| Maveric Lamoureux | Drummondville Voltigeurs | QMJHL | R | D | 6’7″ | 196 | Drummondville Voltigeurs | 2020 | Hawkesbury, ON | 2021-2022: B- |
It’s hard to miss the 6’7″ 200 pound Lamourex when he’s on the ice, but to us he is more than just a massive defender who takes up space. He has the skating base of a much smaller player as he has a powerful deep knee bend, a shoulder width returning glide leg and an easy flat edge glide. We like his lateral movement and gap control while defending line rushes, but the thing that we think separates him from other 6’5″ plus defenders is his ability to stop and gap up when an opposing forward attempts to delay on the mid-wall during a line rush. There’s no slide in his stop. Lamourex stops his momentum quickly, has a quick powerful first step to take away space and his stick is strong while making contact. Offensively he will never be asked to run a power play, but we like his hard accurate first pass in transition and his ability to fire rockets to the stretch man when the time is right. To us Lamourex is an NHL Development coach’s dream and he is a player Neutral Zone will be watching closely as we head into the New Year.
| Riley Mercer | Drummondville Voltigeurs | QMJHL | L | G | 6’1″ | 205 | Drummondville Voltigeurs | 2020 | Bay Roberts, NL | Not yet rated |
Mercer is playing behind workhorse Francesco Lapenna so he has only played in eight games as of 12/11/2021, but he has played well and currently has a save percentage of 0.901 and a 4-2-1 record. In the games we have seen he is quick laterally and has good rebound control. During odd man situations he is patient while waiting for the puck carrier to commit to his move. Another thing that we like is that Mercer appears to be having fun and enjoying the moment, His starts seem to be coming a little more frequently so we will be watching to see if he can continue earning more responsibility as the season wears on.
| Mikael Diotte | Drummondville Voltigeurs | QMJHL | R | D | 6’3″ | 205 | Drummondville | 2019 | Sainte Julie, QC | 2003 | 2021-2022: C |
Diotte is in his second year of National League drat eligibility and we feel that he should have been drafted last year. He is a player who does not have a ton of penalty minutes, but we have seen him deliver crushing body checks as well as seen him go out of his way to get an opponent back who he feels has wronged him or a teammate. The 6’3″ 205 pound righty is very comfortable playing on the left or the right side and defensively has no issues with forcing opposing forwards early in the neutral zone and making body contact at his defensive blueline. Diotte is a willing shot blocker who will get big low to block shots, especially while killing penalties.
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.
| Drew Maddigan | Drummondville Voltigeurs | QMJHL | L | D | 6’2″ | 185 | Drummondville Voltigeurs | 2020 | Hammonds Plains, NS | Not yet rated |
Maddigan is a player who Neutral Zone has always liked at younger levels and we expect his game to continue to grow and blossom as he gains experience, strength and power in the QMJHL. He sees the ice well and can move the puck quickly when he has limited time, but there are times when he has time and space that he will over complicate things ending up in trouble. Physically he has a nice frame and stride, but we feel with training and a commitment to off-ice development Maddigan can be an more impactful player and have a chance at a professional career.
| Justin Cote | Drummondville Voltigeurs | QMJHL | L | C | 5’6″ | 163 | Drummondville Voltigeurs | 2020 | Salaberry de Valleyfield, QC | 2021-2022: C |
Cote is an incredibly dynamic skater. As a puck carrier his edges are excellent, lateral quickness is exceptional and his ability to cut under a defender’s hips to take his strength away is as good as anyone we’ve seen. On line rushes or while cycling Cote displays game awareness and anticipation that often times leaves him all alone with the puck on his stick with more time and space than you would expect to be possible. He plays with heart, passion, is very competitive and plays like someone we would like to have as a teammate. There is an obvious mark against him, but the professional game heading towards more speed and skill we feel NHL teams will be watching him closely and Cote will earn a development camp invite.
