The lack of high-ranking talent in the NHL draft-eligible cohort has meant that many general managers and head scouts did not see fit to come and spend time in Quebec this season.
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“It’s been a very average year,” admits another Western recruiter. There are three or four really more interesting players, but it’s one of the weakest groups I’ve seen. The proof: We didn’t see many head scouts in Quebec this year. We recognize them, we usually see them, but this year we hardly saw any.
The absence of senior members from certain Quebec organizations this season could have implications for the end of the draft, adds this recruiter, who works for a western organization.
“There are many players in the QMJHL who deserve to be picked at the end of the draft. On the other hand, the chain makes it difficult to convince them unless we lure the decision makers into the league arenas and see the players. It’s difficult to win headscouts when there are only three or four interesting players in the first three rounds.
A domino effect
One of his colleagues confirms it: he too could not convince the decision-makers of his education to make the trip to Quebec this year, given the few interesting players available to them.
“It has an impact when they move. You visit, for example, Mathieu Cataford or Ethan Gauthier and leave after also seeing some of their teammates. If eight, nine, or ten players are expected to be drafted in the first two rounds, it is certain that more players will be selected from your league at the end of the draft. It’s a domino effect,” he says, adding that this isn’t a phenomenon specific to Quebec.
“The best example is the Seattle Thunderbirds. They have two high-ranking players and eventually several other players on their team caught the eye. If they played in Prince Albert, they probably wouldn’t have had that visibility. It’s a matter of logic.