure towards him then kicked it outside to teammates who could then attack downhill into space. He was able to consistently beat defenders in one on one situations as well, pulling pucks around sticks while in motion to break outside then dip his shoulder to overpower them to the front of the net. Halley was also able to showcase his premiere shooting acumen on occasion, demonstrating a proclivity to find the soft spots in the offensive zone and get off quick shots that came off his blade with velocity with the ability to beat goaltenders cleanly from distance. I also thought he used his body effectively on the defensive side of things as well, checking puck-carriers off pucks in his own zone to help gain back possession and facilitate breakouts.

Halley had himself a great tournament playing alongside Héroux for a majority of it, providing strong complimentary support, playmaking acumen and shooting ability while finishing with 5 points in 4 games. He’s an excellent passer in transition, capable of stringing passes together with his linemates that facilitated controlled entries into the offensive zone. He’s not the most mobile skater, but he was able to play a part in his teams transition game as a puck-carrier by utilizing his long stride, strong puck protection technique and reach to shield pucks and extend his puck touches as a consequence to buy himself time to make a play. He was highly effective off the cycle in the offensive zone by using his frame to shield pucks from defenders, keeping his head up to spot passing options and dishing out in front to generate high-danger chances from in tight. He was a trigger man on the powerplay, playing along the halfwall and coming in down low to finish off low to high plays and beat goaltenders from distance at times.

While the less than ideal foot speed and shift-by-shift consistency still continued to plague him, there’s no denying the vast amount of potential Halley possesses. Listed as the biggest kid at this camp, Halley contains all the skill you’d normally find in a much smaller player. His hands are lightning quick, which is the main reason he’s able to be such an effective player in transition despite the skating limitations. He was able to consistently spot teammates in the neutral zone by pulling pucks through defender’s sticks, creating new angles for himself as a passer and executing difficult passes through seams. When he got the puck in the offensive zone, he was so good at carving through defenders to get to the middle of the ice, drawing multiple players towards him in the process before making a subtle yet brilliant slip pass to a wide-open teammate. I thought he did a great job off the cycle as well by using his frame to protect the puck as he circled the offensive zone and either dropping the puck back to a teammate or leveraging his skill to make a hard cut off the halfwall to get to the middle of the ice. The size and skill combination will surely have QMJHL teams frothing at the mouth if his development continues to trend upwards.

Halley’s size and skill combination made him virtually impossible to contain throughout this game. He made a great play early on in the game when he kept a puck in at the offensive blueline and made a quick pass down low to an open teammate that lead to his first primary assist. He was also moving his feet well in this game, closing in quickly on defenders and getting his stick into lanes to disrupt outlets and force turnovers in the offensive zone. On-puck I thought he excelled at getting himself into space in the offensive zone and consistently completing passes that lead to scoring chances from the slot. He scored a goal late in the third period by corralling an awkward pass and getting a shot off in a singular motion from mid-range that beat the goaltender cleanly. He left a stamp on this game late in the period when he slipped through a check while attacking off the rush and executed a backhand feed backdoor for his second assist of the game.

Using his size and power to his advantage, Halley was able to drive towards the middle of the ice on multiple occasions before funnelling pucks towards the front of the net with well-timed slip passes or quick shot attempts in tight. He displayed his combination of skill and speed to perfection late in the third period when he received a pass through the neutral zone, split two defenseman and scored an impressive breakaway goal going from forehand to backhand to beat the Team Savage netminder.

Halley was generating a lot of puck touches for himself early on in this game before tailing off a bit as the game wore on. Early on in the game he was finding plenty of space in the neutral zone, attacking the middle of the ice upon entry, drawing pressure towards him then kicking it to the outside to a teammate who could then attack downhill into space. Halley even had a few impressive sequences while attacking 1v1, especially in the first period when he was able to toe drag around a defender to the outside off the rush but was unable to finish in tight. Even when the offense started to fade, I thought he was supporting play well defensively, checking puck-carriers off the puck below the goal lie which helped facilitate exits out of the zone.

It took him roughly four periods, but it seems like Halley has finally arrived at this Québec U16 camp and is flashing the high-end offensive ability that has made him one of the more highly touted prospects out of the province this season. Although his lack of foot speed doesn’t really allow him to be an effective rush player as a puck carrier, his passing ability made him an integral part of his team’s transition game. The way he’s able to thread pucks through multiple layers to teammates in stride, in conjunction with his processing ability that gets pucks off his stick quickly, allows his team to play with tempo whenever he’s on the ice. His use of give and go’s to generate puck touches up high off the rush allowed him to flash some of his high-end puck skills to operate in congested areas and carve through defenders before executing slick passes into space. I thought he was quite effective off the cycle as well, utilizing his size to shield the puck from defenders and make intelligent short area passes to teammates while supporting the play off-puck as well. He showed off his strong shooting mechanics on the game-winning goal when he received a pass in the slot and wired a low hard shot that beat the goaltender clean.