Alistair MacPhee, Zyon Decaens among standouts from 2025 Monctonian AAA Challenge

MONCTON, New Brunswick — The Atlantic Canadian QMJHL Draft scouting calendar prioritizes viewing players early and often. It feels like team and media scouts were just in Moncton for the QMJHL Cup Atlantic last month, and mid-November brings everyone back to the New Brunswick city for the Monctonian AAA Challenge. 

A 60-team tournament across the U15, U16, and U18 levels, it’s a main event of QMJHL interest for its U18 division, where a majority of the best 15-year-old players from the region are playing for their local teams or Atlantic Canadian prep schools. A hub for that early prospecting stage, the front-heavy schedule is just as much about casting a wide net as it is about avoiding the East Coast’s most treacherous winter months.

Following the QMJHL Cup Atlantic so closely, this regathering of the vast majority of its invitees frames those players in more stable environments and showcases prospects in new roles. And that doesn’t just mean depth players on Team New Brunswick playing top-six minutes in the NBPEIMU18HL — even blue-chip defenders can flaunt the flashier sides of their game, or a prolific scorer can put up a hat trick in a blowout win. It’s perhaps a closer approximation to how these players will perform in the QMJHL, and it doesn’t even need to be a far-off look into their overage season. 

The Atlantic Canadian model of a U16 major junior draft where its prospects play in U18 leagues challenges these players to play against older, stronger opponents, not unlike the uphill battles they would face to make the QMJHL in approximately ten months’ time.

This year, there were 103 players in the U18 tournament at the Monctonian who have yet to be eligible for QMJHL Draft consideration (born 2010 or later). Featuring 58 of the players from the QMJHL Cup Atlantic, the standouts were a mix of familiar faces and dark horses competing to hear their names called in Halifax next June. Here are those names to know.

Jack Cameron, D, Weeks Major Midgets U18

When Jack Cameron was one of our leading names at the QMJHL Cup Atlantic last month, we advised readers to watch the games and not the stats to see his excellence as one of the best defencemen in this draft. 

Well, it’s okay to look now — in a two-way tie among defenders of all ages with seven points, Cameron somehow outdid himself with not only his production, but also improved the finer points of his game in an environment where he was more crucial to team success. Where he was more strictly a rover and neutral-zone facilitator at the QMJHL Cup Atlantic, he was a frequent offensive-zone activator in this tournament and he looked even better in this role without compromising on defence.

Cameron scored the crucial game-winner in the third period of a tied game to unambiguously win the division and avoid a three-way tiebreaker, picking up a drop pass down low and burying his own rebound. He then scored again in the quarterfinal against the Charlottetown Knights, receiving the puck on a failed Knights chip-out and handling the puck as he walked out to the high centre lane, then sniping it clean past the goaltender. His final goal of the tournament came in the semifinal, hopping off the bench and taking the high centre lane position once again, catching a clairvoyant pass from the diagonal half-wall and firing another one-time wrister clean on net. His ability in this tournament to shoot through traffic, even without tips and deflections, elevates his projection from puck-mover to truly two-way, the foundation of which was laid with his team-anchoring retrieving abilities at the QMJHL Cup Atlantic.

Goal-scoring aside, the most evident element of Cameron’s game as displayed at the Monctonian was his hockey sense, complete with scanning habits and good decisions. He communicated with his teammates between whistles, redirected his D partner off an off-assignment, tapped his stick for a pass across the blue line, shoulder-checked and adjusted his speed on retrievals, and played ahead of the play in both zones to keep a high-end two-way balance. 

Hockey sense underlines all aspects of the games for elite prospects and those in the making, and Cameron’s got it. His brain was visibly ahead of his peers, and it paid off in droves with goals and goal-saving plays alike. He already looked like the type of defender to succeed in the QMJHL based on our October viewings, but this collection of skill looks like he’d be one to continually dominate.

Nathan Leblanc, F, Moncton Flyers U18 AAA

At the QMJHL Cup Atlantic, we saw some offensive flashes from Nathan Leblanc on a down year for Team New Brunswick, but he was one of our last cuts for a standout shoutout. There was no doubt here that the host Moncton Flyers’ points leader would warrant a mention. The goal-scoring talent and habits were seen more consistently, the ability to quickly calm down a rapid pass and shoot, generating shots or rebounds or both on net. Leblanc also had his fair share of passing plays, including a great 5-on-3 tic-tac-toe primary assist that left the Steele Subaru goaltender flailing in the Flyers’ quarterfinal win.

