Rioux slowly but surely turned into one of my favorite defenders to watch throughout camp due to just how effective he was on the defensive side of things. My notes on him largely consisted of him killing plays in the neutral zone and the defensive line, either by using timely stick checks to deny zone entries or cutting off outlet passes in order to create quick chances on the counterattack. Even when puck-carriers were able to gain the line, I thought Rioux did a great job of keeping them to the outside and either thwarting attempts to get to the inside with good body positioning and stick play or guiding them to the boards and removing them of possession with a swift body check.

The point totals don’t really show it, but I thought some of Rioux’s best moments came from inside the offensive blueline. He was aggressive along the wall, helping keep plays alive by pinching down low to break up outlet passes or retrieve rimmed pucks. He often kept his head up on his touches along the wall which allowed him to assess pressure before moving laterally across the blueline to the middle of the ice and firing a low shot on target. His shot was one of the better ones amongst Québec defenders here, popping off his blade with velocity and accuracy from distance that lead to a few rebound opportunities out in front.