Player Type: Offensive leaning defenseman who respects how quickly the play can turn 

QMJHL Draft Projection: 1st to 2nd Round

Projected QMJHL Arrival: Spring 2023

Projectable Skills: Has a great release and shoots for rebound and deflection targets. Great pass selection and execution in transition.

Development Opportunities: Improving his balance with his growing frame will aide his development in many respects, notably, by making his stride more powerful and his pivot speed to defend the rush more effectively.

Mathieu Taillefer has the potential to be one of the great steals in the 2022 QMJHL draft. The sizeable blueliner seems to widely be regraded as a second-tier defenseman among this class, yet in our assessment, possesses the potential to develop into as impactful of a player both offensively and defensively as the top rearguards. Taillefer's forward skating technique seems to present one of the more noticeable curiosities for scouts who view him as a second-tier player. While his posture and stride are not quite as refined as some others listed within the first round, a growth spurt that occurred through the duration of the season likely played a part in forcing him to make adjustments. Fortunately in the way that he plays I really think that even if there is limited improvement in this regard, his impact shouldn't be reduced substantially. His long reach, smooth & agile backward mobility, as well as generally reliable gap control are prominent defensive elements, while his tendency to remain mobile, creative and most importantly engaged in his opponents zone mean that he has credible offensive potential. His pass selection is often made with game pace, which pairs nicely with his precise and powerful execution. This characteristic carries over to his shot selection, as I've often been impressed with his ability to sidestep into an optimal shooting lane and quickly release pucks low, and through traffic creating secondary scoring opportunities near the net.

The Saint-Hyacinthe right-shot defenseman has been high on our list since this summer when he stood out to us at the Quebec U16 camp, and despite some resistance to this sentiment from the “private sector” of the scouting community, we continue to see him as one of the most complete and reliable defensemen from this class. Taillefer has great footwork at the opposing blueline which enables him to keep his options open and change the angle that the goaltender is seeing the puck from. He’s cognizant of the value in his mobility as well, which really enables him to leverage it for it’s full value in creating scrum scoring opportunities when shooting through traffic, or just simply shooting the puck into the net when he sees a hole. He’s also incredibly competent when it comes to identifying and executing long-range passes from the defensive zone in order to expedite the breakout, or send a teammate flying on a quick rush.