Leblanc’s shot will grade as among the best in his regional cohort, displaying a high ability in both his goals and his shots to make contact and pick corners. He excelled at getting quick shots out of 50/50 plays, throwing pucks quickly not just on net but past the goalie (and for those concerned about quality of competition, the goal of his that fit this mould was scored against a QMJHL-drafted goaltender). His penchant for catching two-line passes is a habit that still features heavily in the Q, and his ability to dangle through defended rushes and reliably drive to the slot nevertheless makes him extremely effective in this role compared to a shootout-conditions-only shooter on the rush.

After a few viewings of Leblanc on his club team, he looks like a player who can thrive and be creative within systems when it comes to cycle play. Combine this with the high-pace flashes as he shouldered the play-driving on Team New Brunswick at the QMJHL Cup Atlantic, and Leblanc’s skill projection is among the highest in the region. He’s not as physically engaging as the other heavy-hitting top Atlantic prospects, but he has the frame to sufficiently take it in stride as he forces past defenders, not to mention much better footspeed than those typical power forwards. Leblanc is undoubtedly QMJHL-calibre, and his adaptable scoring and general skill suggest he’ll find his way into the league sooner rather than later.

Zyon Decaens, F, Moncton Flyers U18 AAA

No, that’s not a typo on his Elite Prospects player page—Zyon Decaens was indeed born in 2011, making him the youngest full-time U18 player in Atlantic Canada this season. After scoring at a two-points-per-game clip in the New Brunswick U15 league last season as a 13-year-old, he was admitted to the NBPEIMU18HL for this season.

This isn’t exceedingly rare; since 2002, there have been 30 players who have played double-digit games in the New Brunswick/Prince Edward Island league at 14, including five for the Moncton Flyers. However, Decaens is the first player since 2021 to be granted exception, and he showed on home ice why he deserves to be playing at this level.

Decaens is a big sharp-shooter who has some expected rawness in his game, but the upside is undeniable. He checks every box we at Elite Prospects look at when grading shooting: uncompromising quality off the pass, picking corners, loaded with power that’ll only increase. Among the Atlantic Canadian 2010-born class, he’d be among the best. At 5-foot-11, he generally wasn’t initiating contact but could handle older bodies challenging him on the puck, another area for forecasted development as his height levels out. This is perhaps the best benefit of his early entry to U18 hockey—already towering over his teammates last season, players three years Decaens’ senior are the fairer matchups. The strength will come, but such a lethal scoring threat of any size would need to get comfortable with getting pushed around, and Decaens held his own at the Monctonian.

Not expected to be drafted into the QMJHL until 2027, Decaens’ proactive development path and his modest success thus far is making him an early name to watch among the 2011 class. He definitely has the shot, and the leap to U18 gives him more time to grow into the physicality, a factor that can stall many major junior hopefuls. Only time knows the dividends this will pay when the draft and the QMJHL transition come, but it’s clear that Decaens is more than merely surviving the rare leap up.

Max Brien, F, Steele Subaru U18

Another QMJHL Cup Atlantic standout from Nova Scotia’s dominant team, Max Brien made a five-point statement to open the Monctonian for the Dartmouth, Nova Scotia-based Steele Subaru. Leading the way with four goals in a 15-0 rout of Newfoundland’s Tri Pen Osprey, he flashed his versatile goal-scoring abilities that bode well for his transition to the next level, ensuring he can continue to contribute at least a fraction of his current productivity. In that game, he scored: off his teammate’s rebound while jostling in the slot, on a breakaway from a defensive-zone pass, a relatively weak shot off a dangle from the back wall, and dragging a trailing defender into a falling hook before converting on the wraparound. His one primary assist in that game was also of note; after winning the defensive-zone faceoff, he drove to the net and tucked a close pass across to his linemate on the open side of the blue paint.

Even when he wasn’t scoring, he remained a factor — his shots-on-goal counts greatly underestimate his net-front presence, and he did his fair share of agitating in Steele Subaru’s quarterfinal loss against the Moncton Flyers. Even without outright instigating, the way he plays unapologetically disruptive can draw a penalty or two. His speed looked more promisingly average at this tournament, and with knowledge and past case studies on NSU18MHL pace translating to the QMJHL, it shouldn’t be the type of relative weakness that casts its shadow over every shift. 

