Decisions, decisions: Breaking down the Top 10 prospects ahead of the 2025 QMJHL Draft
Newfoundland and Labrador hockey history will be made on June 6 and 7 in Quebec City as the Newfoundland Regiment make their first-ever draft picks in the 2025 QMJHL Entry Draft.
This draft represents a critical moment for the QMJHL’s newest club, who will be seeking to draft players who they believe will help set the stage for a thrilling inaugural season and help lay the foundation for a new era of junior hockey in Newfoundland and Labrador for years to come.
The Regiment are already poised to be the big winners on draft day thanks to three first round picks, including the fifth, sixth and eighth overall picks, and are in possession of 13 total draft picks to be selected across the 12-round draft, taking place at the home of the Quebec Remparts, the Videotron Centre.
Curious as to which players may be selected by the Regiment with their three first round draft picks? You’re in the right place. Let’s take a look at the top 10 draft prospects from across Quebec and Atlantic Canada as determined by QMJHL Central Scouting.
#10 – Phenwick MacLean (F), Steele Subaru U18
Bedford, Nova Scotia native Phenwick MacLean loves to score goals.
As a member of Steele Subaru’s U18 Major Midget squad playing out of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, the 6-foot lefty scored 23 goals in just 35 regular season games and elevated his game to another level in the postseason, recording 10 goals and five assists for 15 points in eight playoff contests.
At the East Coast Ice Jam in January, MacLean found the back of the net seven times in just five games and ended the tournament with three consecutive two-goal games against some of the top competition in Atlantic Canada.
In his final season of U15 hockey as a member of his hometown Bedford Bandits in the 2023-24 season, MacLean turned heads with an eye-popping 53 goals in just 33 games.
MacLean is the top-ranked Nova Scotia born prospect ahead of the 2025 QMJHL Draft and is one of just two Nova Scotians projected to be selected in the first round.
He projects to provide a significant offensive punch for whichever team calls his name on draft day.
#9 – Nolann Heroux (F), Saint-Eustache Vikings, QM18AAA
Don’t let his size fool you, 16-year-old Montreal native Nolann Heroux is a big game player.
Standing at 5-foot-9, Heroux provides a unique blend of scoring touch, playmaking ability and grit as the leading scorer for the Saint-Eustache Vikings just outside Montreal in Quebec’s top midget AAA hockey league.
A natural centre, Heroux scored 21 goals and added 29 assists for 50 points in 41 regular season contests and demonstrated toughness beyond his size with 29 penalty minutes.
His point-per-game pace continued into the postseason where he recorded 11 points in 10 playoff contests, including two goals and a team-leading nine assists.
Heroux feels his biggest asset is his speed and has drawn comparisons to Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brayden Point for his snappy release, his quickness on his feet and his relentless competitiveness.
Heroux’s playmaking ability was on full display at the QMJHL Cup in April, standing out among QMJHL hopefuls with the second most assists (4) among all prospects in the four-game tournament.
#8 – Louis-Etienne Halley (RW), Saint-Eustache Vikings, QM18AAA
The aforementioned Heroux wasn’t the only top prospect to emerge out of the Saint-Eustache Vikings program this year.
Hailing from Sainte-Therese, Quebec just northwest of Montreal, winger Louis-Etienne Halley plays a very different, but equally as impressive game as his diminutive teammate.
Towering over Heroux and standing at 6-foot-3 and weighing 183 pounds as a 16-year-old right-shooting winger, Halley is a puck protection machine who loves to score in bunches.
In 41 regular season contests, Halley notched 19 goals, including a pair of hat tricks, and added 21 assists for 40 points, and continued to develop into the postseason, where he notched six goals and five assists for 11 points in ten games.
Halley more than held his own at the QMJHL Cup in April, tying for the tournament lead in points with seven, recording three goals and four assists.
