The QMJHL Prospects Game is a great chance for NHL teams to see all of the top draft-eligibles in the league under one roof. Top Q players and NHL evaluators will descend on Centre Slush Puppie in Gatineau, Quebec Wednesday night for the first of the major junior league prospects showcases.
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The game will pit Team Crosby against Team Lafleur with each player making their case for why teams should be keeping a close eye on them for the rest of the season.
For a number of players, it’s also a chance to make their case for inclusion at the CHL USA Prospects Challenge in December, which will be one of the most scouted events of the season.
NHL Central Scouting announced their preliminary watch list for the 2027 NHL Draft earlier this week. The QMJHL was well represented on that list with 53 players featured including four – Carter Meyer, Alexis Joseph, Jamie Glance and Malik L’Italien – earning an A-rating as projected first-round prospects.
Forty of those players will take the ice Wednesday night in a spirited contest that is unlikely to look like your traditional all-star game. With scouts in the stands, the intensity of these games always seems to deliver and last year’s game was a generally thrilling contest between two evenly matched teams.
Here are the players I’ll be keeping a close eye on tonight.
Team Crosby
James Scantlebury, C, Québec Remparts
Currently the second leading scorer in the Q, Scantlebury has been automatic since joining the Remparts. He has 22 points including 10 goals and has overshadowed some of his higher-rated teammates with a terrific early season run.
Jamie Glance, RW, Saint John Sea Dogs
Second among all Q rookies with 19 points in 14 games, Glance brings a boatload of speed and creativity to the table. After two years at the U.S. NTDP, he’s getting one more year of junior before moving on to college hockey, but is making his impact felt in a major way.
Maxmilian Mares, C/W, Rimouski Oceanic
A point-per-game player in his first season in North America, Mares is a high-upside player with tremendous size and physical tools. That his offense has translated early on in his Q career is especially encouraging. The 6-foot-6 forward is going to have a lot of eyes on him and looks like he could at least push for first-round consideration.
Malik L’Italien, D, Halifax Mooseheads
One of the top defensemen in a shallower class at the position in 2027, L’Italien has had a strong start to his draft campaign. With 10 points in 12 games so far, he has been productive for Halifax, while also playing solid defensively with his 6-foot-4, 200-pound frame.
Patrick Déniger, G, Québec Remparts
Born only a few weeks after the draft cutoff, Déniger is making the most of his second QMJHL campaign. He is 7-2-1 with a .919 save percentage through 10 appearances for Québec, making him a leading candidate to be one of the goalies for Team CHL at the CHL USA Prospects Challenge.
Team Lafleur
Carter Meyer, C, Québec Remparts
Meyer has largely lived up to expectations for the Remparts. He has 15 points in 13 games and has played an abrasive style that makes him a thorn in the side of the opposition. Meyer is widely considered one of the best forwards in this year’s draft, but with that comes extremely high expectations for the remainder of his season, even higher than when he started.
Alexis Joseph, C, Saint John Sea Dogs
Joseph has been doing a pretty good job of building back up some of the draft stock he seemed to lose coming into the season. The 6-foot-5 center with soft-touch skill and a smooth game has 14 points in 14 games so far.
Vladimir Shtrykhunov, D, Shawinigan Cataractes
A 6-foot, right-shot defenseman with higher end puck moving skills, Shtrykuhnov has handled himself well in his first North American season. He has 10 points through his first 12 QMJHL games. Defensively, there are items to clean up, but he has a lot of the tools modern defensemen need to have.
Filip Kovalcik, D, Drummondville Voltigeurs
Kovalcik is off to an especially impressive start to his QMJHL season. In just 13 games, he has 10 points after posting 18 points all of last season. With Slovakia national team experience, Kovalcik will continue to get big showcase opportunities over the course of the season and can better put himself on the map now.
Andrei Nikolayev, G, Victoriaville Tigres
Nikolayev got a B rating from NHL Central Scouting and a lot of it has to do with the tremendous upside so many see in him. At 6-foot-5, he has the coveted size and his game is starting to catch up. Nikolayev’s numbers have not been amazing, but there’s a lot of excitement about where he can take his game next based on what we’ve seen so far.
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