Originally Posted by Sandman
Draft Thoughts (Jeremie's Twin Edition):
The top goal-scorer in the Q at the present time is pocket-sized power-forward (and little brother of Flames prospect Jeremie), RW Justin Poirier, who leads the pack by an impressive 6 tallies, with 46 goals, and sits 7th in points overall, with 72 in just 61 games. It cannot be understated how impressive those numbers are, when one considers that Poirier is one of the youngest players in this year's Draft, missing the cut-off for next year by only 12 days, with a Setember 4th birthday. The 5'8" Poirier was taken 4th overall by Baie-Comeau in 2022, and went on to score 28 goals in 2022-23, which was first for goals by a rookie that year. I felt that JP's performance in the Hlinka Gretzky was a bit uneven, in that he managed to put up 4 points in 5 games, but missed the net a ton, and seemed to turn over the puck a lot. Still, he showed off his offensive acumen, his physicality, and his competitive fire. In the current season, Baie-Comeau is the best team in the Quebec League by a big margin, so we might be seeing more of Mr. Poirier in the Memorial Cup.
Poirier may be 5'8", but he's built like a fire-hydrant, at a stocky 181lbs, and plays a feisty, high-energy game that sees him getting under his opponents skin on a nighly basis. Obviously, he's much more shooter than playmaker, and is one of the best at his craft in this year's crop of draftees. With a goal-scorer's mentality, he sneaks in and out of holes in coverage, creates space to operate in, and slides into open lanes, looking to unleash from his elite shooting arsenal. He owns a laser of a wrist shot that explodes off his blade, coming with a stunning release, and a hard, heavy one-timer. He can fire in full stride, and uses defenders as screens effectively. Like a true power-forward, he's dangerous down low, as well as around the net, and unafraid to crash the crease. He works his way to the slot to shoot, but not always just to score- he also does it to create havok around the net, and create opportunities for teammates. Like his older brother, Justin is a high-end possession player, with tight puck-control and smooth handling, even in traffic- he's poised and calm with the puck on his blade, and has slick moves to weave through checkers. When he wants to push pace, he will switch to quick little give-and go passes with teammates.
Despite his stature, Poirier has a fire in his belly, and has a surprising physical dimension- he's highly aggressive on the forecheck, and is not at all afraid to get his nose dirty battling in the hard areas. He makes plenty of room for himself by using his body, and with his low center of gravity, and his stocky build, he's hard to knock off the puck. He absorbs hits to make plays, and can dish out some heavy hits of his own. Like a 6'2" power winger, he battles hard for pucks, goes to the front of the net, plays hard and heavy along the wall, and fights his way into opportune spaces. He's a pest, and an agitator, and does his best to get under his opponents' skin.
One could say that Poirier has decent offensive awareness and anticipation, but even though he can pull off difficult passes from time to time, he needs work on his playmaking game. It would make him less predictable, and give him a different dimension in the offensive zone. He will sometimes ignore the pass to take a low-percentage shot on net- he could stand to use his teammates better. There's plenty of instances where he tries to do too much, and makes poor decisions with the puck in both ends of the ice, resulting in untimely turnovers. Defensively, he can block passes, and clog lanes, but he lacks awareness, and sometimes doesn't compete very hard in his own zone- he can do a lot of puck-watching, makes high-risk plays, and cheats for offense. He holds plenty of value in his contributions to transition, but makes predictable entries- always entering from the outside lane. His effort can wane, and his compete is inconsistent, but his penchant for losing steam later in games has called his conditioning into question. Perhaps most worrying is his skating stride, which is decent and reasonably fluid in a straight line and at top speed, but severely lacking when it comes to edgework and lateral quickness. He loses speed in turns, and lacks strength in his crossovers- thankfully, his quick hands and stickhandling give him some escapability. If he can fix his deficiencies, he could be a second-line goal-scorer, as his style reminds me of both Brendan Gallagher, and Alex DeBrincat. I think a team will take a chance on him in the third round.
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