| Israel Mianscum | Rouyn-Noranda Citadelles Espoir | Midget | L | F | 6’2″ | 190 | Sherbrooke Phoenix | Mistissini, QC | 2003 | 2020-2021: C |
Neutral Zone NHL’s Ian Moran’s comments, June 2021: This kid is a shooter. Plain and simple, he’s looking to rip it and he rips it hard. National League teams are going to watching his pace and his defensive commitment away from the puck to see if they think he can develop into and NHLer, but there is going to be someone who likes his ability to release it in traffic. To me Mianscum would be an interesting late round pick because his skating and compete have gotten better every year, so you might have a kid in your system who ends up being a goal scorer for the cost of a seventh rounder.
QMJHL: Sherbrooke vs Blainville-Boisbriand, February 2021: Mianscum played with increased intensity and aggression. Right from the start he was hacking, whacking and generally much more difficult to play against than we have seen in the past. We liked his strong net front presence and his determination to stay there. He still maintains his shoot first mentality, but we saw more give and goes on line rushes which resulted in more pace to his game. Physically Mianscum looked quicker and stronger through contact.
QMJHL: Sherbrooke vs Val-d’Or, February 2020: Mianscum looked like he wanted to be a factor in this game and he was. He displayed his usual shoot first ask questions later mentality, but what we really noticed was his compete away from the puck. He used his speed to a Sherbrook asset at both ends of the ice. As the F1 on the forecheck he was very disruptive and really cut the ice in half so his linemates could take away all breakout options. We liked his effort while applying back pressure because his speed and puck pursuit allowed his defenders to keep a tight gap. He also backchecked to the house with his stick on the ice breaking up a back door pass in the third period. Mianscum played a much more abrasive in your face style tonight and he was very effective.
QMJHL: Sherbrooke vs Halifax, January 2020: It was a pretty quiet game for Mianscum. He came out of the gate firing everything he touched in the first period and looked like he was going to have a big night. He had multiple scoring opportunities from the strong side face-off dot early in the first, but from that point on he turned to more individual efforts and it looked like the Sherbrooke coaching staff decided to end his night a little early.
QMJHL: Sherbrooke vs Saint John, December 2019: Although Mianscum is a Quebec League rookie, he found the quiet area in the offensive zone high slot like a veteran. He has the elusiveness to slide away from his defender getting lost in the scoring area where he always had his stick ready to to fire bullets at the net. Plan and simple, he played like a shooter. His shot found its way through defender’s legs and although he did not score, he seemed to always get the goalie leaning away from where he was shooting. Mianscum showed good strength along the walls during loose puck battles and an explosive stride as a puck carrier through the neutral zone.
Quebec Midget AAA Challenge, January 2019: The physical abilities for Mianscum are evident when you watch him play as he looks like a man amongst boys. Has one of the hardest shots in the league where he can score from about anywhere in the offensive zone. He works hard in the offensive zone creating chances and is first on loose pucks giving him an edge on opposing defenseman. Mianscum needs to polish his game by focusing on his defensive zone play in order to make him a complete player. Can become a deadly scorer at the next level.
Drummondville Midget Espoir Tournament, December 2017: Mianscum chose to play for the bantam all stars despite being a regular on the Citadells in Midget Espoir. He had an ok tournament. He still remains a top prospect for next years draft. Grade: C