Looking back at some of the New Englanders who were selected in the 2019 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s American Entry Draft an dhow their game has progressed since then.
The Shawinigan Cataractes Selected Declan 3rd overall in last year’s 1st Round.
Declan Loughnane (4 Star Amateur Ranking, 2022 NHL Grade — NA) Defense
Neutral Zone NHL’s Ian Moran’s comments, April 2020: Declan is an incredibly interesting prospect. In the 2003 age group he is as strong as a bull. Actually, in any age group he’s a bull, but when you consider he’s falls into the 2022 NHL Draft class then you realize that he had a pretty special year for Thayer in 2019-20. He ran their power play, killed penalties and was an absolute work horse. Thayer primarily played 4 defensemen all year and I can honestly tell you that it didn’t look like Declan ever got worn down. Again, strong as a bull and getting stronger. He’s got an absolute missile from the point that can beat goalies clean. He hits the net and his forwards aren’t afraid to screen because they know Declan shoots for openings, not the goalie’s chest. He’s got much better feet than even he realized and by the end of the season Declan wasn’t having any issues lugging the puck out of trouble. He defends well, easily clears shooting lanes and works to be an outlet for his partner, who was usually Freshman CJ Foley. Those two played serious minutes and were leaned on by Coach Amonte. But you know what I really liked seeing? Declan showed he wasn’t a robot. He was involved physically and emotionally. You could see how much winning meant to him. He was invested in the team and it showed. As a right shot offensive defenseman there’s no doubt Declan will be on NHL team’s big boards for the 2022 draft and I’m excited to watch him develop.
E.G. Watkins: Top 25 Players, January 2020: Out of 160 players in the tournament Declan was ranked number #24.
Select 16’s USA Hockey National Camp, July 2019: Declan is so composed, he almost looks half asleep at times. Our New England guys were not surprised by that. He is poised and relaxed with the puck. He makes difficult passes look simple and easy passes look easy. He played the rush at his blue line and popped a few players with authority. Just as he trusts his stick, he trusts his feet and keeps his gaps tight. His defensive stick is excellent and he baits forwards into his reach. His play at the lines was very good and he made several nice keeps on the offensive end. He played stronger than he looked and was hard on the wall. Declan never really exploded or played fast here at all. We had a tough time gauging his skating speed or skill up ice. We believe it’s there as he is long and seldom mishandled a puck, but he left us wanting a bit more. Played mistake free and that is always a smart approach. High ceiling player that we believe will excel in NE Prep hockey this year. Grade: B
2019 American QMJHL Entry Draft, June 10th 2019: Declan was selected 3rd overall. Familiar names Timmy Delay went 1st overall, Jack Hughes went 6th, Matty Copponi went 8th, JP Turner 13th while Aidan Lyons, Joe Fleming, Patrick Morrissey, Culin Wilson and Cooper Flinton were all taken within the 36 selections.
Mass Festival 2003s, May 2019: Declan looked strong here after a solid performance at Nationals with the Cape Cod Whalers. He has good size and moves well in each zone. Is still rounding out his offensive game but doesn’t hesitate to push the pace through the neutral zone. Sees the ice well and is confident with the puck on his stick which lets him distribute on zone entries. Solid positioning in his defensive zone and uses a long reach and active stick to cut down time and space. He plays physical and battles hard in front of his net and in the corners. Good gaps defensively and angles forwards to the perimeter of the rink. He is at the beginning of his development curve. Grade: B+
Massachusetts High School Report 2: Declan might be one of the best defenders in the state, and he is only a freshman. He is displays great poise and strength and unlike many freshman in the league he has a veteran deception to his game when he goes on the offensive. In his own zone he is both physical and smart about how to get the puck out and find outlet targets. He is willing to jump up in the offense at any point and transitions the puck well. We like his willingness to throw the puck on net as well: no shot is a bad shot at this time of year. He also finds ways to pick defenses apart with his vision: looking for potential mismatches. His head remains up as he surveys the zone crossing the blue line. He has a lot of skill, strength and ability to navigate traffic: he may not be in the Mass HS ranks for long. Grade: A
