QMJHL – In an evenly matched early season game the visiting Shawinigan Cataractes won 4-3 over Blainville-Boisbriand Armada. Neutral Scouts focused on the Armada’s 2024 NHL Draft eligible players.
| Justin Carbonneau | Blainville-Boisbriand Armada | QMJHL | R | RW | 6’0″ | 181 | Rouyn-Noranda Huskies | 2022 | Levis, QC | 2006 |
Game Grade: B+
Comments: Carbonneau is a November 2006 who was second among the Armada’s forwards with 19:56 in total ice time including 4:51 while positioned on the goal line on the power play. He played both wings but played on his off left wing more often. He showed a deep knee’d skating base with above average straight line speed once he got going but he will need to continue adding explosiveness as he heads towards his 2025 NHL draft year. Carbonneau had the primary assist on Armada’s third goal of the game. On the play he gathered a loose puck in the right dot-lane and sold a shot that froze the opposing right defender. His puck poise allowed him to slide a perfectly flat pass into the high slot and his teammate ripped a snap shot passes the goalie on the short side. In the offensive zone Carbonneau was constantly around the net with a prepared stick looking for puck lanes or loose pucks and this mindset allowed him to finish with a team high six grade ‘A’ scoring chances. What we liked about his scoring chances are that they came from both his forehand or backhand and were of the quick stick variety meaning the puck hit his stick blade and was gone in an instant. Carbonneau played an impactful game.
| Zach Wheeler | Blainville-Boisbriand Armada | QMJHL | R | C | 6’2″ | 165 | Blainville-Boisbriand Armada | 2022 | Moncton, NB | 2007 |
Game Grade: B-
Comments: Wheeler is a long lanky right shot 2007 who is still growing into his body. There were times when he pivoted to the wall that he looked smooth and confident while there were other times that an opponent broke his his stride’s rhythm and it took Wheeler a split second to gather himself. Nonetheless his passes were hard flat and on time and he has a combination of puck poise and frame that will keep NHL eyes on him over the next twenty months. On the night he earned an Armada forward game low of 9:32 but on their second goal of the game he earned the primary assist off a fortunate bounce after he made a strong play in the offensive corner to win a battle and then attack the net. Wheeler is not NHL draft eligible until the 2025 draft.
| Matt Gosselin | Blainville-Boisbriand Armada | QMJHL | R | F | 5’6″ | 128 | Blainville-Boisbriand Armada | 2022 | Montmagny, QC | 2006 | Not yet rated |
Game Grade: B+
Comments: Matt Gosselin is an undersized right shot center who was positionally sound and used his low center of balance to win loose pucks to generate offense. On the night he totaled 14:02 of total ice time including 0:41 on the penalty kill. He finished even with 2 shots, 1 grade ‘A’ opportunity, 4/12 on face-offs, 0 hits and received 1 hard hit. At this point Neutral Zone does not view Gosselin as a potential NHL draft pick but his pace, poise and compete make him an ideal high end player in Europe.
Mateo Nobert | Blainville-Boisbriand Armada | QMJHL | F | 5’11” | 141 | Blainville-Boisbriand Armada | 2022 | Beaconsfield, QC | 2007 |
Game Grade: B
Comments: Standing at 5’11”, 143lbs Nobert is a left shot August 2007 with average size and a slight frame. During this game he was positionally sound and, although he was often times pushed out of the dangerous ice or off the puck, we liked that he was willing and attempting to make the right hockey play. Nobert was on the ice for three goals against with one coming on a play where he forced a loose puck but was pushed off the puck by the primary assist earner. We feel this is a play that probably won’t happen when he’s stronger. On the night he finished -2 with 1 goal that came on smooth catch and release from the slot that beat the goalie 12″ to the short side. He had a team high 4 shots, 2 grade “A” opportunities and went 5/9 on face-offs.
| Olivier Filaj | Blainville-Boisbriand Armada | QMJHL | L | D | 5’10” | 148 | Blainville-Boisbriand Armada | 2022 | Montreal, QC | 2006 | Not yet rate |
Did not dress
| Kristers Ansons | Blainville-Boisbriand Armada | QMJHL | L | LW | 6’3″ | 203 | Blainville-Boisbriand Armada | 2023 | Riga, LAT | 2006 | 2023-2024: |
Game Grade: C
Comments: Ansons is a 6’3′, 220lbs left shot left wing who was playing in his first CHL game. HE showed an upright skating posture with a bit of an ‘A’ frame skating base with his return leg landing on it’s inside edge almost forcing him to sway side to side rather driving his momentum forwards. During offensive transition he showed nice puck anticipation and looked to push the pace or expand the neutral zone whenever possible. His first touch was soft on both his forehand or backhand and he did not need to stickhandle before making the next play. On the night he totaled 10:58 of ice time including 3:49 while being a willing net front presence on the powerplay. He did not kill penalties. Granted he is just getting used to being in North America and playing on the smaller ice sheet, but overall we would like to see him use his massive frame to win more 50/50 puck battles and be more of a physical presence. Neutral Zone currently has him rated as an ‘A-‘ for the 2024 NHL draft but that grade could be adjusted lower with more nonchalant efforts like this one.
