Scouting Report
EVALUATED 30/05/2024
Austin Robson
Regional Scout- Eastern Canada
Projection: Top Six Forward
Projectable Skills: Processing Ability, Passing, Intelligent Forechecking
Development Opportunities: Extended puck touches, Add strength
Don’t let Rousseau’s regular season production fool you; this kid is definitely one of the more intelligent and refined offensive players in this year’s draft. His cerebral style of play allows him to play the game with pace thinking the game a step ahead of his peers and consistently knowing where he wants to put the puck before he gets it. His off-puck game in the offensive zone is among the best in this year’s class, as he constantly supports the puck, locates open pockets of ice and drives the net off the rush to create space for his teammates up high. Rousseau skill game improved drastically over the course of the year as his confidence grew, where in the latter half of the year he began to attack defenders head on and execute some crafty one on one moves to get around them. He’s played a lot of wing over the course of the year, but I can see his game translating to the center ice position at the next level, although I think he’d pan out just fine on the flanks as well.
One thing I’d like to see Rousseau develop more is to extend his puck touches. Although I’ve seen him be patient with the puck and take the space that is offered to him, he can be guilty of trying to make one touch passes when he has the time and space to operate with the puck.
Skating
7.5Puck Skills
8.5Hockey IQ
9.5Playmaking
8.5Scoring
7.5Physicality
7Defense
8.5Overall
8.14Game Reports
EVALUATED 26/05/2024Kamron Robson
Regional Scout- USA
I feel as if Rousseau’s capabilities came in flashes for the first two periods where he showcased his skill but not much was able to come from it for example, in the first period using his smooth hands while cutting across the zone he toe-dragged one defender and then followed that move by putting the puck through another defenders’ legs before letting off a backhand shot into the goalie’s glove. He started to create more consistently later in the game which led to a third period hat trick where he started attacking the blue paint more often and got rewarded with two of his three goals coming from gathering loose pucks around the net. He also showed off a sweet finishing touch on his first goal with an explosive snap shot from the inner hashmarks that beat the goalie clean and upped his team’s lead to 6-4.
Game Reports
EVALUATED 28/04/2024Kamron Robson
Regional Scout- USA
I came away very impressed with the attention to detail in Rousseau’s standout performance, as I thought he showed some good two-way promise with his effort in the defensive zone, covering the middle of the ice, getting his stick into passing lanes, and helping his defenseman below the goal line by engaging in board battles and cutting off plays towards the crease. He scored the first goal of the game on a deflection while driving to the net on a rush opportunity, using his speed to get a step on the defender and receiving a perfect pass from Dontigny to be able to finish off the play. I like the aggressiveness he played with all game, pressuring defenseman below the goal line in the offensive zone, forcing a turnover in the third period that led to a great scoring chance for Rozzi, finishing his checks on opponents, and doing a good job in the offensive system, keeping the puck moving around the zone with smart puck touches.
Player Card
- All Data is derived via 5v5 per 60 minutes rate displayed in percentile format.
- Data Courtesy of In Slat.
SIGNED:
Sherbrooke Phoenix
26/08/2024
LEAGUE PREDICTION
TEAM PREDICTION
TIMELINE
- 2024
26/08/2024
Sherbrooke Phoenix sign Thomas Rousseau
- 2024
07/06/2024
Sherbrooke Phoenix select Thomas Rousseau in the QMJHL Entry Draft