Son of Gatineau Olympiques coach Groulx ranked first for QMJHL draft

BOUCHERVILLE, Que. - Benoit-Olivier Groulx, son of Gatineau Olympiques coach Benoit Groulx, is the top-rated player for the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League draft on June 4 in Charlottetown, the league announced Thursday.

The list of the top 18 prospects from QMJHL Central Scouting had 15-year-old Groulx, a high-scoring winger for Gatineau's Midget AAA squad, ranked No. 1 ahead of Cole Harbour, N.S. defenceman Jared McIsaac.

Left winger Gabriel Fortier of the Lac-St-Louis club near Montreal was ranked third with goalie Olivier Rodrigue of Jonquiere, Que., fourth, right winger Andrew Coxhead of Dartmouth, N.S., fifth and Andrew MacDonald of Saint-John, N.B. sixth.

The league's scouts described Groulx as "a complete forward with leadership qualities. He's able to score goals, is skilled at spotting a teammate, which allows the game to progress. Furthermore, his play without the puck in the three zones is above average."

They called McIsaac "a complete defenceman" who "certainly has the physicality and the maturity to become an excellent player in the QMJHL. His sense of play, his transition in the neutral zone and his first pass are important assets in his game. He's hard to beat in one on one situations."

The top 18 included 11 forwards, five defencemen and two goalies. The rest of the rankings are to be released Friday.

Benoit Groulx coached Canada to a gold medal at the 2015 world junior championship and is often mentioned as a potential NHL coach.