The Official New England Ice Hockey DBoard
Visit The DBoard Online Store - https://www.cafepress.com/icehockeydboard
Click Here to Visit Our Facebook Page
email: icehockeydboard@yahoo.com
Central Catholic, St. Sebastian's lead local picks in annual QMJHL Draft
Jim Clark Saturday, June 04, 2016
Three members of Central Catholic’s 2016 Super Eight team were among the host of MIAA and Massachusetts prep school hockey stars who had their names called in Saturday’s Quebec Major Junior Hockey League draft.
While being selected in the QMJHL draft is considered to be a prestigious honor, rarely do players from Massachusetts make the jump to playing north of the border. Because the QMJHL is part of the Canadian Hockey League and considered a professional league by the NCAA, any player who skates for a CHL team would forgo all college eligibility.
Dream Teamer Jake Wise, who has committed to Boston University, was one of the first local players chosen. The sophomore was taken by the Halifax Mooseheads in the seventh round (No. 111 overall). One round later, freshman forward Sean Brown was tabbed by the Quebec Remparts in Round 8 (No. 134), while freshman goalie Matt Pasquale rounded out the Raiders contingent when he went to the Shawinigan Cataractes in Round 13 (No. 232).
The first MIAA player off the board was Sacred Heart defenseman Ryan Leonard. Proving that you can still play high school hockey, even at the Division 3 level, and get recognized, the big defenseman was chosen in the fifth round (No. 90) by the Drummondville Voltiguers. Shortly thereafter, freshman defenseman Patrick Keegan of Billerica went to the Moncton Wildcats in the sixth round (No. 109). Keegan is expected to skate for Cushing Academy next year.
The other MIAA player selected was Hingham freshman forward Gray Betts, who went to Drummondville in Round 13 (No. 232). Defenseman Jordan Tetreault, who played for Amherst-Pelham in 2014-15 and previously had a stint at Springfield Cathedral, was tabbed by the Acadie-Bathurst Titan in Round 12 (No. 204).
A fourth player with Central Catholic ties is defenseman Cam Boudreau, who now plays for Governor’s Academy. Boudreau went to Moncton in Round 10 (No. 176). Lawrence Academy’s Craig Needham, who once played at Arlington Catholic, was selected by the Charlottetown Islanders (Round 14, No. 245).
St. Sebastian’s led all local schools with four players selected. Liam Gorman was taken by Charlottetown in Round 8 (No. 135), followed Wyatt Schlaht to the Chicoutimi Sagueneens in Round 12 (No. 217). A pair of Arrows went in a flurry of Mass. picks at the end of the draft in Round 14, with Thomas Lyons taken by the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles (No. 249) and defenseman Eric Jeremiah by the Gatineau Olympiques (251). Jeremiah, who previously played at Xaverian, was among the draft’s final three picks all hailing from the Independent Schools League, with Tristan Amonte of Thayer (Val-d’Or Foreurs, No. 252) and Ethan Kimball of St. Mark’s (Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, No. 253) rounding out the day.
In addition to Keegan, Cushing had a pair of other selections, with center T.J. Walsh the first local player overall selected by Moncton in Round 5 (No. 86), followed by defenseman Brian Scoville going to Halifax (Round 12, No. 201). Winchendon also had a pair of selections in Sam Rand to Acadie-Bathurst (Round 11, No. 186) and Ben Thomas to the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada (Round 12, No. 205).
Other local prep players picked included: Jack Rathbone of Dexter (Halifax, Round 10, No. 165); John Murray of Noble & Greenough (Gatineau, Round 10, No. 179); John Copeland of Belmont Hill (Victoriaville Tigres, Round 13, No. 225); and Aiden Porter of Rivers (Rouyn-Noranda, Round 13, No. 235).
