The QMJHL held it’s dispersal draft today, you can find the results here.
As I mentioned yesterday, I was hopeful that Chaput would be claimed by the Mooseheads, but the next best thing happened- the Shawinigan Cataractes traded with Cape Breton for the third pick in the draft and nabbed him. Shawinigan is the host of the Memorial Cup this upcoming season, so Chaput will be guaranteed to be play in junior hockey’s top championship.
This is a memorable time for fans of junior hockey- today’s dispersal draft will be followed by tomorrow’s QMJHL Entry Draft. It’s significant because the top available player- Nathan MacKinnon- is said to be the top prospect in the Q since Sidney Crosby. MacKinnon and Crosby have been compared of late due to the fact they are both from the same hometown of Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia (my hometown as well…), they both went to Shattuck St.Mary’s prep school, and both are super-talented offensive forwards.
The top pick in the draft is currently held by the Baie-Comeau Drakkar. Baie-Comeau isn’t the top destination for most English-speaking players, and MacKinnon has left the NCAA option open, perhaps to force the Drakkar to trade their pick. The Mooseheads are very much in the mix to trade for the top pick, allowing MacKinnon to play 10 minutes from where he grew up. In the dispersal draft today, the Moose drafted Lewiston’s first round pick, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Halifax packaged that pick, along with their own fourth overall pick and last year’s second overall draftee Luca Ciampini and offered it to the Drakkar.
Exciting times for junior fans indeed.