Turned Left when we should have Turned Right

Suggested reading as this is a follow-up to a prior posting:
» The (Assumed) Path to Major Junior...from the States.
Don't worry -- there's a link back to this article at the end of that one.

So, first piece of news is that the QMJHL, in 2024, will not be hosting an "American" draft -- so count that option out going forward.

Also, following the 2024 draft, there will only be 12 rounds instead of 14...meaning fewer players will be drafted.

And, as my oldest, Duncan, is now closer to junior hockey and his name is getting out there and added to the very bottom of various prospect lists, he's learned first hand -- right from the league who were AMAZING in their responses to his inquiries -- that the QMJHL utilizes the Neutral Zone exclusively for US-based players.

To be an eligible player, you must have been evaluated and reported on by their scouts.

Not on there?

You're not getting on the CSR list, then.

Not sure what the CSR is? Well, it stands for "Centre de Soutien au Recrutement" which, in English, is basically the Central Scouting list.

My kids aren't on there...and, well, based on scouring the familiar 2008 and 2009 names that are on there, we may have turned left when we should have turned right meaning I may need to eat some of my words regarding off-season tournament teams.

Rather than doing the whole tournament circuit this offseason, we chose to focus on the gym this offseason after his experience at the NAHL combine back in April.

Despite a glowing scouting report on him from the TSA Scouting Journal that weekend, his missing piece at that event (from my perspective) was not hockey related but strength...and we're fixing it.

However, now, having learned of the Neutral Zone's exclusivity, we should have latched on to a WSI Tournament team or maybe even pursued the USA Hockey district team I recently poked fun of (with good reason).

Neutral Zone "scouts" did write-ups for both of those events.

Awkward for us.

Maybe awkward isn't the right word.

Aggravating is probably a better representation.

I went and watched the New England Select 15 USA Hockey National Camp Selection scrimmages out of curiosity since it was less than 10 miles from home.

Great players in attendance, absolutely -- the best 2009 we've ever played with was dominating...and Neutral Zone wrote him up appropriately a few days later.

But outside of maybe 4 or 5 players on each team, it was a prime example of why we've skipped these events in the past.

It was far from a select group of the best of the best, cream of the cop, top flight players. Overall, the NAHL Combine was off a much higher level.

I watched regular season third pairing players hanging on for dear life...and now they all have Neutral Zone profiles for their troubles.

Confirms that hockey is dreadfully unfair sometimes. A game of chance.

It is what it is.

But that's on me.

We skipped the wrong events at the wrong time.

At this point, we're crossing fingers a specific guy watches his team in a 15U Selects Tournament coming up... Our luck, Neutral Zone will have a representative there...and my son's team will land in a 16U bracket they're not scouting.

It's all very luck of the draw during the off season outside the WSI level tournaments.

And that's the pickle -- we made the wrong move...while also making the right move.

All these days in the gym with a personal trainer will undoubtedly make him a stronger player and better prospect.

And that's the aggravating part.

Maybe it's just frustration?

At the end of the day, he wasn't on the ice that one weekend when the guys making the prospect list he wants to be on were there.

(No -- this is not related to the post I made where a coach called him invisible! That would be funny, though!)

It was just, well, bad timing of a level of importance that I wasn't aware of.

In hindsight, and had I known the exclusivity of the Neutral Zone's profiles a year ago, I would have had him attending the higher end tournaments where he would have been, you know, added to the very bottom of the prospect list he wants to be on.

Had we known, zero chance we would have skipped the WSI tournament.

Zero chance.

This is the prospect list he was chasing...and it seems he missed it.

And that's why I'm posting this -- so other players, younger, with the same goal don't misfire like we have.

If you want to play in the QMJHL, coming from the States, you need to play in tournaments or leagues that Neutral Zone covers...AS YOU'RE TURNING 15.

And that's the key point.

I do expect my son to be evaluated and added to their site over the next season or two... There are a bunch of former teammates on there and kids a year or two older that play within the same program he does.

Based on my background in distance running, I often say, you don't need to be the guy way out in front.

Fact is, you do NOT want to be that guy.

And you don't even need to lead the pack either -- you just need to be within striking distance to still be a threat.

This is something I've found a lot of sports parents struggle with.

Unless your son or daughter it truly exceptional, a generational talent, you don't want them to be the best.

You don't want them to be the leading scorer.

You don't want them to win every tournament.

Big fish in a little pond vibe here...but this is why, if sports are of importance to you or your child, you should continue to move them up the chain to a point where they're contributing...but not dominating.

More generically, you just need to be in the room and moving in on the conversation.

The team my son plays for, the level he plays, and the league they play in meet all of those conditions.

He's got the right coaches, he has the right teammates around him, he plays against the right opponents, he has former coaches supporting him, and he'll get the exposure he needs.

That's never been a concern -- I've always been cognizant of those things as a hockey parent.

But, for him, getting added to the list as a low end prospect at the tail end of his 15U season will be too late for his personal goal.

The 2009's are up in 2025 for the QMJHL Draft...meaning it would be most beneficial if he were on there already, now, in 2024.

