The end of October brings about another update to our 2025 QMJHL Draft rankings. The central focus of our coverage this month was the first phase of the QMJHL Cup, where all the best 2009-born Atlantic players got together to represent their provinces in a round-robin style tournament. I always try to not be too overzealous at events like these because at the end of the day they are a small sample size of these players who will continue to develop throughout the year; but what I can say is that this Atlantic Canadian class looks stronger than previous years and lead to a handful of them finding their way into my top 25. I was able to catch a handful of M18 Québec games as well, which kept me up to date on how the class was doing, but I do hope to get out more game reports in that respect to stabilize the content on both sides of the aisle. With the Monctonian happening this month, I’m excited to get a deeper look at the Atlantic class and get viewings on players who didn’t attend the Q Cup. There was no shakeup within our top 8 players, as I didn’t think anyone outperformed or underperformed their position, however I do expect some players to creep in and out of that tier as the season progresses.
New Faces in the Top 10
Two new players were able to find their way into our top 10 this month, that being Saint-Eustache winger Louis-Étienne Halley (9th) and Newfoundland defender Quinn Norman (10th), who’s playing for the Vaughan Kings in the GTHL this season. While it did take me a while to warm up to Halley and his style of play, my viewings of him this month left me thoroughly impressed. He’s not necessarily a playdriver, but his ability to process the game at high speeds, execute difficult feeds in transition and use his body effectively in the cycle are all traits that I think can translate to the next level. He’s picked up 14 points through his first 15 games and has adapted well to the pace of play despite some of his skating limitations.
Norman was the best defenseman I saw at the QMJHL Cup this past month. He may possess some of the best edgework in the entire draft class, which allows him to thrive in transition and shake forechecking pressure with relative ease. I’ve seen a game of his with Vaughan where I thought he was their best defenseman as well, and he’s even earned some positive reviews from our Ontario scout Jordan Malette early on in the season as well. While it may be a bit lofty to place him this high, no defenseman has gotten me as excited over his potential so far this year, and I’m willing to bet on his developmental runway especially playing for a program like Vaughan that has produced some notable defenders over the years.
High Debuts
Toronto Marlboros U16 forward Maxwell Branton was our highest debut player outside of the top 10, coming in at 11th on our list. While my viewings on him early on have been mixed, there’s no denying the overall skill and tactical playmaking approach he brings to the game. There is some speculation on whether he’ll even be available for the QMJHL Draft, as he’s spent the last two seasons in Ontario territory and may very well opt for the OHL Draft. Time will tell, but for now he looks like a potential first-round pick if he chooses the QMJHL route.
Elliot Bibeau-Rivard is one of the four Saint-Hyacinthe Gaulois forwards to make our list this month, coming in at 14th. It’s been a long time coming for Bibeau-Rivard, who I’ve been a big fan of since I first saw him at the CCM Challenge last year. He possesses one of the better skating strides in the entire class, which allows him to be an effective puck-carrier in transition and drive play for his line. The production hasn’t necessarily come along like some of his counterparts, but he’s impressed me with nearly every viewing and I’m a firm believer in the translatability of his game.
At 16th we have our fourth Newfoundland native in Cameron Haye, who plays for South Kent’s 15O Program. I got a pretty good look at Haye at the USHL Fall Classic where I thought he was their most skilled and effective forward by a fair margin, using his non-stop motor to apply pressure and generate puck touches for himself before demonstrating an inside-drive mentality to get looks from the middle of the ice in prime scoring areas. We’ll be getting another look at him when we cover the recently held Eastern Exposure Cup where he was named to the tournament all-star team, a good indication that we didn’t jump the gun on placing him this high in our rankings early on.
At the 17th spot we have yet another forward who I came away very impressed with at the USHL Fall Classic in Seacoast Academy forward Matys St-Gelais. The main staple of St-Gelais’ game is his shooting ability, where he has flashed some of the best mechanics in the entire draft class. This is made most evident by his 22 goals in 24 games at the 15U level, which is tied for 7th in the entire national circuit. He still has some kinks in his game to round out, but what he’s good at it is really hard to come by in the draft.
Top QMJHL Cup Performers
As I said in the intro, there were a handful of performances at the Q Cup that lead to inclusions on this month’s rankings. Aside from the notable suspects like Dominic Schnarr (6th), Benjamin Veitch (7th) and the aforementioned Quinn Norman, the highest debut performer from that event was New Brunswick defenseman Jesse Dunlap at 15th overall. As I made public, if I had to vote for a tournament MVP for the event my vote would’ve gone to Dunlap, who finished the tournament tied for the scoring lad with 7 points in 4 games. What makes him such an interesting player to watch is that he doesn’t necessarily dominate using his physical tools, rather it’s the way he manipulates opponents in transition create seams for himself and move pucks up ice through lanes that he created himself. He showed immense creativity and deception from atop the offensive blueline as well to consistently shake forecheckers up high and keep his head up to spot seams and deliver cross-ice feeds for dangerous chances. As a smaller defender he’ll need to constantly prove himself throughout the year, but this tournament was a huge step in the right direction.
One of my favourite forwards throughout the entire event was New Brunswick forward Evan Sercerchi who comes in at 19th on our list. The speedy centerman plays for the Fredericton Caps of the NBPEIMU18HL where he has amassed 9 points in 11 games, including 6 points in 4 games at the QMJHL Cup. The first thing I noted with Sercerchi was the details his game possesses, especially at the center position where he could consistently support his defenders down low and turn defense to offense with his strong positional play. He showed a knack for consistently getting himself into prime scoring areas in the offensive zone and even flashed some high-end puck skills to get himself to the middle of the ice on his touches. He would’ve been named to my tournament all-star team if I had any say in the matter.
Coming in at 23rd on our list is Halifax McDonald’s defender Jax Ginnish, who represented Nova Scotia at the event. Ginnish is a defenseman who can both wow you and frustrate you in a single shift, although those are things you’ll just have to accept when you get a defender with his type of skillset. While the production hasn’t necessarily come at a high rate for him thus far, he possesses all the tools to be a high-end offensive defenseman at the next level and the way he carried the Nova Scotian blueline in what was a Herculean performance in the gold medal game made me optimistic about his development and his place as one of the top Atlantic defenders in this year’s class.
For all QMJHL Draft content you can head over to our 2025 QMJHL Draft Center on our website. As always, if you want to discuss these rankings or just hockey general you can find me on twitter @ARobScouting