Joe Veleno will continue to be, for now, the only player from Quebec to obtain exceptional status from Hockey Canada when he made his debut in the QMJHL at the age of 15. The talented young man from Phénix Alexis Joseph de Esther-Blondin will not be asking for that.
Many rumors circulated in recent weeks and Cecchini circuit general managers were anxious to know Joseph’s decision, as if he had decided to debut in the QMJHL at 15 years old next season, the value of the high draft pick would have increased.
However, his advisors from Momentum Hockey, Olivier Fortier and Charles-Olivier Roussel, confirmed to Diary that the 14-year-old forward would play another season at the AAA Sub-18 level next season, after which he would be eligible for the QMJHL draft in 2025, as planned.
Crédito da foto: Foto fornecida pelo Phénix du Collège Esther-Blondin
The registration deadline was December 1st.
“This year, the decision to upgrade him (to the AAA Sub-18 level) was simple, as he would be too strong for the rooster,” explained Roussel. “From the beginning, our plan with Alexis and the Phoenix organization lasts two years.”
Don’t skip steps
For Roussel and Fortier, Joseph would have successfully transitioned to the QMJHL at 15. In 27 games so far this season at the AAA Sub-18 level, the 6’2 “and 174-pound forward has scored 32 points.
“We always wonder about our players’ development and it’s never black or white,” explains Fortier. “Would he have been able to play as a junior and be good? The answer is yes. I never liked going too fast with young people. He is well supervised with the Phoenix with people on site.”
The Veleno example
Still, the process worked for Joe Veleno, who managed to perform well in the QMJHL since his 15th year, becoming a first-round pick in the NHL draft and participating twice in the World Junior Hockey Championship.
“It was not a factor in the decision,” Fortier assured. “Each case is different and we judged that in Alexis’s case, he wouldn’t have much more to gain by skipping a step.”
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