He could also be drafted in 2026...but far, far, far fewer players are selected when they're a year older.

Direct from the QMJHL correspondence with my son, "About 90% of the drafted players are first year eligible players (15 yrs old) and the other 10% are at their second year eligibility (16 yrs old)."

Did I mention yet how amazing their league office was in getting back to him? Quickly too.

In the short term, though, it may be time to make a strong pivot and focus on a new goal for the next couple seasons -- NCDC and maybe NAHL too.

Oh, in other news, for the west coast folks -- the WHL drafts kids a year earlier, as they're turning 15 instead of 16.

As I saw familiar names getting selected out there earlier this Spring, I was like...wow, so-and-so must've really REALLY improved since the last time we skated with them to be selected as a 14 year old.

Nope.

They're just drafting 'em a year earlier out there...

Congrats to those families!

2024 QMJHL Draft Notes

The following is a listing of all of the US-Based players selected in the 2024 QMJHL Draft.

I omitted Loic Nasreddine, drafted in the 7th round, 123rd overall, who played for the Dallas Stars Elite 15U team. Reason being, he's a bit of an anomaly -- only playing in Dallas because his dad, Alain Nasreddine (former NHLer) is an assitant coach with the NHL's Dallas Stars. Loic started his hockey career in Scranton and the NJ Devils youth programs while his father coached there...

He was born in Germany -- while his dad played there -- and did a year of high shcool at Notre Dame, out in Saskatchwan. So, in the traditional sense, he's not a New England based, QMJHL eligible player. For all intents and purposes, he's a Quebec based player that's bounced around a bit due to his father's professional hockey career.

Player	Round \| Pick	Midget/Youth Teams
Jacoby Weiner	7th Round, 111th overall Moncton Wildcats	Mid-Fairfield Hartford Jr Wolf Pack
Brian McFadden	7th Round, 113th overall Charlottetown Islanders	Catholic Memorial Militia HC Neponset Valley River Rats
Jude Herron	8th Round, 139th overall Charlottetown Islanders	South Kent School Boston Jr Eagles
Nico Ciardiello	9th Round, 150th overall Halifax Mooseheads	Mount St. Charles GNH Warriors
Spencer Thornborough	10th Round, 173rd overall Moncton Wildcats	The Governor's Academy Boston Jr Eagles Top Gun
Sullivan Martin	11th Round, 186rd overall Charlottetown Islanders	Seacoast Spartans SPA
Matas Janulius	13th Round, 221st overall Saint John Sea Dogs	Islanders HC
Nolan Nassar	13th Round, 227nd overall Sherbrooke Phoenix	The Governer's Academy Boston Jr Eagles Islanders HC
Matthew Krayer	14th Round, 229nd overall Saint John Sea Dogs	Mount St. Charles Islanders HC
Parker Stockseth	14th Round, 245nd overall Sherbrooke Phoenix	Seacoast Spartans SPA MassConn United
Will Bent	14th Round, 245nd overall Halifax Mooseheads	Mount St. Charles Boston Jr Eagles

My take on this? From a personal standpoint?

I mean...the first US-based player was 111 picks in...and a goalie.

And half of them were chosen in rounds that won't even exist going forward.

That's not exactly uplifting for the skaters out there.

These are all really talented players, no question, but they're not exactly surefire NHL prospects.

Being selected 100+ picks in for a junior league is a pretty solid indication of how AMAZING the guys making it to the NHL as 18 year olds really are.

In addition, these players all surely have USHL opportunities -- many have been drafted there too -- so that's why history has shown so few players from the US actually show up to camp, make the team, and then play an actual game.

That is largely due, in part, to the desire of maintaining their NCAA eligibility.

You set foot on QMJHL ice, kiss those NCAA opportunities good bye.

Remains to be seen how that plays out in the future, with NIL money going to NCAA athletes now...but for those that are aware of the education policies major junior hockey offers, well, it's almost more attractive than what 99% of NCAA hockey players are afforded.

That's jumping ahead too much though for my own family...backing it up, I really like this list of players.

I say that because all of these players play for, or have played for, teams that the teams my kids play for, play against.

Say that four times, fast!

In the case for two of these players, we've actually played for the same programs.

That puts him in the same room.

Doing the whole degrees of separation thing, even though my son is a birth year younger, while he was never teammates with any of these guys, he's played against one of them, trained with another one, and has 2-degrees of separation for four more of them.

That puts him, almost, in the conversation.

I think this also showcases that the Islanders HC out of Tyngsboro, Mass, and the Boston Jr Eagles are paved pathways.

And that Mount St Charles and The Governor's Academy are the prep schools that Neutral Zone is all over.

And SPA Academy is a power house. (An 09 player I frequently allude to as the best player we've ever played alongside plays for them...)

And, lastly, it also showcases that US-based players aren't highly touted in the QMJHL.

Agree? Disagree? Let me know -- I love the feedback from all angles!

Chris Rutsch

Hockey Dad

Year round, I spend a significant amount of time and money transporting my three boys to and from freezing cold ice rinks. Not because I expect them to make it to the NHL but because I know the rigorous youth hockey experience will serve them well in the future.