| Luka Gomboc | Drummondville Voltigeurs | QMJHL | L | LW | 6’0″ | 176 | Drummondville Voltigeurs | 2021 | Kranj | 2003 | Not yet rated |
Gomboc is a 6’0″ left shot forward who is still adjusting to his first year of major junior hockey. The late 2003 is a skilled winger who can make defenders miss while he is cycling with a quick jab step and head fake combination. Gomboc is still learning about the game’s overall defensive responsibilities and attention detail away from the puck that is needed to be a 200′ player in North America, but his high skill and quick release will generate offensive opportunities when given time and space.
| Simon Hughes | Drummondville Voltigeurs | QMJHL | L | LW | 6’2″ | 179 | Drummondville Voltigeurs | 2020 | Stratford, PE | 2004 | 2021-2022: C |
He may still be adjusting to the QMJHL, but here is a lot to like about Simon Hughes’ overall game and the trajectory as a 200′ player. Obviously you’re drawn to his combination of having an NHL frame and very strong skating base, but we also like that he has a little bit of mean in him and is not afraid to make incidental contact to make space for himself. Hughes is strong on his feet and not afraid to play in traffic. We don’t mean carrying the puck into trouble, we mean that he goes to the scoring areas with intent of scoring goals or creating chaos in front of the other team’s goaltender. As a puck carrier he has quick hands while in traffic and has the strength to protect the puck while a defender is hanging on his back. He has been a goal scorer at lower levels, so we expect him to adjust to the pace of major junior defensive zone coverage and begin to generate more consistent scoring opportunities as the season progresses. Hughes in another young player who is adding the defensive details and responsibilities to his game, but he has points in three of his last six games and we feel he will be a player to watch coming into the New Year.
| Jeremy Lapointe | Drummondville Voltigeurs | QMJHL | L | F | 6’2″ | 215 | Baie-Comeau Drakkar | 2018 | Drummondville, QC | 2021-2022: C |
Lapointe is a big bodied left wing who still needs to develop his quickness laterally, but he has excellent power straight line speed that translates to the professional game. At 6’2″ 215 pounds he has the NHL frame that can withstand a beating as well as give one. When driving down the wing he’s shown the ability to shoot while his feet are moving and when he drives the net has the mindset that he’s going to take the puck to the far post. We like his ability to one time poor passes and as the “shooter” on the powerplay we’ve seen him fire cross seam passes that get the penalty killers to spin in circles. Lapointe probably will not be drafted, but we like his combination of size and pace so we feel he is a great development camp and rookie camp invite.
| Tristan Roy | Drummondville Voltigeurs | QMJHL | L | LW | 6’1″ | 201 | Acadie-Bathhurst Titan | 2019 | St. Cyrille de Wendover, QC | Not yet rated |
The inside edge skating Roy is an honest power forward who stops on pucks and body checks with authority. Defensively he has a very active stick and shows good awareness as the low forward. The straight forward Roy was high draft pick for Acadie-Bathhurst in 2019 and we expect him to have an impactful second half to Drummondville’s season.
| Luke Woodworth | Drummondville Voltigeurs | QMJHL | R | C | 5’9″ | 154 | Drummondville Voltigeurs | 2020 | Bridgewater, NS | 2021-2022: C+ |
Woodworth is a highly poised center who processes both the offensive and defensive sides of the puck very well. In the defensive zone he is smart enough to realize that he might not have the bulk or size to physically engage or get tied up in during wall battles, but he certainly knows that he has the foot quickness and dexterity to win body positioning battles for loose pucks. He shows explosiveness when jumping on loose pucks and we love his ability to pull pucks off the wall while accelerating or at top speed. Offensively he is very confident and poised. He easily handles poor passes and can kick pucks from his feet to his stick blade without having to look down for extended time. Woodworth has the stickhandling ability to carry the puck deep into his fake before release it or making his final decision. Even though he may be undersized we like his deep knee skating posture and long stride with a snapping toe push for more power. He can hold his outside edge longer than most of his peers and because of this he can accelerate out of turns with his cross-under. His attention to detail makes Woodworth a contributor to both of Drummondville’s special teams units, but we feel in the professional hockey he has the puck skills and offensive awareness to be a mid-wall or bumper option on the power play.
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