| Alex Blais | Chicoutimi Sagueneens | QMJHL | R | C | 6’0″ | 161 | Chicoutimi Sagueens | 2020 | Saint-Colomban, QC | 2004 | 2021-2022: C |
Blais is a right shot center who has the hockey awareness to play all three positions on a forward line. He is a player who does not blindly chase the puck or opponents without knowing where his teammates are. We feel he has the awareness to watche more than just the puck which allows him to be prepared for both bad or opportunistic bounces. At 6’0″ 160 pounds Blais is still relatively light, but he has a long stride and nice stride frequency so we believe with a commitment to off ice training he will be a faster more dynamic skater as he continues to mature. We like his compete on loose pucks and after turnovers (especially in the offensive zone), where we have seen him out hustle linemates through the neutral zone to be the first backchecker or low man in the defensive zone after being the F1 in the offensive zone. After being a penalty killer at / in previous years he currently is not contributing to Chicoutimi’s shorthanded game, but he is averaging more than 4:00 while on the power. Blais has the shooting ability to one-time pucks off of poor passes, but we feel his shot is another area that will improve through off-ice development.
| Matej Kaslik | Chicoutimi Sagueneens | QMJHL | L | C | 6’0″ | 183 | Chicoutimi Sagueens | 2020 | Puchov, SVK | 2002 | 2021-2022: C+ |
Kaslik is an offensively gifted forward who does not need much time or space to fire a puck home. His hands are always prepared and he wants to have the puck on his stick when he is in the slot. We like his soft first touch when receiving hard passes while in the scoring area. Kaslik does not need to stickhandle or settle a puck down before ripping it. We’ve also noticed that he has a very deceptive release and release point when shooting to his left. On multiple goals Kaslik has the opposing goalie leaning before burying the puck low on the left. We do not feel he is not a pure speed player when on a line rush, but his ability to cut laterally through traffic makes him very hard to defend and very difficult to maintain tight gaps on. Kaslik is a player who plays with enthusiasm and it is obvious that he loves to score.
| Thomas Belgarde | Chicoutimi Sagueneens | QMJHL | L | C | 6’0″ | 198 | Chicoutimi Sagueens | 2018 | St. Georges de Beauce, QC | 2021-2022: C |
Belgarde is in his third season with Chicoutimi and has surpassed his previous two season’s point totals in just a third of the games averaging just under a point per-game (25pts in 26gms). The inside edge skater shows quickness when going after loose pucks and nice core strength while holding off larger opponents. We love the leadership he shows while killing penalties as he will maintain line-ups and block shots. At this point we feel he may be a long shot to be drafted in the 2022 NHL draft, but we feel it is worth noting that Belgarde was drafted in the thirteenth round of the 2018 QMJHL Draft at number 220 overall and he is currently an assistant captain and playing at a point per-game pace.
| Julien Hebert | Chicoutimi Sagueneens | QMJHL | L | C | 5’11” | 181 | Moncton Wildcats | 2019 | Cap Saint Ignace, QC | 2003 | 2021-2022: C |
Herbert is an inside skater who is very shifty when moving laterally as a puck carrier. He is strong on his feet through contact showing confidence when carrying the puck into high traffic areas. We have seen Herbert be very elusive in 1 on 1 situations as he has a very quick stutter step and, although only 5’11”, he shows the ability to slide his bottom hand quickly on his stick’s shaft as to maximize his reach. Herbert is currently on his third QMJHL team in the past three season after being drafted by Moncton, moved to Baie-Comeau and playing for Chicoutimi this year.
| Sergei Litvinov | Chicoutimi Sagueneens | QMJHL | L | G | 6’0″ | 179 | Chicoutimi Sagueens | 2020 | St. Petersburg | 2003 | Not yet rated |
Standing at 6’0″ Litvinov is an undersized goalie in today’s hockey World. We view him as an athletic and highly mobile goaltender who reads line rushes well which allows him to be very quick laterally, especially when exploding off his right inside edge to move to his left. Litvinov seems to control rebounds and does not give up many secondary scoring opportunities. Although the InStat heatmap shows differently, we have noticed that opposing lefthanded shooters like to get Litvinov leaning to his left before quickly snapping pucks about 14″ in the air back at his low blocker.
| Jeremie Thibodeau | Chicoutimi Sagueneens | QMJHL | L | D | 6’2″ | 165 | Chicoutimi Sagueens | 2020 | St. Leonard, NB | 2004 | Not yet rated |
Thibodeau is a smooth skating defender with a National League frame. At the time of writing the QMJHL rookie had only played in six games, but he did had two assists. Neutral Zone will continue watching so we can get a better feel on his trajectory.
Logo courtesy of Chicoutimi Sagueneens
Stats provided by InStat