Skilled defensive skaters and quick backcheckers will be able to keep up with Brien’s rushes, but some more on-puck strength from the blossoming power forward could transform those opportunities into battles to the net rather than takeaways. Brien continues to flash the production and snarl that is bound to haunt the teams that pass on him in the QMJHL Draft, the type of player that can inflict hurt on both the ice and the scoresheet.

Alistair MacPhee, D, Steele Subaru U18

Last season, Alistair MacPhee looked like the most cerebral defender in the Nova Scotia U15 circuit. His modest performance at the QMJHL Cup Atlantic was a minor disappointment to those high expectations, but he seemed to look much more himself at the Monctonian. 

Playing top minutes on a strong Steele Subaru team, it felt like he was out there every other shift and he was always making things happen (or, more accurately, preventing things from happening). He excelled at affecting the play away from the puck, closing opponents’ lanes and opening them for his Steele Subaru teammates. He was receptive in his own zone, recognizing his defensive partner’s intentions and positioning himself for transitionary plays.

Of course, the young defenceman stumbled through some imperfect plays, but the multi-step breakdown as opposed to a simple giving-up of the puck showed the modular lens MacPhee sees the game through, reaching for the next-best play. A return to his elite level of zone-entry defense, which was his signature skill last season, is also an interesting question, especially at his current height of 5-foot-8. As MacPhee’s tools acclimate to the U18 level, this process can provide insight into his major junior runway: how soon can he play and how effective will he be?

Back to what is supposedly his baseline, the team that drafts MacPhee will be looking at a ceiling of a grandmaster of a defenceman, one where his command from the blue line and swift defence can be the unsung difference between winning and losing hockey games. He’s well on his way to realizing this role as a young defenceman on a strong team.

Lawrence Williams, D, Weeks Major Midgets U18

The Pictou County-based Weeks Major Midgets have yet another blue-chip defensive prospect. Lawrence Williams, much like his teammate Cameron, is a steadying force from the blue line, with individualities in their own games but are both fundamentally responsible young defenders who can also contribute on the scoresheet. 

For Williams, this is all rooted in his skating. With some of the best all-around mobility in the class, the tighter competition at the Monctonian gave more opportunity for his backward skating and rush defence to shine. It was through his feet that he kept beating forecheckers and backcheckers on-puck, able to slide out of those predicaments to make the outlet pass or throw a shot on net.

Already standing at 6-foot-1, there was also a more present physical element to Williams’ game in this tournament when compared to his showing at the QMJHL Cup Atlantic. It wasn’t a central force of his game — not when he can skate like that — but he showed a bit more of an edge as his team advanced through the playoffs and all the way to the final. A tight defensive-zone player in that mould of a defensive defenceman, he made some strong off-possession plays despite a more middling hockey sense grade. A defender you can always count on to be involved in the play across zones, Williams is poised to be an early-round pick, if not a first-rounder.

Carter Odell, F, Halifax McDonald’s U18

Carter Odell loves to score goals. It may seem deceptive given his stat line — five goals in 14 games of NSU18MHL play — but his habits are undeniably those of a goal-scorer. The dip in production compared to his bantam results can be best described by limited minutes on a stacked Halifax McDonald’s team, but his on-ice minutes are laden with shoot-first habits, whether he’s rushing the puck or picking it out of a battle on the wall.

Ironically, his sole round-robin goal is the best display of his other dimensions. Off the offensive-zone faceoff, Odell got his stick on the loose puck and was able to send it up to his defender cleanly, who threw a shot on net that Odell successfully deflected for the goal, all while playing man-on-man. Quick decisions on multi-step plays and physicality that matches up rounds out his profile, along with threading passes through lanes and standout backchecking efforts, make Odell a legitimate prospect whose outcomes are a spectrum rather than a narrow box.

Odell’s shooting moves still work with some frequency, but the dip in goal production remains of little concern as the season continues on and he keeps setting up plays and scoring in new ways. He remains one of the region’s top prospects with more than enough hockey sense to influence the game outside of putting the biscuit in the basket.

Honourable mentions: Grayson Aguilar-Knee (F, Moncton Flyers U18 AAA), Cameron Bishop (F, Pinnacle Growlers U18 AAA), Riley Cormier (F, Kensington Wild U18 AAA), Nate Mackay (F, Halifax McDonald’s U18), Bryson O’Neill (F, Pinnacle Growlers U18 AAA), Matteo Roy (D, Moncton Flyers U18 AAA), Ewan Sim (F, Weeks Major Midgets U18), Eli Swain (F, Weeks Major Midgets U18)