One of the biggest productions on the QMJHL calendar, the first round of the 2026 QMJHL Draft presented by Fenplast, took place Friday night at Scotiabank Center in Halifax. In addition to the welcoming of 18 new faces to the QMJHL family, several interesting storylines unfolded as the kickoff to the 2026-27 campaign got underway.
The Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, choosing first overall for the first time in franchise history via acquisition of the pick originally owned by the Baie-Comeau Drakkar, kicked things off by selecting Thomas Boisvert from Mount St. Charles Academy. The center from Trois-Rivieres, Quebec stood out at the Rhode Island prep school as a dynamic, well-rounded player who excelled at distributing the puck. Boisvert was considered the top prospect in this year’s draft by QMJHL Central Scouting.
The Victoriaville Tigres, choosing second for the first time since 2022, stepped up to the podium next and took defenseman Vincent Boutet. While patrolling the blueline for the Blizzard du Seminaire St-Francois, the 6’1” Boutet brought a physical element while also remaining remarkably composed. The Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures, Quebec product was identified as the top blueliner available for the 2026 QMJHL Draft.
The third overall selection, originally held by the hometown Mooseheads, was dealt to the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada, causing a dramatic reaction from the many fans in attendance. While the Mooseheads landed star center Mateo Nobert in exchange for goaltender Nicolas Gillham-Cirka and Amelio Santini, the Armada promptly used their newly acquired pick to choose forward Jacob McKinnon who was Boutet’s Blizzard teammate at Seminaire St-Francois last season. One of the top skaters available in the draft, McKinnon combined fantastic shot and pass selection and hockey sense to average well over a point per game in 2025-26. McKinnon will be facing at least one familiar foe from a nearby rival; he is the brother of Shawinigan Cataractes defenseman Noah McKinnon.
A name with ties to the hometown team was called out when the Cataractes made the first of what would be two first round picks at number four. Pierre-Alexandre Lemieux spent last season mixing skill, physicality and vision with the Phenix du College Esther-Blondin. He’s also the nephew of former Mooseheads’ forward Alex Lemieux.
The Victoriaville Tigres found themselves back at the podium for pick number five after a draft floor deal with the Saint John Sea Dogs that saw picks 14 and 17 head to the Port City. The Tigres proceeded to choose Jakob Royer from the Estacades de Trois-Rivieres. Known as a power forward at the U-18 level, he is the son of former Q defenseman Remi Royer.
The Cataractes made Julien Bergeron the sixth pick of the Draft and kept the family connections rolling. Bergeron, a reliable forechecker and consistent offensive threat for the Grenadiers de Chateauguay is the nephew of former QMJHL player and coach Louis Robitaille.
The biggest cheer of the night arose with pick number seven. The Mooseheads’ former star defenseman Justin Barron announced the selection of Emrik Menard. One of the most electrifying forwards available, Menard combined vision, instinct and strong work ethic in a successful though injury-shortened ’25-26 campaign. Another player who joins the ‘Q’ family tree, Emrik’s father, Carl, was a mainstay with Granby and St-Hyacinthe in the early 90’s.
The eighth pick was part of a carousel of trades. Originally property of the Cape Breton Eagles, it was sent to Chicoutimi as part of a blockbuster that sent recent league champions Lucas Beckman, Liam Lefebvre and Alonso Gosselin to the Cape. The Sagueneens in turn dealt the selection to Rimouski who chose hometown boy Justin Gagnon, a 6’3” power forward who starred with the Albatros du College Notre-Dame last year.
The Chateauguay connection continued with pick nine as the Sherbrooke Phoenix welcomed Damien Leduc into the fold. The 6’1” power forward brought a solid combination of physicality and discipline to the ice this past year.
It was back to the trade floor at pick number ten. After the Val-d’Or Foreurs sent that pick to Rimouski, the Oceanic stepped up to the podium and selected the first Maritimer of the evening in Fall River, Nova Scotia forward Max Brien. A powerful skater who brings a presence to all three zones, Brien was a point-per-game star with the Dartmouth Steele Subaru last year.
The first Newfoundland-born player came off the board with pick number thirteen. Damian Norris of Middle Cove will be going home to suit up with the Newfoundland Regiment after an explosive, high scoring season with Upper Canada College. Norris also enters the ‘Q’ with an NHL connection as the cousin of Buffalo Sabres forward Josh Norris.
It was another merry-go-round at pick fourteen. The Saint John Sea Dogs would deal this selection to the Quebec Remparts. After brief stops with Chicoutimi and Baie-Comeau, the selection made its way back to Saint John, who broke the suspense by choosing Pictou Weeks defenseman Lawrence Williams. The top ranked Maritimer by the CSR, the mobile blueliner averaged over a point per game as a rookie at the U-18 level last year.
The first goaltender as well as the first member of the current Telus Cup Champions was selected at pick fifteen. Zachary Lainesse used his quick hands and instinctive ability to battle shooters with the Chevaliers de Levis last year. Now, he represents the next big thing between the pipes for Rouyn-Noranda, who used the second of three first rounders on the top ranked netminder. The Huskies would cap off their first-round hat trick with the very next pick, acquiring two-way Magog forward Malik Tremblay at sixteen.
Pick seventeen was a combination of championship pedigree and family ties. Enzo Roy, a mobile puck mover on the champion Levis squad was taken by Baie-Comeau, the Drakkar’s second pick of the night. His father is no stranger to the ‘Q’; Jonathan was a star forward with Drummondville and Moncton.
Fittingly, one more trade was made to close out the night. Pick number 18 was dealt from Rimouski to Baie-Comeau. The Drakkar then used their third pick of the night to choose goaltender Nathan Boulanger. The rangy six-foot tall netminder also became the second player from College Esther-Blondin to be chosen on the evening.
The 2026 QMJHL Entry Draft presented by Fenplast continues tomorrow with rounds 2-12 starting at 9am ET/10am AT, live on Eastlink and the QMJHL’s YouTube channel.
