Alexandre Blais, LW/Rimouski Oceanic
Another prospect who can go late but one I’m excited about, Alexandre Blais is someone who comes into the 2024 draft with a good deal of experience in the regular and postseason. Through the 2023-24 season, he’s appeared in 174 games, and has put up 149 points and 37 goals.
Yeah, you may take one look at those numbers and scoff, asking me why I’m so excited about a player who has scored 37 goals in 174 contests, or 0.21 per game. For one, let’s check out his breakout 2023-24 season, in which he finished the regular season with 84 points and 24 goals in 68 games. Do the math and you get 60 assists, and when you add in his six points (five assists) in five playoff games, you get 90 points and 65 assists on the season.
If you ask me, that spells playmaker potential, and he’s also a small, fast player, clocking in at just 5’10, 154 pounds. Yeah, he would need to put on at least 15-20 pounds before he’s ready to reach the next level, but let’s remember that Blais still has another full season to go in junior hockey before he’s even eligible to scale up.
But Kent Hughes doesn’t need to spend a third-round pick on Blais. If he’s there in the fourth round, it’s time to consider, and let’s not worry about his lack of size, late breakout season, or any of that. The Canadiens have more than enough picks to take chances on high-potential prospects this coming weekend.