QMJHL: 2026 NHL draft set to be tougher (1st round)

Dose
Crédit: Julius Sumpf of Moncton Wildcats watches goal against Vincent Gladu of Blainville-Boisbriand Armada during game at Avenir Centre.

In the latest NHL draft, three QMJHL players were selected in the first round. Bill Zonnon, Justin Carbonneau and Caleb Desnoyers are the three guys in question. Is that a lot? Compared to what it’s been, or compared to the other two Canadian leagues, the answer is no. But seeing a Quebec player in the top-4 was interesting. Especially since in 2023 and 2024, the Q wasn’t represented in the first round…

(Credit: Hockey DB)

So, even if it’s hasty, we have to ask ourselves this: will the 2026 crop be interesting for the Québécois league? From what we understand, at the moment, it could be relatively… quiet in the first round. I say that because Scott Wheeler of The Athletic has ranked the top prospects in the 2026 crop. Xavier Villeneuve, a 5’10 defenseman from the Armada, and Lars Steiner, a Swiss winger who plays in Rouyn-Noranda and who Wheeler feels should go second, are currently ranked in the first round.[content-ads]

(Credit: The Athletic)

Yes, there are some honorable mentions (Cameron Chartrand, Maddox Dagenais, Dylan Rozzi and Yegor Shilov), but Villeneuve could be the only choice, really. That said, if we’re being pessimistic, we could also do the opposite. After all, this time last year, we certainly didn’t see Desnoyers in the top-4. And maybe Carbonneau and Zonnon weren’t in the first round in everyone’s eyes, let’s put it that way. There’s still some big hockey to be played before we can see what the outcome will be. [spacer title=’Overtime’]- Nice.

– CH: which players need to do better?[TVAS] – Really?