Projection: Top-Six Center

Strengths: Skating, Playmaking, Defensive Details, Forechecking

Development Opportunities: Diversifying Approach Off the Rush, Strength

Nolann Heroux has been one of my favorite players to watch all season long, driving the offense for the Saint-Eustache Vikings as one of their youngest players. The obvious standout of his game is the skating ability, as he possesses lightning quick acceleration and straight-line speed while also being able to maintain his momentum through lateral cuts both with and without the puck. He’s consistently able to locate the proper routes up the ice as a puck-carrier, helping him facilitate zone entries at a high rate and pushing back defenders with his speed. He’s shown the ability to process the game at the speed in which he plays it, a rarity among most players who possess his toolkit. The size isn’t ideal, but I love how detailed he is in his own end, consistently supporting his defenders down low and pressuring puck-carriers to help force turnovers, which makes me more optimistic about his projection as a center at the next level.

Most of the time he’s attacking Heroux is looking to work his way wide around defenders, gain a step on them before making a quick scan and funneling a puck to the slot area. I think if he’s able to diversify his approach, incorporating a series of delays and cuts to the middle at a more consistent rate it could really help keep defenders on their toes and prevent him from being a predictable attacker.

It should come as no surprise that Héroux’s speed played a huge role in his success throughout this event. Playing alongside Liam Armit and James Scantlebury, I thought Héroux was the one driving the bus through the first couple of games, especially in transition where he was weaving around pressure effortlessly, using subtle headfakes to freeze defenders while maintaining his momentum through his lateral cuts to gain the offensive blueline. He made a few really slick passes while operating at top speed off the rush as well, turning around defenders as he attacked wide around them before slipping a puck through a seam to create a dangerous chance from the slot area. I thought his best games came when he was put at center, which allowed him to generate puck touches for himself in the middle of the ice and also helped showcase his strong defensive acumen by supporting his defenders down low and peeling up the ice to support the breakout as well. He looked to have been severely injured at the end of the tournament, and it is uncertain how long he will be out for.

Héroux established himself as one of the more dynamic offensive talents in this entire draft class with his play at this event and leading his team in scoring with 7 points in 4 games. He may very well be the best skater in the draft, demonstrating immaculate edgework that allows him to maintain his speed as he cuts and shifts along with an elite top-end speed that gives him a separation gear against opponents. He was highly effective with the puck on his stick, executing controlled exits and entries at aa high rate which made him a focal point of his team’s transition game. What impressed me the most was his ability to process the game at the speed he was operating, both in his attacking style and his playmaking. He could often exploit the body positioning of defenders by making quick lateral cuts that left them flat footed or turn them around off the rush and execute slip and hook passes to the slot area to generate dangerous chances. Despite being a smaller forward, I really liked how engaged he was in his own end by supporting the play down low, asserting himself in board battles and sometimes initiating the breakout on his own.

If they gave out an MVP award for this camp my vote would go to Héroux. He was by far the most consistent and dynamic player from start to finish at this event, demonstrating really strong play both with and without the puck and generating scoring chances at a much higher rate than his peers. When the games got sluggish and there was hardly any room to operate in the neutral zone, it was only Héroux who managed to create offense by getting in on the forecheck and turning over pucks with his speed. His quick processing ability allowed him to turn these turnovers into scoring chances by making quick centering feeds to teammates in the slot long before the defenders could even react. Even as the F2 I thought he did a great job of anticipating the play in front of him which allowed him to cut off plays along the boards and turn those into quick offense as well. As a puck carrier he was one of the few who could consistently gain separation from checkers in the neutral zone by utilizing cross overs and weight transfers to pull away and sidestep his way into space and gain the blueline. You combine all the aforementioned playmaking, processing ability and high-end skating ability and you find yourself with one of the premiere talents for the 2025 QMJHL Draft.

Before leaving the game due to injury, I found Héroux was one of the more dynamic puck carriers on the ice. He displayed some great speed and finesse while carrying pucks through the neutral zone, executing controlled entries at a high rate while also showcasing his ability to control offensive zone sequences by using his legs to extend plays along the perimeter of the offensive zone while assessing his options with the puck. His explosiveness as a skater allowed him to burst into open ice, both on and off the puck, making him a player who was often finding ways to operate with ample time and space.

As per usual, Héroux’s speed was the crux of his success throughout this game. He made his presence felt early on in the game when he picked up a puck in the neutral zone, got a step on a defender after gaining the offensive line and slipped a backhand feed to the low slot that lead to a dangerous chance in tight. He had some strong moments of passing in transition as well, threading pucks through traffic that hit a teammate in stride and allowing them to attack the zone with speed and play with tempo.

Despite being held off the scoresheet, Héroux’s overwhelming offensive toolkit allow him to be an effective player every time he steps on the ice and generate scoring chances at a high rate. It becomes more and more clear every game that he’s one of the true playdrivers of this Québec class with his ability to consistently transport the puck through the neutral zone, gain the offensive blueline and drive results in the offensive zone. He even demonstrated the ability to use his teammates effectively in order to execute zone entries by using a series of give and go’s to dish then drive into space. He was yet again extremely efficient on the forecheck, using his speed to pressure defenders, steal pucks and make quick plays to the middle of the ice. He was equally as effective along the perimeter in the offensive zone, using quick spins and pivots to create separation from defenders and make difficult passes on both his backhand and forehand to the slot.

Héroux’s quickness and tenacity were once major factors throughout. Early on in the game he was getting really active on the forecheck, limiting defenders time and space on retrievals and forcing turnovers from below the goal line. He was showing good anticipation as well as the F2 to read the intentions of the defender to cut off plays along the boards in the offensive zone and make a quick dash to the middle of the ice to generate a chance. Once again, he was one of the better transitional forwards, using powerful crossovers to build up speed in the neutral zone, gain the offensive zone and push back defenders where he would then execute drop passes to teammates in space. He set up the game winning goal by breaking up an outlet pass in the offensive zone, attacking downhill and slipping a pass to a teammate in the slot who was able to bury it.

When the game was sloppy and clogged up in the neutral zone in the first period it was Héroux who was one of the few, if not only, player who was still able to create some offense thanks to his high-end speed and tenacity on the forecheck. He forced a handful of turnovers in the first frame alone by taking good angles and using his deceptive strength to get bigger players off the puck. He was also one of the few puck carriers who could consistently gain separation in the neutral zone, which allowed him to gain the offensive blueline with possession. He made a great play on his team’s second goal of the game when he got in quick on the forecheck to disrupt a breakout, gained possession of the puck and made a quick centering pass to a teammate who buried it from in tight.