Canucks invite a couple of prospects.
Olivier Galipeau - Defense 6' 203lbs
Olivier Galipeau captained the Foreurs this past season and also led their defencemen in scoring, putting up 9 goals and 37 points in 56 regular season game. More impressively, he led the entire team in scoring in the playoffs, scoring one goal and nine points in just six games.
Teams tend to like a player that produces in the playoffs, but Galipeau had scouts attention well before that. Galipeau was ranked as high as 59th by Central Scouting among North American skaters heading into the 2015 draft, but fell to 142nd in the final rankings when his offence didn’t materialize.
He improved his offence this season, but he’s still known more for his physical defensive game. He makes strong outlet passes, with Future Considerations praising his passing and his ability to make simple, smart decisions and play a calm, smooth game, something that not all physical defenders can manage. While his skating was previously an issue, Future Considerations describes him as a “good skater with decent footspeed.”
Future Considerations ranked him 151st overall for this year’s draft despite his age. Galipeau’s strengths are mostly in his own end: “Galipeau plays a solid shutdown game in his own end, using his strength and stick to force players wide and eliminate players along the boards. He makes smart reads and isn't overly aggressive with his positioning.”
They suggest Galipeau has potential as a middle-pairing defenceman. If the Canucks agree, they might add him to a system that could use another young right-shooting defenceman.
Tyler Coulter - LW 6' 195lbs
Tyler Coulter was a solid contributor to his hometown Brandon Wheat Kings, helping them to the WHL Championship with 22 goals and 59 points in 69 games in the regular season and 6 more goals and 14 points in 18 playoff games. While he had just one point, a goal, in the Memorial Cup, he wasn’t alone in that regard, with no Wheat King scoring more than two points.
An amateur scouting report from 2014 describes him as “competitive and tough,” with his coach noting his intelligence and strength on the cycle, while Dub From Above notes his versatility, as he can play almost anywhere in the lineup.
Coulter is likely to return to Brandon for his over-age season and could find himself on the top line alongside the likely first overall pick in the 2017 draft, Nolan Patrick. If that happens, Coulter will be in a prime position to pick up points and could have multiple suitors next off-season. If the Canucks like what they see at development camp, now would be the time to sign him before in increases his profile.
Coulter has a BC connection, playing at the Pursuit of Excellence hockey academy in Kelowna.
Alexis D'Aoust - RW 6' 200lbs
Alexis D’Aoust was one of the top scorers in the QMJHL this past season, racking up 44 goals and 54 assists for 98 points in 68 games. That was good enough for fourth in the league in points and he added 26 points in 21 playoff games, good enough for fourth in the playoffs as well.
Unlike Carcone, D’Aoust had a bit more help on a strong Cataractes team that finished first in the East Division. D’Aoust finished first in scoring, but had help from the likes of Anthony Beauvillier, Dmytro Timashov, Dennis Yan, and Samuel Girard, among others, all top prospects for their respective teams.
That said, D’Aoust out-scored them all in the regular season and has multiple teams interested in signing him. He has plenty of speed and decent size, typically things that hold back scorers in junior from making an impact in the NHL.
Rylan Parenteau - Goalie 6' 189lbs
Rylan Parenteau is already a national champion, winning the National Aboriginal Hockey Championships in 2014, where he was named the Top Goaltender. Parenteau has Métis heritage and has competed in the Senators Cup, an aboriginal hockey tournament that draws former NHLers and current professional players in Europe, for the past two years.
This past season, Parenteau was one of the best goaltenders in the WHL, putting up a .913 save percentage, good for 10th in the league, and a 2.82 goals against average.
Parenteau is known for his work ethic, named not just the Raiders’ Hardest Working Player but also winning the WHL’s Hardest Working Player of the Year Award after a fan poll.
After his strong season, Parenteau was named to the WHL’s Eastern Conference Second All-Star Team. It’s a weirdly specific honour: not the CHL as a whole, but the WHL. And not the WHL as a whole, but the Eastern Conference. So he was the second best goaltender in half of one-third of the CHL. Still, pretty good.
A scouting report from Dub From Above for the 2015 draft had Parenteau ranked 75th among WHL players, describing him as “athletic” and noting he “plays with very good balance and explosiveness in the crease.” His quickness and flexibility are his best assets and he also has a good glove hand.
The main concern for Parenteau is size. While he’s not as small as Kubic, he can sometimes make himself smaller in net than he should. Getting a chance to work with Dan Cloutier at camp, who’s about the same size and knows a thing or two about battling through screens, can only help.
Marc-Olivier Roy - Center 6'1" 182lbs
He won’t be the tallest guy on the ice, but he may likely be one of the speediest and consistent players at any given time. Marc-Olivier Roy’s bread and butter comes from his nonstop effort every shift and his powerful skating. His body doesn’t overpower anyone, but his balance is key when laying body checks on opponents.
Roy’s will to win is prevalent every time his skate blades hit the ice. He’s a fearless forechecker/backchecker and boasts a well-rounded game. Roy has played for his hometown team, Blainville-Boisbriand Armada for the past two seasons. His numbers have gone up from 37 points last year to 67 points this year. With the increase in points, Roy has become as effective on the offensive side of the puck as he has been defensively.
His shot speed is average, but his accuracy is very solid. He is diligent in the traffic areas and around the net. Roy plays a balanced game that goes between simple and fancy. He does get caught out of position too much for my liking and doesn’t commit at the correct times, but with a little help and proper coaching, it is a relatively easy solution to a common problem.
Kyle Maksimovich - LW 5'9" 174lbs
The first thing you will notice about Maksimovich is that he’s undersized at just 5-foot-9. That hasn’t stopped him from playing at a high level. He uses his smaller frame to his advantage, by skating around big men and finding openings in the defense. Not only can he get open, he can get his teammates open with his passing. Check out the pass he makes to Nick Betz in the video linked below.
Maksimovich, much like DeBrincat, plays fearless. He isn’t afraid to play the body and will challenge bigger players in doing so. So when the team asks him to play a bottom-six role, sometimes while double shifting, he can do so with relative ease. He also plays on the Otters top power play unit. However, he doesn’t kill penalties.
Maksimovich is a streaky player. He can get you goals in bunches, or can go long stretches without scoring. It really depends on what the team is asking him to do. He has an above average shot when on target, but can get wild on occasion. His defensive game has struggled at times, mainly because of his undersized frame. This has improved during the season, but is still a work in progress.
Danny Moynihan - C/LW 6'1" 190lbs
Originally intent on playing college hockey, Moynihan and younger brother Connor Moynihan joined the defending Memorial Cup champion Halifax Mooseheads in the QMJHL. The only player to skate in all 68 games for Halifax, he scored 9 goals with 17 assists and was +8 with 66 penalty minutes. The Mooseheads finished first in the Maritimes Division and reached the playoff semifinals; falling to Val-d'or In a seven game series. Moynihan scored 3 goals with 4 assists and was +6 with 6 penalty minutes in 16 playoff games. He was ranked 77th amongst North American skaters in Central Scouting's final rankings prior to the 2014 NHL Draft.