Deschamps has an identity and he certainly plays to it. He’s a large defender who wins a majority of his battles below the goal line in the defensive zone, pinning puck-carriers to kill cycle plays and helping facilitate breakouts for his team. His ability to swipe at pucks kept puck-carriers along the perimeter in his own end while also demonstrating good awareness to get himself into passing and shooting lanes using both his stick and his body. He’s not a creative threat from the offensive blueline, but he often made shrewd pinches down the wall that helped keep offensive zone sequences alive and kept pressure on the opposition.

Deschamps ended up being the hero for Québec White at this event, scoring the overtime winner in the championship game over Québec Blue. That being said, my notes on him didn’t really consist of his offensive play, but rather his aggressive reads while defending off the rush and his poise going back for pucks in his own end. A lot of the positive plays I saw from Deschamps throughout the tournament came through his anticipation and using his reach to break up transition passes, denying zone entries and getting pucks quickly up the ice. He wasn’t overly deceptive on his retrievals, but rather relied on his edgework to maintain his momentum on his pivots, build speed through crossovers and execute outlets on both his forehand and backhand which helped facilitate controlled exits. He flashed a bit of offense from the point on a few sequences, using a head fake and a quick lateral burst to freeze and beat opponents up high to work into space off down low in the offensive zone.

Deschamps aggression and instinctual style of defending allowed him to make a positive impact on this game. He wouldn’t hesitate to step down from the offensive blueline to kill plays along the wall, often cutting off outlet passes and putting pucks back in deep to reset the cycle. He made a series of smart reads defending in transition to jump passing lanes in the neutral zone and get the puck moving quickly the other way. There were a few ill-advised pinches throughout the game but overall, I think Deschamps has a strong archetype and plenty of developmental runway.