#7 – Benjamin Veitch (C), York Simcoe Express, OMHA U16 AAA
While local hockey fans might be clamouring for the top-ranked Newfoundlander in the QMJHL Draft to be selected by his hometown club, there will be plenty of competition for the services of 6-foot-2 centre Benjamin Veitch.
The St. John’s native, who doesn’t turn 16 until October, is nothing short of a scout’s dream, boasting a unique and highly desired combination of size, speed, physicality and offensive touch.
As a member of the York Simcoe Express U16 AAA squad in Aurora, Ontario for the 2024-25 season, Veitch proved to be a consistent and dominant force, scoring 21 goals and adding 21 assists for 42 points in just 29 regular season contests.
Not shy to use his 6-foot-2 frame, Veitch recorded as many penalty minutes (42) as he did points this past season and is projecting to be a prototypical power forward with incredible offensive potential.
Veitch feels he plays a game similar to that of Los Angeles Kings star forward Quinton Byfield and backed up that comparison at the QMJHL Cup in April as one of only five skaters to record seven points in the prospects showcase. Veitch recorded a goal in all four games of the showcase tournament.
#6 – Zack Arsenault (F), Seminaire St-Francois Blizzard, QM18AAA
For Quebec City native Zach Arsenault, playing in the QMJHL is a family affair.
With his father Ken and uncle Jimmy both having played in the league in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, Arsenault’s skillset and potential may quickly earn him bragging rights around the Arsenault dinner table, as his responsible and productive two-way play has him pegged to be one of the first few players selected in the 2025 QMJHL Draft.
As a member of the Seminaire St-Francois Blizzard in 2024-25, the 5-foot-11, 168-pound forward lit the lamp at a goal-per-game pace and scored 24 goals in just 23 regular season games and finished the year with 40 total points. Arsenault’s stellar year continued into the postseason, where he tied for the team lead in goals (3) and points (7).
While he’s only 16 years old, Arsenault has a history as a gifted goal-scorer. In the 2023-24 season as a member of the Quebec A’s U15 elite team, he recorded 80 points in 32 games, including an incredible 47 goals.
A 200-foot competitor who thrives on the power play, it will only be a matter of time before his quick right-handed release has him filling the net in the QMJHL.
#5 – James Scantlebury (F), Bishop Kearney Selects, 18U AAA
Of all Quebec and Atlantic Canadian prospects listed in the QMJHL Central Scouting’s final prospect rankings, no other skater had a draft-eligible season quite like 16-year-old Montreal native James Scantlebury.
Playing for the Bishop Kearney High School Selects U16 squad in Rochester, New York, the 5-foot-9 16-year-old lefty was the lone top-10 prospect to crack the century mark in points, amassing 35 goals and 65 assists for 100 points in a mere 56 games played.
And his impressive U16 season was no fluke. As a member of Bishop Kearney’s U14 squad a year prior, the 165-pound forward collected a head-turning 64 goals in 55 games and finished the season with a whopping 130 points, thanks in large part to his poise under pressure, relentless speed and elite hockey sense.
Beyond his obvious skill and tremendous upside, fans and scouts alike will be keeping a particularly close eye on Scantlebury on draft day, as he has already signed a tender agreement with the Chicago Steel of the United States Hockey League (USHL) for the upcoming 2025-26 season.
Whether he plays in the USHL or the QMJHL, the incredible interest in Scantlebury’s talents from both sides of the border tell you everything you need to know about this exciting young prospect.
#4 – Thomas Charbonneau (D), Shattuck St. Mary’s 15U AAA
As one of just two defensemen listed among the top 10 Quebec and Atlantic Canadian prospects, Laval, Quebec’s Thomas Charbonneau simply oozes poise, maturity and skill and has all of the tools necessary to develop into the ideal modern defenseman.
With scouts lauding his above-average left-handed shot and ability to excel on either side of the ice, the 6-foot-1 rearguard was a standout on the blue line of the prestigious Shattuck St. Mary’s U15 AAA squad in Faribault, Minnesota this past season, recording 11 goals and 39 helpers for 50 points in 61 games as the lone Canadian defenseman on the roster.