Here is the full list of players from Massachusetts high school prep and junior programs or from local towns:
T.J. Walsh, Cushing: Moncton (Round 5, No. 86)
Ryan Leonard, Sacred Heart: Drummondville (Round 5, No. 90)
Matt Gould, Jr. Bruins: Saint John (Round 6, No. 105)
Patrick Keegan, Billerica: Moncton (Round 6, No. 109)
Jake Wise, Central Catholic: Halifax (Round 7, No. 111)
Sean Brown, Central Catholic: Quebec (Round 8, No. 134)
Liam Gorman, St. Sebastian’s: Charlottetown (Round 8, No. 135)
Jack Rathbone, Dexter: Halifax (Round 10, No. 165)
Harrison Roy, Boston Bandits: Blainville-Boisbriand (Round 10, No. 175)
Cam Boudreau, Governor’s (formerly Central Catholic): Moncton (Round 10, No. 176)
John Murray, Noble & Greenough: Gatineau (Round 10, No. 179)
Ethan Zarach-Croke, Jr. Bruins: Baie-Comeau (Round 11, No. 182)
Sam Rand, Winchendon: Acadie-Bathurst (Round 11, No. 186)
Mike Higgins, Jr. Bruins: Moncton (Round 11, No. 194)
Brian Scoville, Cushing (ex-Winchendon): Halifax (Round 12, No. 201)
Jordan Tetreault, Jr. Bruins (ex-Amherst-Pelham, Springfield Cathedral): Acadie Bathurst (Round 12, No 204)
Ben Thomas, Winchendon: Blainville-Boisbriand (Round 12, No. 205)
Wyatt Schlaht, St. Sebastian’s: Chicoutimi (Round 12, No. 217)
John Copeland, Belmont Hill: Victoriaville (Round 13, No. 225)
Matt Pasquale, Central Catholic: Shawinigan (Round 13, No. 232)
Jordan Harris, Kimball Union (Haverhill): Val-d’Or (Round 13, No. 234)
Aiden Porter, Rivers: Rouyn-Noranda (Round 13, No. 235)
Gray Betts, Hingham: Drummondville (Round 14, No. 238)
Craig Needham, Lawrence Academy (ex-Arlington Catholic): Charlottetown (Round 14, No. 245)
Thomas Lyons, St. Sebastian’s: Cape Breton (Round 14, No. 247)
Eric Jeremiah, St. Sebastian’s (ex-Xaverian): Gatineau (Round 14, No. 251)
Tristan Amonte, Thayer: Val-d’Or (Round 14, No. 252)
Ethan Kimball, St. Mark’s: Rouyn-Noranda (Round 14, No. 253)
How many kids get drafted late because there is just a 4%-5% chance they would ever, ever (as in college doesn't work-out for them and they want to try something out of the ordinary) play in Quebec?
Whatever happened to the 'Timber' kid in the Q?
C.M. ?
2015-16 Halifax Mooseheads QMJHL 65 games, 12 goals, 7 assists, 100 penalty minutes, for a -23
Ouch.
I wonder whether people here would change their tune about kids playing in the Q if college here was as cheap as it is in Canada? McGill University, one of the top universities in the world has annual tuition of US$1,500 for residents of Quebec!!!! As it is, an American kid who paid full freight for 4 years at McGill would pay less than a hockey player at BU with a 2 for 4 deal (with the Q education package it would be more like 3 for 4)--at a much better school!! To me, the real travesty of the whole NCAA hockey experience is people subverting their kid's education and sending them to second tier schools like UVM, UNH and UMaine (70-80%+ admit rates) just to cut down on their tuition bill. IMO, if it weren't for the college price discrepancy EVERY kid from this area would jump at playing in the Q, not only because of the hockey but also simply because Quebec is a lot closer than the USHL territory.
The question was whether, if the price of American college was in line with the price of Canadian colleges, you would be more likely to send your kid to the CHL? To put it another way, how much does the high price of college influence your emphasis on a kid playing college hockey rather than CHL?
Isn't The Q for American kids if they don't want to go to college or they flunk out of college? Lil' Tidbit (C.G.) bailed on his Penn State deal so he wouldn't have to study, Charlie Coyle flunked-out of BU and went north...seems unlikely once a college adverse kid finishes hockey he would want to go back to school to speak French.
Both would have done fine in the NHL after playing college hockey too...
With our presidential options down to Trump and Hilary, maybe Canada's not such a bad idea! Eh!!
GET OUT
McGill 4500-6500 for Canadians plus living costs, add another 3-6k
I don't know. Merrimack is a long way from my house and I hear the people up that way are difficult to deal with and the food isn't any good. I myself have never been outside of 495 so I'm not really sure but that's what I've heard from people here in Southie.
You're kidding, right? Merrimack over McGill?
Really we have 2 Ryan Leonards in Western Mass huh? The next RL may be better!
Do these players lose their ncaa eligibility? Confused by this process.
Yes, it's vewed as professional Jr. Hockey.