| Mikael Diotte | Saint-Hyacinthe Gaulois | QMAAA | D | 6’3″ | 195 | Drummondville | 2019 | Ste-Julie, QC | 2003 | 2020-2021: C |
QMJHL: Drummondville vs Gatineau, January 2021: The righty played primarily on the left side and looked very comfortable. Defensively Diotte’s gaps were tight through out the neutral zone and he pinched off even man line rushes early. We’ve noted throughout our viewings that he takes smart angles while ending the cycle and tonight was no different. His stick placement forced Gatineau’s forwards onto their backhands and Diotte quickly attacked forcing turnovers. In transition he worked to be an outlet for his partner showing a prepared stick for receiving passes. Diotte delivered a crushing body check 4 minutes into the second period and seemed to be much more engaged physically from that point on.
QMJHL: Drummondville vs Gatineau, November 2020: Defensively Diotte played a simple direct game. His stick was consistently in shooting or passing lanes and he showed a willingness to block shots. He battled to eliminate the cycle quickly and showed lower body power while pinning forwards to the boards. He had an incredible nine takeaways vs one giveaway during his eighteen minutes of ice time. He continued to move the puck with hard accurate passes in transition, but we would like to see him stay off his backhand when making passes near his defensive blueline.
QMJHL: Drummondville vs Sherbrooke, September 2020: Diotte moved the puck quickly and generally controlled the pace of play while he was on the ice. His lateral mobility allowed him to defend with tight gaps and defensively his stick was excellent. There were a few times that he forced stretch passes which turned into turnovers at the far blueline, but he showed nice deception as he viewed the entire ice surface looking to make plays. This was a nice game for Diotte to build on.
Quebec Midget AAA Challenge, January 2019: Solid showing here all week for Diotte as his consistent steady play makes him essential to his teams’ success. Has a solid skating base and knows when to pinch in the offensive zone on forwards who are vulnerable on the walls. Nothing stands out about his play but he is a defenseman every coach wants on his team because you know you are getting a simple, effective game out of him.
Drummondville Midget Espoir Tournament, December 2017: The top scoring D man for Quebec white, Diotte finished the tournament with 2 assists in 4 games. He’s a good skater who always has his feet moving. He jumps into the rush a lot. He needs to be smarter about picking his spots. Often times his jump in the rush leaves the team vulnerable on the counter attack and forces his partner into odd man rushes. Grade: C+