What about the QMJHL?
It’s a question more New England prep and academy players are asking themselves.
Since the CHL ruling in November 2024 made its players eligible for NCAA Division 1 hockey, a growing number of former prep players have headed north.
Myles Brosnan, a Winchester, Mass. native who graduated from Dexter Southfield in the spring, is now in his first season with the Moncton Wildcats.
He planned to go straight from prepto Harvard this season, but the Crimson’s longtime coach, Ted Donato, stepped down in May and was replaced by Rob Rassey. That ended his plan, he said, and he needed somewhere else to play this season.
He began talking with Taylor MacDougall, the general manager and director of hockey operations for the Wildcats.
“I thought it was a no-brainer to go there,” Brosnan said. “A good year to develop, get better, and be a full-time hockey player for a year.”
The move to the QMJHL is the first time that hockey is the top priority for former prep players like Brosnan. Yes, there is still online school, but hockey is the priority. That’s the first major adjustment.
“I think the biggest adjustment was just the lifestyle,” Brosnan said.
Kasen Walsh, who left Nobles for the Chicoutimi Saguenéens and is the only 2010-born New England native to make a QMJHL roster, felt that adjustment to a greater degree.
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“It’s just being all in with hockey. I was playing baseball and hockey and balancing both in prep school,” he said. “You go into the rink, and you’re on the ice twice and working out every day.”
At Nobles, Walsh would skate every day after school and have a team workout once or twice a week. Now in Chicoutimi, weekdays are filled with skill sessions, workouts, team practices, and optional skates.
QMJHL teams have far more hockey resources than prep schools, said Justin Lee, who left Nobles for the Saguenéens just as Walsh did. Lee meets one-on-one with coaches regularly, has scheduled video sessions, and trains with technology like virtual reality.
“There are really unlimited things that you can use as a resource,” he said. “It’s definitely a grind just to play here, and to be good here, you need to do a lot, but that’s something that you need to figure out.”
Beyond the adjustment of living away from home for the first time, in a different country and with a billet family, the pace of play stands out.
Caiden Pellegrino, an Uxbridge, Mass., native who joined the Rimouski Océanic from St. Mark’s, said the speed was jarring at first.
“It’s one of the best junior leagues in the country. There are very skilled players, and there’s no easy game — every game’s a challenge. If you don't bring it, then you’re not going to be successful,” he said.
Pellegrino said training camp and preseason games helped him acclimate quickly, but he had never worked this hard before.
“The first week, I did not have my best week, but the guys around me were very supportive, and coaches were pushing me and making me feel at home,” he said.
Through 16 games, Pellegrino was third on the Océanic in scoring with 20 points (seven goals, 13 assists). He credited his production to playing with players who can finish and make plays.
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Pellegrino has played center his entire life, but is now playing wing for the first time. It’s a new challenge, but as a rookie, he’s willing to play whatever role he’s given.
For Brosnan, a defenseman, the biggest thing he noticed about the game is that anyone on the ice can capitalize on a mistake.
“Sometimes in prep school you can make a mistake, and nothing really transpires of it,” he said. “Up here, minor mistakes can lead to major results.”
He said the flip side is true too.
“Making a small detail play could also lead to major results in a good way. The little details and consistencies of the game and those minute things add up more as you climb the ladder more and more.”
Walsh, also a defenseman, said the QMJHL game relies more on quick plays than prep hockey does. Players carry the puck end to end far less often. The Warwick, R.I., native said that style has its upsides, too.
“If you’re making simple plays, it’s sometimes easier to play because you just look up, you see a guy there, and you make the play,” Walsh said.
As the youngest player on the Saguenéens, Walsh has also had to adjust to the physicality. In prep, some of the top players are obviously big, but there is a drop-off after that — that’s not the case in the QMJHL.
“It’s been hard,” he said. “We were playing against Baie-Comeau, and I passed the puck with my head down, I looked up, got hit hard, and knocked down pretty clean. It’s physical, and I’m getting hit hard.”
From the crease, the jump in level is just as clear. Lee, a goalie and a native of Newton, Mass., said, “Everything is better.” As a netminder, not only are shots faster, but he realized he needed a stronger mentality.
“The main thing that I needed to do better was being mentally sharp every game,” he said. “And if you’re not mentally there for a game, then it’ll be a tough night for you.”
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The mental side of the game has been something Walsh has dealt with more than ever. He’s been in and out of the lineup for the first time in his hockey career. He knew that would be the case, but it still has its challenges.
“Being scratched sucks, and you never want to be scratched, and sometimes it’s like, I wish I was playing,” he said. “For me, I’m just taking it day-by-day.”
Walsh knows he has to make the most of every chance. With several Saguenéens defensemen injured, he has been getting steadier minutes. Still, the bigger picture is paramount.
“I know that this is all part of the process,” Walsh said. “I’m really focusing on developing and working with all the coaches I can, going to all the optional skills I can, and trying to just develop my game.”
That was the driving factor for Walsh, Brosnan, Lee, and Pellegrino moving to the QMJHL — to become better hockey players for the future.
“I didn’t come into this team being on the first power play or top six guy,” Pellegrino said. “Just being able to develop and work with the coaches and having good support from my teammates — I think my development as a person and a player has been very good so far.”
Brosnan said the Harvard delay doesn’t bother him.
“I don’t think anyone in hockey history has ever been mad about doing more juniors and more development time,” he said. “More development, especially for defensemen, is a really good thing. I think coming to Moncton was an excellent decision.”
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Ultimately, being ready for Division 1 hockey is a big reason why players like Lee opted for the QMJHL over doing another year of prep.
“I think the development here is really, really good,” Lee said. “All the on-ice and off-ice time that you’re getting, plus the schoolwork that they require, is definitely the right path for Division 1 hockey and beyond.”
