I would be hard pressed to find a draft-eligible player I enjoyed watching more than Desruisseaux throughout this event, playing a key top-six offensive role on the best team in the entire tournament and picking up 6 points in 6 games. The knock on him is that he’s very undersized, but to be honest I didn’t see one instance where he let that deter him from being an effective player. He never shied away from board battles despite being physical outmatched, even coming out with the puck against bigger defenders at times while also working his way to the front of the net and taking punishment as a consequence. He flashed great timing on his off-puck routes to the front of the net as well which allowed him to jump on loose pucks as they presented themselves and also made himself a prime passing option in high-danger areas. He was able to hold onto pucks along the perimeter thanks to hiss edgework, spinning and pivoting away from defenders to work his way into space and funnel pucks to the middle of the ice. The shooting ability was definitely something I noted as well, as he was able to score a couple of goals from awkward angles, displaying very good shot placement that helped overcome his lack of pure power. As a puck-carrier in transition I liked his willingness to attack the middle of the ice after entering the zone with control, either taking the space that was offered to him to get off a slot shot or drawing pressure towards him and kicking it to the outside so a teammate could attack downhill with the puck into space.

A diminutive forward at 5’5 and 130 lbs, Desruisseaux didn’t let his below-average size stop him from being one of Québec White’s more dynamic forwards throughout this event. What stands out initially with Desruisseaux is the pace in which he plays the game. He has such a light yet powerful stride which he uses to buzz all around the ice, whether it be applying pressure as a forechecker or pushing back defenders with the puck on his stick. He was so efficient at gaining the offensive blueline for his team, using his impressive stickhandling and footwork to maneuver around opponents through the neutral zone. He demonstrated an effective delay game, using quick cuts to separate himself from a defender off the rush to give himself time and space to make a pass to a trailing teammate for a scoring chance. He was difficult to contain along the perimeter in the offensive zone thanks to his agility, which made him a useful component off the cycle despite his size. Although he didn’t use it too much, he has an accurate shot that, although it lacks power at this point in his development, could be an offensive weapon somewhere down the road.

Desruisseaux certainly didn’t disappoint in my first viewing of him for his club team this season, scoring aa pair of goals and driving play for his line for a majority of his shifts. He was able to generate plenty of puck touches for himself through the neutral zone, leading to plenty of controlled entries as a consequence where he flashed strong playmaking capabilities that allowed him to get plenty of pucks on the tape of streaking teammates in the middle of the ice. His edgework and agility allowed him prolonged puck possession along the perimeter, buying him to assess his options and allow things to open up. His first goal came off a strong forechecking situation shift for his line where he jumped on a loose puck and funneled a quick pass to the middle that was blocked before jumping on his own turnover and firing a backhand shot over the glove. He did a majority of the work on his second goal when he picked up the puck behind his own net, skated it up the ice and executed s give and go with a teammate in transition to get the puck in space in the offensive zone before firing a perfect short side shot over the shoulder. There will be questions to answer about his size as the season progresses, but aside from a few lost possessions and puck battles it didn’t seem to hold him back too much in this game.

Much like the first game, Desruisseaux was one of the few forwards who could consistently gain the zone. He was one of Québec White’s more dangerous and consistent forwards throughout the evening. He scored the game’s first goal by intercepting a Québec Blue clearing attempt at the blue line, skating down then wiring a perfect shot high over the blocker. He was really hard to contain around the perimeter in the offensive zone thanks to his advanced footwork, using quick cuts to gain separation from opposing defenders. I would like to see him attack the middle of the ice more, but I believe that aspect of his game will come as he continues to grow.

The most noticeable forward for Québec white, Desruisseaux was absolutely buzzing throughout the entire evening. He possesses a high motor to go along with high-end skating ability, making him an effective player in all areas of the ice. He was one of the Québec players who was able to efficiently maneuver through the neutral zone and gain the offensive blue line. He was very hard to contain along the perimeter in the offensive zone, using quick pivots and cuts to get away from opposing defenders. He also demonstrated some flashes of impressive vision and passing ability, reading the body positioning of defenders to identify passing lanes quickly and place the puck into high-danger areas.