USA Hockey Nationals U15 (2003s), April 2019: Fresh off his 4OT winner in the Massachusetts State High School Championship game, Declan continued his strong play here. He is counted on to do a lot for this Whalers team. He is athletic and has a long, fluid stride. Rushes the puck and pushes the offense from the back-end whenever he can. He has a good set of hands which lets him make plays in tight and also break down defenders one-on-one. Effective through the neutral zone and identifies passing lanes quickly. He is smart and controlled with the puck and finds the open ice. Escapes pressure in the defensive zone by using strong edges and a quick first step. Has a strong shot from the point which he threads through traffic. High upside as a prospect and is at the beginning of his development curve. Grade: A-
MA Super 8 Finals – BC High Vs. Pope Francis, March 2019: Declan took over the game from about halfway through the second period through the overtime sessions. Has the ability to beat fore checkers one on one. Has a nice stick when defending, but could’ve added some physicality. Showed good poise on the power play and a willingness to get pucks to the net. Has a heavy shot which is deceptive. Beat Pope Francis over the shoulder from a tough angle when with his “goal” in the second overtime and cut to his forehand at the top of the circles in the fourth overtime to beat the Pope Francis goalie five hole for the winner. Big time 2003 prospect. Grade: A
Mass High School Report 1, January 2019: Declan might have been the best defenseman in this Frates tournament, and we can see why he is playing big minutes. He is a smart, cerebral puck-moving defender. He identifies passing lanes and snaps tape-to-tape passes. He is a strong skater with a strong base and keeps good gaps through the neutral zone and on zone entries. Good first step to cut down time and space on forwards. For a freshman he already has excellent size, strength and posture and he used all of those to his benefit during the action we saw. He is not afraid to play the physical game first, looking to aggressively knock the puck loose as opposed to poking away with his stick. He dropped a couple of big hits early in the game we saw to fire up his bench. He was ultra-aggressive offensively as well by sprinting into the offensive zone and weaving his way around traffic. He made some nice deke moves with his stick as well, giving himself more space to take quality shots on net from the point and the tops of the circles. Above all we thought his concentration was really terrific: he was focused on possession of the puck and refused to let it out of his sight. He was able to hold on to it and pull it into his body to maintain the cycle game for the Eagles. One of the top rookie defensemen in the state, hands down. Grade: A
MA Festival 2003s, May 2018: Declan showed a productive stride and quick feet. Jumped on opponents quickly to defend and has very good reach. Not yet physical but defended with smart angles and his skating. Has an active defensive stick. Looked confident in his reads in the neutral zone. With the puck, he showed a clever stick, elusive element and played with his head up. Really stood out in a brief 3v3. His reach and size allowed him to protect the puck and he fired off some hard shots. His first touches were consistent. Made a few errant, easy outlets and also was a bit risky with the puck. Neither are major issues as he was one of the best players here. Confident and athletic with as much upside as anyone in this report. Declan was a National Camp Selection. Neutral Zone’s 4 highest rated forwards Jack Hughes, JP Turner, Timmy Delay, Cullin Wilson and 4 of the highest rated defensemen Aidan Lyons, Joe Fleming, Patrick Morrissey and Declan were QMJHL selections.
Mini Chowder Cup, August 2017: The late 2003 is a big blue liner with a lot of intangibles that project well. First, he is 5’11” with a solid frame to build on at the bantam level which is a big advantage. He has good footspeed given his size and he is great at shifting his weight to change directions fluidly. Over time he should be able to add more power to his stride as he gets stronger. His offensive game is advanced as well: shows a hard shot from the point and he can get it off quickly with good snap to his wrister. You may not find a more complete defender at this age. Interesting with real upside. 2019 QMJHL Selections Matty Copponi, Cooper Flinton and Aidan Lyons participated in the tournament as well.
Blue Line Elite Prep Cup (2003s), June 2017: Declan looks to be just a hair shy of 5’10 but he doesn’t move like he is that big. Shows very good acceleration, especially in transit. His stride is clean and he has a good motor that maintains that speed for extended bursts. His biggest asset would have to be his slap shot: it is a rocket. At this age, there are some players working to develop strength and shot technique: Loughnane has both already figured out. Rang a puck off the crossbar from the blue line and was being fed for multiple point shots after his teammates saw him unleash the first one. Really intriguing combination which will serve him well in future seasons. Grade: B+ The only other player who participated in the Blue Line Elite Prep Cup whas selected in the 2019 QMJHL’s American Draft was Cooper Flinton.