Lacelle 'motivated' by hearing limitations ahead of 2026 NHL Draft

The 2026 Upper Deck NHL Draft will be held June 26-27 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo. The first round will be held June 26 (7 p.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS) with rounds 2-7 on June 27 (11 a.m. ET on NHLN, ESPN+, SN). NHL.com is counting down to the draft with in-depth profiles on top prospects, podcasts and other features. Today, a look at goalie William Lacelle with Blainville-Boisbriand in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. Full draft coverage can be found here.

The rink never truly goes quiet for William Lacelle.

The 18-year-old goalie with Blainville-Boisbriand of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League has spent his entire hockey-playing life learning how to feel as much as hear the skates cutting the ice, pucks thumping off the boards and sticks clashing in the corner.

From the outside, Lacelle looks and reacts like any other goalie you've ever seen. He's calm, athletic, square to the shooter, eyes locked on the puck. But beneath the mask is a reality few could see, and he refers to it as his "superpower." 

Lacelle, No. 7 on NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of North American goalies, is 100 percent deaf in his left ear and 50 percent deaf in his right.

"I always told myself I can do anything I put my mind to," Lacelle told NHL.com. "I think that's what every kid should know. There's always going to be people who try to drag you down, but it's just about getting up and being stronger. Just focus on what your goal is, and my goal is to play in the NHL. I've known that since I was a kid."

Lacelle is the eldest of three siblings and the only one born with hearing loss. It was diagnosed when he was 3 years old.

"My parents thought something was wrong when I was watching television before going to bed," Lacelle said. "They'd lie me down on my right side and noticed I couldn't hear a thing. Then when they put me on the left side, I could hear the TV. That's when we went to get it checked out, and doctors discovered it."

He started playing hockey as a defenseman when he was 7 and was the one who could always be counted on to block shots, sacrificing himself for the betterment of the team.

"I was almost acting like a second goalie out there," he said. "So I started playing goalie when I was 8. The one thing my dad said that led me to playing the position, too, was that you don't need to hear the puck to stop it, and I think that just clicked in my head. 

"You don't need to hear the puck, you need to see the puck. That motivated me even more."

Lacelle adapts in unique ways once he puts his helmet on, which he says creates an added barrier to hearing. As a child, wearing a hearing aid proved difficult physically and socially, leading him to eventually abandon it and rely instead on reading lips, a skill he's developed over time. He said he no longer feels the need for a hearing aid at the rink, believing he's adjusted well to the demands of the position. 

Like most goalies, he added that heavy traffic in front of the net remains the toughest challenge, particularly when trying to locate the puck.

"I just built stronger relationships with my defensemen, and we figured out a way to adapt to that together as a group," Lacelle said. "(In Blainville-Boisbriand), we have different signals. In a louder rink, it's harder to give the calls, so we'll do stick taps or make eye contact ... little things that'll help in a loud building."

Blainville-Boisbriand defenseman Xavier Villeneuve, No. 18 on NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters, has known Lacelle for quite some time, referring to him as a "glue guy" in the locker room.

"Maybe sometimes he doesn't hear the defensemen on the ice, but his vision is so good on the ice, and he's got such quick feet, he always has time to look at the play and he'll see us," Villeneuve said. "Usually I don't even have to call for the puck with him and he's going to make the right play."

Lacelle studies body language instead of voices. A defender's shoulders tell him when a puck might slip free. A forward's hips reveal a pass before it ever leaves the blade. Where others react to sound, Lacelle reacts to intent, and his game becomes quieter and sharper.

"With eye contact, I'm able to establish with my defensemen who should play the puck," he said. "But there's times I need to read lips and the defenseman will look at me and say 'Up,' or 'Over,' and I'll pass the puck. It's stuff I've developed over the years."

It has ultimately made him a better goalie. Lacelle was 27-15-2 with a 2.49 goals-against average, .917 save percentage and a league-leading seven shutouts in 48 games with Blainville-Boisbriand and Rimouski. He was acquired by Blainville-Boisbriand in a trade with Rimouski on Jan. 5.

He enjoyed a nice run in the QMJHL playoffs, going 10-5 with a 2.83 GAA, .909 save percentage and one shutout in 15 games. Blainville-Boisbriand lost to Moncton in seven games in the QMJHL semifinals.

NHL Central Scouting senior eastern scout Jean-Francois Damphousse praised Lacelle's intelligence and puck tracking, saying he has "elite hockey sense" and understands the game at a high level, adapting to his partial hearing loss in his own way. Damphousse also called him a "special kid," noting the rare standing ovation and pregame ceremony he received when he returned to Rimouski as a visiting junior player, a sign of how much he was respected by teammates and fans alike.

Lacelle admitted playing multiple sports helped shape him as a goalie by building a wide range of skills. Tennis improved his side-to-side reactions, soccer built his endurance, and baseball and other sports each contributed elements he ultimately brought together in hockey.

Away from the rink, Lacelle gravitated toward creativity and problem solving. From a young age, he found enjoyment in drawing and exploring the visual side of the world, particularly through architecture. That creative interest was matched by a strong pull toward numbers and structure; math and data analytics were always natural fits.

He's excited to finally be in his NHL Draft-eligible season; having a late birthday (Dec. 26) resulted in watching several close friends -- players he grew up alongside -- hear their names called before him. That experience was motivating and also reinforced how close he is to achieving the same goal.

"Now it's my (draft) year," he said. "Obviously, you never know what's going to happen with the draft, but we're hoping for the best."

Lacelle added he takes pride in being deaf, viewing it not as a limitation but rather a unique challenge that has helped define him. He believes the lessons he's learned through experiences translate directly to hockey, contributing to his personal growth and development. Through the years he's embraced his journey, using it as motivation and a way to inspire others facing similar obstacles.

"I've talked to parents of kids who are deaf, and it's obviously inspiring to hear what some of them go through because I went through the same things," he said. "I was in the hockey room when kids were younger, and they didn't really know what to do when they saw something in my ear. I'm super open to (discussing anything to help) and I'm not ashamed of it."