Desrochers did plenty to help his draft stock with his performance here, finishing 3rd in team scoring with 5 points n 4 games on flashing his strong playmaking and shooting acumen against the best players his own age. He’s a bit undersized, but that didn’t stop him from engaging in board battles all over the offensive zone and demonstrating a tenacity that allowed him to come out with pucks against larger defenders. His playmaking really jumped off the page for me throughout the tournament, as he was consistently executing passes to the middle of the ice from along the perimeter to create dangerous scoring chances while also flashing some creativity by pulling off a few no-look feeds to the low slot from below the goal line. His advanced shooting mechanics shone through from time to time as well, snapping hard and accurate shots while in motion attacking down the wing which lead to a plethora of rebound chances out in front for hiss linemate.

It was a surprisingly quiet tournament from Desrochers who finished with 0 points in 3 games, even if there were some flashes of what make him such an exciting QMJHL prospect. He wasn’t able to find as much open ice for himself throughout this tournament, but I did like the way he was able to distribute pucks to the interior from the perimeter in the offensive zone. His size lead to him losing battles for the puck along the boards, but when he did come out with it he proved quite difficult to knock off and keep under wraps as he utilized his edgework to pull away from defenders and extend his puck touches. When he was able to work his way into space, the shooting ability become mightily apparent as he was able snap pucks off his stick quickly and with velocity. I don’t think there’s any doubt he’s one of the more pure shooters in the entire draft class, but it will be interesting to see how far he can round out the other parts of his game.

Desrochers’ dynamism and versatility made him one of Québec Blue’s more effective and efficient forwards throughout camp. He was able to leverage his puck skills in transition to attack defenders head on, pull pucks around them and use his wicked pull and release maneuver to get off shots from dangerous areas. When he made defenders aware of his shooting ability, he would then use that to get defenders to bite or overcommit on fake shots, which in turn opened up passing lanes and execute passes through them. He’s quite a strong kid for his size as well, as he was consistently able to withstand contact from below the goal line in the offensive zone, prolonging his puck touches in the offensive zone before making passes to the slot on both his forehand and backhand. His agility and acceleration was just another weapon to add to his offensive arsenal, allowing him to gains separation from defenders out of his turns, maintain his speed and attack into space.

Desrochers is a short but stocky forward who flashed some serious high-end offensive traits throughout this event. His shot is his greatest weapon and he showed the ability to use it in a myriad of ways. Whether it was firing a quick shot in stride off the rush, a quick catch and release off a pass or shooting from a standstill from range, he was always a threat to score. He blends his shooting ability with high-end offensive intelligence, making him more of a multidimensional offensive threat. There were multiple times where he wound up for a shot, got the defenseman to drop then worked his way around to put himself into a more dangerous area. He also possesses high-end puck skills and vision, which he uses to stickhandle through defenders off the rush, draw pressure towards him then fire slick passes to a teammate in space. There were a few times when I thought he became disengaged in some games, but if he could become a more consistent player with the skillset, he possesses then he could become a very legitimate prospect for next year’s draft.

Desrochers seemed to get more comfortable as the game went on and eventually turned into one of Québec’s more noticeable forwards towards the end. He opened up the game by executing a slip pass while under pressure that lead to a 2v1 for his linemates but wasn’t capitalized on. He had a few strong moments as a puck-carrier off the rush where was able to work wide around a defender and get into enough space so he could snap off a hard and heavy shot from a scoring area. He was slippery along the halfwall in the offensive zone as well, leveraging his handles to get around defenders, work his way into space and extend offensive zone sequences for his line. He scored his teams fifth goal of the game off a faceoff when he skated into space off the draw and snapped home a quick one timer shot into an open net.

Desrochers’ off-puck tenacity and playmaking ability really helped set him apart in this game. He scored the game’s first goal by being active on the forecheck, forcing a turnover and receiving a return pass in the low slot before pulling it to his backhand in tight to score. He was heavily engaged in board battles along the perimeter in the offensive zone, often coming out with the puck against larger defenders and flashing the necessary puck skills to get off the halfwall and attack the middle of the ice. He was consistently connecting on passes from the perimeter to the inside, earning himself a primary assist late in the game off a slick feed through traffic to a teammate in the mid slot.

Desrochers was all around it in this game, displaying tenacity and a willingness to engage himself in board battles around the perimeter in the offensive zone. He consistently kept his feet moving in the offensive zone, which allowed him to jump on loose pucks in dangerous areas and fire quick shots on net. He came alive offensively in the third period, picking up two primary assists, one of which came off an impressive behind the back pass from below the goal line that found his teammate alone in the slot.

It was a tough game to evaluate for Desrochers as he wasn’t able to find much space with the puck and utilize his deadly shooting ability to generate opportunities. Despite this, I liked the way the still found ways to make a positive impact on the game off-puck. In the second period he made a really good effort play in the neutral zone to poke the puck off a defender’s stick to create a 2v1 advantage that wasn’t capitalized on. Throughout the rest of the game he had some really strong sequences as the F1 on the forecheck, utilizing his footspeed to close in quickly on defenders and rush their decisions. He was able to funnel a few pucks to the middle of the ice from along the perimeter as well, showcasing some shrewd and accurate passing ability.

Desrochers came out hot out of the gate for Québec blue and never seemed to slow down throughout, scoring a pair of goals in the process. His shot is his greatest offensive weapon and he’s not shy to use it as often as he can. His first goal saw him take a pass in the neutral zone, come into the offensive zone with speed and fire a quick snapshot in stride that found the top right corner. His second goal came on the powerplay where received a pass on the top of the circle and proceeded to rifle it off the crossbar and in. He even hit a crossbar on the same powerplay sequence just moments beforehand. His offensive intelligence was also apparent throughout, using his shot as a decoy to draw defenders in then dishing it into space to an open teammate. Although his acceleration mechanics could use some work, he has good top-end speed that backs off defenders and makes him a looming threat off the rush.

Desorchers was once again one of the better, if not the best, forwards for Québec Blue throughout this game. His quickness and inside driven mentality made him a handful to deal with off the rush as he was consistently able to attack inside the dots, push defenders back on their heels and get shots off from dangerous areas. His playmaking along the perimeter in the offensive zone was very strong as well, as he was able to thread passes through defenders towards the middle of the ice and generate plenty of chances from the slot area. Desrochers scored the overtime winner in this one by crashing the net and tapping home a loose puck that was sitting around the crease.

Desrochers’ versatility in transition made him on of this game’s more dynamic and unpredictable attackers. He could either leverage his puck skills to attack defenders head on and pull pucks through them to get into space off the rush or utilize his high-end passing ability and vision to pick apart defensive zone structures in the offensive zone. He was consistently playing between the dots as a puck carrier, opting to control the puck in the middle of the ice and attack downhill to try and get shots off in dangerous areas. He made two greats play in this game that lead to primary assists, with the first coming in the first period when he was able to gain separation from a back checker in the neutral zone, gained the zone and then executed a perfect backhand feed cross-ice to a teammate who buried it. His second helper came when he was able to withstand contact below the goal line, escape from pressure and then slip a pass to the slot for his teams third goal.