| Eliot L’Italien | Blainville-Boisbriand Armada | QMJHL | L | C | 6’1″ | 187 | Blainville-Boisbriand Armada | 2022 | L’Ancienne-Lorette, QC | 2006 | 2023-2024: C |
Game Grade: A-
Comments: L’Italien is a long limbed left shot center with the strength to protect the puck and hold off defenders for extended periods by positioning his body and using his long reach to keep himself between the defender and the puck. Although he is not the most fluid straight line skater he showed an upright chest high skating posture that generated power / speed while crossing over and he used his outside edge to have a thorough cross-under. Among Armada forwards L’Italien earned a game high total of 19:13 including 4:31 while positioned on the top of the crease on the top power play unit and an additional 1:05 on the penalty kill which was third on the team for penalty killing ice time. L’Italien earned a secondary assist on the Armada’s first goal of the game which came fifteen seconds after he won a defensive zone face-off and really originated out of strong defensive zone coverage where he was in low support as the center. On the play he used a change of speed while coming over the offensive blueline which caught the opposing defender leaning and L’Italien then lowered his shoulder to drive wide carrying the puck to the strongside post. He was on the ice for two goals against and finished the game -1 on a goal that came off of low defensive zone coverage where he pinned his man but he did allow him to make a 4′ pass to a teammate who then attacked the net. The other goal against came on the power play where his teammate misread the slingshot breakout option so L’Italien had nothing to do with the minus. He also had two grade “A” scoring opportunities with the first coming on a 2 on 1 where he received a royal road pass and he attempted to go five hole on a crossbody one-timer. On the play he had more time than he thought which says something about him scanning the ice while he doesn’t have the puck but we liked his willingness to quick stick a cross body one-timer with authority. At this point in his draft year Neutral Zone has L’Italien rated as a “C” 2024 NHL draft prospect but at his size and with more efforts like tonight that grade could be moving higher.
| Vincent Desjardins | Blainville-Boisbriand Armada | QMJHL | R | C | 5’10” | 144 | Blainville-Boisbriand Armada | 2022 | Mirabel, QC | 2006 | 2023-2024: C |
Game Grade: A-
Comments: Desjardins is an undersized right shot forward with high end agility and explosive quick feet that he used to create space for himself offensively or to take away ice from his opponent when the Armada did not have the puck. His high work rate and pace earned him 22:11 of total ice time which was over a full two minutes more than the next Armada forward which included a team forward’s high of 4:53 working the left mid-wall as the puck distributor on the power play. Desjardins handled poor passes without needing to look down and his puck anticipation skills allowed him to win loose pucks with time and space. His passes were hard and flat but there were a few times on the power play that his teammate could not one-time the puck because the pass was 6′ to the front foot rather than being in the wheelhouse. On the night he finished with two grade ‘A’ opportunities with the first coming on a power play snap shot from just inside the left dot-lane. On the play he used the opposing right defender as a screen but the shot was neither high nor low so the goaltender made an easy glove save. The second grade ‘A’ opportunity came off a tip in the high slot where he showed nice hand eye coordination and we liked how he spun off the defender towards the net looking for a rebound. At this point Desjardins has ‘C’ 2024 NHL draft grade from Neutral Zone due to his lack of size but there is no denying the high impact he had on this game.
| Xavier Villeneuve | Blainville-Boisbriand Armada | QMJHL | L | D | 5’8″ | 146 | Blainville-Boisbriand Armada | 2023 | Rimouski, QC | 2007 |
Game Grade: C
Comments: Measuring 5’8′, 140lbs Villeneuve is an undersized smooth skating left shot defender who the Armada drafted 7th overall in the 2023 QMJHL Draft who was playing in his CHL game. He showed long fluid strides, strong edges that he rode through the back third of his skate blade and the pivoting ability to close on opponents while defending a line rush without needing to crossover. His passes were hard and flat. On the night he finished even while earning 6:41 in total ice time.
| Alexandre Carbonneau | Blainville-Boisbriand Armada | QMJHL | L | D | 6’3″ | 198 | Cape Breton Screaming Eagles | 2022 | Saint-Isidore-de-Laprairie, QC | 2006 | 2023-2024: |
Game Grade: B-
Comments: Carbonneau is a thickly built 6’3′, 200lbs left shot defender with a deep knee athletic skating posture. While skating forward his stride is long and returns under his shoulder to it’s flat edge. While skating backwards in 1 on 1 or even man situations there are times when he can lean too far forwards and get his shoulders out over his toes looking to make contact but we feel he can be taught to sit back and show more patience. On the night he finished fifth among the Armada defenders with 14:20 of total ice time and with the exception of 0:04 he did not play on either special team’s units. In the defensive zone he looked to make contact as often as possible and showed strength when he used his inside edges to drive opponents from shooting lanes. On dump-ins to his corner he looked over both shoulders to locate forecheckers and showed nice deception by looking up his strongside wall before using a D to D pass to his partner off the far post. Offensively he showed lateral agility along the offensive blueline and had a rocket snapshot go off the crossbar. In total he had three snapshots from the blueline hit the net and although he showed a combination of patience and some puck poise he did have three additional point shots blocked in the low slot. At this point in the season the big lefty has a ‘C’ 2024 NHL draft grade from Neutral Zone due to his size and overall athleticism, but to become a true draft prospect we will be watching for Carbonneau to develop more snarl and add more abrasiveness to his game.
| Eric Halliday | Blainville-Boisbriand Armada | QMJHL | L | D | 5’11” | 170 | Blainville-Boisbriand Armada | 2022 | Hammonds Plains, NS | 2006 |
Did not dress
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images