Seeking a superstar
Islanders head to Shawinigan armed with fourth overall pick in QMJHL draft
Xavier Parent, Evan Fitzpatrick and Jeremy Roy are just a few of the players who have been taken fourth overall during the past decade at the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League draft.
“It would be nice to add to that list,” Charlottetown Islanders head coach and general manager Jim Hulton said recently while preparing for Saturday’s draft in Shawinigan, Que.
The Islanders hold the fourth overall selection as the final piece of a December 2015 trade that saw defenceman David Henley go back to the Val-d’Or Foreurs for a first-round pick and two seconds.
The Isles get to make an early trip to the stage this year after going without a first-round pick one year ago, and they do it following back-to-back appearances in the league semifinal.
“It’s exciting for the franchise,” Hulton said.
“If we can get one bona fide player who has future superstar potential, and when you’re picking in the top five that’s what you’re shooting for, we walk away happy.”
During Hulton’s tenure with the Islanders, the squad hasn’t had many players make the jump straight from the draft and into the lineup, preferring to allow them to grow and mature by getting more ice time in midget than playing a limited role in junior.
“To me, the draft is all about your future,” Hulton said, but he does expect a top-five pick could make the jump and be part of next year’s squad.
The Islanders don’t have a boatload of picks this season, but will be armed with one selection in each of the first three rounds.
Hulton said he and assistant general manager Guy Girouard, as well as the team’s top scouts Trevor Birt and Allan Cusson, have thrown plenty of scenarios at the whiteboard in order to prepare for potential trade calls and who gets drafted ahead of them.
“The one thing I’ve learned in the short period time of two drafts that I’ve been through is prepare and be prepared for anything and everything to come your way in terms of offers,” he said. “We’ve all seen the draft floor can get pretty zany with offers and stuff thrown at you.”
Trade chatter has been quiet so far this off-season, but that is not unexpected when considering the turnover among managers and coaches around the league.
“It will crank up to a whole new level Wednesday when we’re all in the same room,” Hulton said.
But that doesn’t mean Islanders fans should anticipate lots of activity.
“I think it will be a much quieter off-season and draft day,” Hulton added. “We’re not actively really out there shopping anyone or necessarily even looking at this point either. . . We like the nucleus of what we have coming back.”
He recalled it was about 10 days before the 2016 draft in Charlottetown when Guillaume Brisebois’ name was floated on the trade market by the Acadie-Bathurst Titan. The Isles were interested, but things didn’t get serious until both teams were in Charlottetown.
A year ago, the Islanders were looking to recoup some picks and fill some holes heading into the draft.
“A year ago, we had big needs,” Hulton admitted. “The only thing that we had maybe in our arsenal was the fact we couldn’t go with both goalies again next year because they were both No. 1s.”
They flipped Mark Grametbauer to Moncton for forward Samuel Meisenheimer, defenceman Noah Massie, third-round picks in 2017 and 2018 as well as a fifth in 2017.
“It was a genuinely good hockey trade because it worked for both teams,” Hulton said, reflecting on the deal.