The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) held its entry draft and American draft Monday and Tuesday of this week.
The QMJHL is one of three major junior leagues under the umbrella of the Canadian Hockey League. Players who compete in the QMJHL, OHL or WHL are ineligible to play college hockey. The birth year for the QMJHL Entry Draft was 2006 while a few '05s were selected in the American draft.
For the most part, the New England players selected in either QMJHL draft are purely for show. It’s becoming increasingly rare to see players from the region head north of the border to play. With college hockey as strong as ever, it’s unwise for local players to head to the QMJHL where their careers could be over by 20. Going the NCAA route allows players to develop until they are 24 or 25 years old.
Mount Saint Charles center Sacha Boisvert was the highest drafted player with ties to the New England region. The '06 from Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, was selected by Chicoutimi in the first round with the 12th pick. Boisvert has already tendered with the USHL’s Muskegon Lumberjacks for the 2022-23 season.
Thayer right wing Gavin Cornforth (Milton, Mass.) was the first New England player selected in the QMJHL Entry Draft. The speedy, skilled winger went in the sixth round to the Moncton Wildcats. In 22 games this past winter for coach Tony Amonte’s Tigers, Cornforth scored 12 goals and had 18 assists. He was invited to USA Hockey’s NTDP Evaluation Camp in March.
Cornforth’s selection by Moncton is intriguing, given he’s a dual citizen. His dad, Mark Cornforth, hails from Montreal. The elder Cornforth played college hockey at Merrimack before a five-year pro career that included six games with the Boston Bruins.
The Cape Breton Screaming Eagles selected two New Englanders in the entry draft. The team, previously coached by former Northwood bench boss Chadd Cassidy until his resignation Wednesday, plucked Little Bruins forward Teddy MacAusland (Westwood, Mass.) and Bishop’s College defenseman Elliott Groenewold (Bellows Falls, Vt.) in the eighth and ninth rounds, respectively.
In the 11th round, Mount Saint Charles defenseman Will Felicio (Holden, Mass.) was tabbed by the Saint John Sea Dogs. That same organization took Felicio’s Mount teammate, center JJ Monteiro (Hudson, Mass.), one round later. Also drafted in the 12th round was BK Selects forward James Chase (Williston, Vt.), chosen by the Halifax Mooseheads.
Seacoast Performance Academy defenseman Deke Davidson (Newmarket, N.H.) was the first player selected in the QMJHL American Draft, which spanned two rounds following the conclusion of the entry draft.
QMJHL American Draft Results
First Round
1. Cape Breton - Deke Davidson, D, Newmarket, N.H./Seacoast 15O
2. Victoriaville - Lucas St. Louis, D, Greenwich, Conn./Brunswick/Mid Fairfield U16 (Harvard)
3. Baie-Comeau - Cameron Cooke, C, Pelham, N.H./Junior Bruins U16
4. Val-d’Or - Teddy Stiga, C, Sudbury, Mass./Belmont Hill/Junior Eagles U16
5. Chicoutimi - Ryan Nolan, G, Hampton, N.H./Seacoast U16
6. Rouyn-Noranda - Lucas Van Mullen, D, South Burlington, Vt./Rice Prep
7. Moncton - Cole Eiserman, LW, Newburyport, Mass./Shattuck-St. Mary’s
8. Blainville-Boisbriand - Thatcher Bernstein, G, Brookline, Mass./Nobles
9. Drummondville - Jack Galanek, C, Hopkinton, Mass./Shattuck-St. Mary’s 15O
10. Rimouski - Landan Resendes, RW, Hudson, Mass./Cushing/River Rats U16
11. Halifax - James Marshall, LW, Weymouth, Mass./BC High/River Rats 15O
12. Shawinigan - Drew Lemire, D, Merrimack, N.H./Gilmour Academy
13. Acadie-Bathurst - Matej Teply, D, Stamford, Conn./Selects Academy U16
14. Gatineau - Nate Porter, RW, Hingham, Mass./Dexter Southfield/Junior Eagles U16
15. Sherbrooke - Kiernan Poulin, D, Norwell, Mass./Boston Advantage 15O
16. Saint John - Patrick Murphy, RW, North Kingston, Mass./Mount Saint Charles U16
17. Charlottetown - Aryx Siefker, D, Cheshire, Conn./Winchendon
18. Quebec - Michael Minchello, RW, Braintree, Mass./Dexter Southfield/Junior Eagles Moran U16
Second Round
19. Cape Breton - Andrew O’Sullivan, D, Norwell, Mass./Boston Advantage 15O
20. Victoriaville - Brady Flynn, D, Milton, Mass./Dexter Southfield/Junior Eagles Moran U16
21. Baie-Comeau - Liam O’Keeffe, D, Boston, Mass./Dexter Southfield/Junior Eagles U18
22. Val-d’Or - Ryan Lucarelli, C, Westport, Conn./Canterbury/River Rats 15O
23. Chicoutimi - Spencer Morrow, D, New Canaan, Conn./Shattuck-St. Mary’s 15O
24. Rouyn-Noranda - Blake Burke, LW, Trumbull, Conn./Mid Fairfield 15O
25. Moncton - Caeden Herrington, D, Montpelier, Vt./CP Dynamo 15O
26. Blainville-Boisbriand - Ryan Staples, C, Middletown, R.I./Bishop Hendricken/River Rats 15O
27. Drummondville - Owen Keefe, D, Saugus, Mass./Malden Catholic/Junior Eagles U16
28. Rimouski - Willem Dumais, RW, Lunenburg, Mass./Winchendon/Cape Cod Whalers 15O
29. Halifax - Will Doherty, RW, Marshfield, Mass./Marshfield/Cape Cod Whalers 15O
30. Shawinigan - Austin Borggaard, LW, Worcester, Mass./St. Mark’s/Little Bruins U16
31. Acadie-Bathurst - Maxim St. Pierre, D, Newmarket, N.H./Seacoast 15O
32. Gatineau - Kyle Murray-Smith, LW, South Strafford, Vt./Kimball Union/Top Gun U16
33. Sherbrooke - Michael Soliminsky, D, Ashburnham, Mass./Seacoast 15O
34. Saint John - Jaden Duprey, RW, St. Albans, Vt./Boston Hockey Academy 15O
35. Charlottetown - Ronnie Hill, RW, Saco, Maine/Seacoast 15O
36. Quebec - Jack Harney, D, Needham, Mass./St. Sebastian’s/Junior Eagles U16