Charbonneau, who won’t turn 16 years of age until a week after the 2025 QMJHL Draft, finished his season with a strong performance at the USA Hockey National Championships in Madison, Wisconsin back in April, collecting a goal and an assist for two points in four games played against some of the toughest 15-year-old competition in the United States.
Prior to Joining Shattuck St. Mary’s in the 2023-24 season, Charbonneau was the highest scoring defenseman in the prestigious Quebec International Pee-Wee tournament during the 2021-22 season, recording three goals and six assists for nine points in five games.
#3 – Antoine Provencher (F), College Charles-Lemoyne Riverains, QM18AAA
It’s often a challenge for a 15-year-old to find success playing high-level U18 hockey against players two years their senior, but Candiac, Quebec native Antoine Provencher made it look easy in the 2024-25 season.
The 6-foot-tall, 176-pound forward suited up for the College Charles-Lemoyne Riverains just south of Montreal this past season and caught the attention of scouts across the QMJHL when he finished third on his team in scoring with 48 points in 40 games, including 22 goals and 26 helpers.
Perhaps most impressively, Provencher posted a team-leading +19 rating thanks to his tenacious skating ability and intelligent two-way play.
Equipped with a lethal shot, even from long range, Provencher has modeled his game after Winnipeg Jets star forward Mark Scheifele and draws many comparisons to the former St. John’s IceCap with his creativity, his responsible 200-foot approach to the game and his ability to make life difficult on opposing defenders.
A smart, Swiss army knife of a player, Provencher projects to be deployed as a complete and impactful player in all three zones and is sure to be high on scouting lists across the league.
#2 – Malik L’Italien (D), Stanstead College, CAHS
Widely considered one of the top 2009-born defensemen in Canada, Quebec City native Malik L’Italien is truly an electrifying player.
Already boasting an NHL-ready 6-foot-2 frame, it’s no surprise to see the 187-pound left-shooting rearguard ranked as the top defensive prospect in the draft. Blessed with incredible speed, explosivity, soft hands and a hard-hitting mean streak, L’Italien’s potential is nothing short of sky high.
As the youngest member of Stanstead College’s varsity squad in Stanstead, Quebec, the a 15-year-old L’Italien quickly lived up to the hype as a premier offensive defenseman, posting 34 points in 41 games, including scoring eight goals.
When the Chicago Steel took a flyer on L’Italien with their last draft pick in the 2025 USHL Phase I Draft, USHL brass and pundits alike praised L’Italien for his athleticism, his skating and his size, with one scout suggesting he might be the best 2009-born defenseman in all of North America, adding that he may have been the most dominant player at the QMJHL Cup back in April.
L’Italien’s QMJHL Cup numbers suggest the same, as his three points, all assists, tied him for the tournament lead in points among defensemen.
#1 – Alexis Joseph (C), College Esther-Blondin Phenix, QM18AAA
Size? Check. Elite-level skating? Check. Major league wrist shot? Check. Lethal in the face off circle? Check.
The number one prospect ahead of the 2025 QMJHL Draft is Lachenaie, Quebec native Alexis Joseph. Standing at 6-foot-4 and weighing 192 pounds at just 15 years of age, Joseph’s name is already being mentioned among top prospects ahead of the 2027 NHL Entry Draft.
Playing U18 midget AAA hockey for the College Esther-Blondin Phenix in Saint-Jacques, Quebec for the 2024-25 season, Joseph excelled under pressure to lead his team in goals (23), assists (33) and points (56) in just 42 games played as one of the youngest skaters on his team.
Joseph’s dominance, both offensive and physical, was lauded by both fans and scouts at the QMJHL Cup back in April, as he tied for the tournament lead in both points with seven (3G, 4A) and penalty minutes with four.
Whether he lands with the Regiment or not, it may be worth grabbing your tickets now to avoid missing your chance to catch a glimpse of this bonafide blue-chip prospect.
