Bleyl: The Q’s breakout star
Gardiner MacDougall calls rookie defenceman Tommy Bleyl a “one-man breakout.”
And while the coach is referring to the slick skating blueliner’s ability to carry the puck out of the defensive zone, in this case, the term has a double meaning.
Indeed, the 17-year-old blueliner with the Moncton Wildcats is emerging as a breakout star with the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League club.
Just as the Wildcats have hit their stride in the QMJHL schedule, with eight wins in their past 10 games,, the nifty defenceman has done the same: he has scored points in seven of the team’s last eight games, including seven in the last three games. He was one of three Wildcats named to the QMJHL Flo Hockey “Team of the week” this past week, along with forward Gabe Smith and goaltender Rudy Guimond. His 21 points are tied for second in the league among defencemen.
This for a young man who hasn’t yet turned 18. Mind you, that’s coming right up: his birthday is Dec. 1.
“He’s been a revelation for us,” said MacDougall. “He’s improved so many segments of his game so quickly. He’s got dynamite speed…his offensive instincts are getting better. He’s come a long way in a short time.”
That should come as no surprise given his history. Bleyl grew up in Glenville, NY, a town of 30,000 near Schenectady. He was two years old when he accompanied his older sister Alyssa to a Learn to Skate session program. After their lesson was complete, some youngsters came out in hockey gear for a “stick and puck” session.
“It was the first time I had seen hockey in real life,” he said. “I looked at them and I looked at my dad and I said ‘I need to do that.’.
His dad, Tom Sr. – actually, 17-year-old Tommy is Tom III, as both his father and grandfather are also named Tom – made it happen.
“He got me into the sport…I couldn’t thank him any more,” said the son. “He got in touch with some hockey guys in the area and I got some gear and I got some coaching and it just went from there.”
It went from there to the Schenectady Chargers as a youngster, to the Tri-Albany Titans mid-Fairfield Rangers program in Stanford, Conn. , to prep school hockey with Albany Academy to Cushing Academy, just outside Boston – former NHLer and Wildcat alumni Keith Yandle also went there – where he helped the team win the New England High School League championship last season.
“My dad really helped me, getting ice sessions with coaches and skating lessons. And once I got older, he took me to everything…tournaments and practices and games. In that long stretch where I went to Fairfield, he drove me, twice a week, six hours round trip, to practices and games. Late nights. Missing work. For six years straight. He sacrificed so much just so I could play a high level of hockey.””
His dad, mom Amanda, and his sister will meet up with him on the Quebec trip this weekend, a trip that starts in Victoriaville on Friday, to Shawinigan on Saturday and wraps up in Drummondville Sunday.
“I probably won’t get much time with them, but it will be good to see their faces and get some hugs,” he said.
Bleyl has enjoyed the move to Moncton.
“I went up for a tour in the summer and I loved everything I saw,” he said. “I met coach MacDougall, loved the facilities, loved the area. It’s going wonderfully. I feel like I’ve been here longer than three months. There’s a really good culture. And you couldn’t ask for any better coaches. It’s been a great experience.”
Bleyl compensates for his relatively small size – he’s six-feet and 168 pounds – with speed and smarts.
“He’s got dynamite legs,” said MacDougall. “He‘s got quick feet and he’s got a great mind. He’s quick and he’s got a good stick. If you’ve got a good stick, you can get the puck a lot of the time.”
“I think individually and as a team, we’ve improved greatly over the past couple of weeks,” Bleyl said. “The points…it’s some skill, and some luck obviously.”
James Connelly, the QMJHL scout for Dobber Prospects, calls him “one of the best skaters in the entire 2026 draft class. As a defenseman, he can lead the rush in transition and is a zone-entry cheat code at the QMJHL level.”
Puck Preps rates him “a 4-Star prospect.”
“Pro hockey…ever since I knew what the NHL was, I wanted to play in it,” said Bleyl. “It was pretty much a dream since I was about four or five years old. Over the past couple of years, it’s become more of a possibility and more of a goal.”
Article by Bill Hunt
Photo: Daniel St. Louis
