Jacob McKinnon, Aslan Tremblay shine in best-on-best showcase at 2026 QMJHL Cup

For many scouts, the QMJHL Cup is an integral final look at the top tier of the draft class ahead of the QMJHL draft.

The top 2010-born skaters in the region split off into four teams, facing off in a three-day tournament that features four games per team. Winners were crowned, players of the game named, and in the process, top-end prospects got to impact their stock through best-on-best play.

For the first time in the showcase’s history, New England-born prospects received invitations, only two weeks after featuring in the QMJHL New England Showcase — a sign of the shift in landscape at the youth hockey level. Defencemen Logan Cotter and Mason Stonacek, along with winger Robert Dekleine, all played solid tournaments and did more than just keep up with their Québec- and Atlantic-born counterparts.

We’ll look at each team’s top standouts, break down the improvements they showed, and highlight how they project at the QMJHL level.

Team Anthony-Beauvillier (Black)

Jacob McKinnon, LW/C, Séminaire St-François Blizzard (QM18AAA)

Early on, Jacob McKinnon looked by far and away the best player at this tournament. He led the charge offensively with overwhelming pace, handled the tournament’s biggest bodies with tremendous contact skills on the forecheck, and strung together passing plays effortlessly through constant scans and one-touch feeds. In the first few games of the showcase, he combined wonderfully with Dekleine to burst through neutral-zone blocks and prepare cycles with deft east-west feeds off the wall, supporting play with tremendous three-zone effort. Despite his 5-foot-8, 156-pound frame, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more QMJHL-translatable forward at this age than McKinnon. Despite more muted performances down the stretch, he looked the part of an instant impact, top-line forward at the next level, a projection that reflects what we’ve seen from him all year. He has maintained his status as the top 2010-born prospect in Québec.

Jayden Shea, C, Pittsburgh Penguins Elite 15U (15U AAA)

Team Beauvillier’s leader in more ways than one, Jayden Shea, was utilized in all facets of the game, but his playmaking was a cut above the rest of his skillset. He worked the cycle with tremendous effort, then identified trailers in his blind spots and instantly connected with them off the wall. He saucered passes to solve clogged lanes, and used deception and manipulation to open up seams. He circumvented his smaller stature with clever off-puck assists and often reloaded above the puck to find space in coverage. When teammates made mistakes, he went to them between whistles to support them and cheer them on, and when the first-place spot was on the line in overtime, he was sent out for the opening faceoff. While his size and skating limit him at times, his motor, vision, and character will make him a team favourite. With improvements to his stride, he could be a top-six playmaker and a letter-wearing teammate for any organization.

Noah O'Connell, C, Collège Esther-Blondin Phénix (QM18AAA)

Noah O’Connell showed a tremendous amount of growth at this tournament. He used his 6-foot-2 frame and long limbs to build solid straight-line speed, attacked transitions in clever patterns, and showed flashes of high-end puck skill, hanging onto pucks through traffic with slick handles and setting up deft cross-seam feeds with quick scans and feathered passes. He remained effective off the puck, too, building off the habits we’ve seen from him this season. He drove defences back with hard net drives, repositioned above the puck in the offensive zone, and supported low in his own end to offer breakout outlets and connect his defencemen to his wingers. As a September 2010 birthday and with muscle to add, there’s a chance he develops the type of physical sturdiness that’ll make those high-end habits shine even brighter. He looked like a top-50 pick at this event and a clear top-nine projection.

Nathan Frost, D, Marie-Rivier Canimex (QM17AAA)

Nathan Frost must have skated over every centimetre of the ice at the tournament. Constantly moving his feet, he burst through the neutral zone, carrying the puck and becoming another passing option for teammates. With short passes and give-and-goes, he got his team to the offensive end, where he then rotated with the attack, going down the wall, walking the line, and dropping to the front of the net, where he scored the equalizer late in his team’s last game. Displaying the same efforts on defence, he easily picked up the opposing rush, closing hard on opponents and working the walls to get the puck back. Frost received high grades for his motor and instincts. If he can refine his technical ability, he could have a similar two-way impact at the QMJHL level.

Team Frédéric-Gaudreau (Blue)

Aslan Tremblay, RW, Amos Forestiers (QM18AAA)

Team Gaudreau’s most impactful forward, Aslan Tremblay, blended strength and fluidity at this showcase. He gracefully connected his line through two-touch deke-and-pass sequences, accessing the middle off the wall with deft contact escapes and spotting east-west feeds with purpose. For a winger with size, Tremblay operated with a ton of control and patience, showing the ability to either slow the game down or speed it up based on what was in front of him. He showcased his high-end release on multiple occasions, trailing play into pockets and exploiting the slightest gaps in coverage to quickly execute off the catch. Scoring the tournament-winning goal in the shootout was only the cherry on top of a dominant showcase. Tremblay showed all the tools and habits required to create chances in the QMJHL and looked the part of a top-line scorer.

Samuel Nowlan, LW, Little Caesars 15U AAA (MAHA 15U)

Samuel Nowlan looked like a professional player dropped into a top prospects game. Displaying higher-level anticipation, he protected pucks on his first touch and constantly found solutions to pressure, sending clever passes to teammates all around and even layering some deception in his passing. He took pucks to the net, sealed them from the opposition on the wall, and gave short-passing options to teammates as soon as they got into trouble. He linked plays, made the offence flow, and displayed a higher skill level than most. A highly translatable player, Nowlan should be a high pick on draft day and could become one of the top play-drivers in the QMJHL as he matures.

Pierre-Antoine Chartrand-Bongono, C, Gatineau L’Intrépide (QM18AAA)

Team Gaudreau’s Swiss-Army knife, Pierre-Antoine Chartrand-Bongono, was one of the hardest workers across the showcase. He won battles through sheer will, blending high-end contact strategies into his efforts to pin defenders down low, withstand body checks, and escape with the puck. He flashed some low-cycle playmaking at times, scanning out of battles to find support at the dot or at the back door. He crushed on the forecheck, worked quick one-touch plays off the rush, and pre-planned most of his attacks through proactive reads. Add to that his physical growth, sound skating base, and solid straight-line speed, and Chartrand-Bongono is in for a massive bump on our next board. He projects as a safe bet for early QMJHL minutes, with potential to be a middle-six impact checker with more deceptive and creative growth.

Éliot Faucher, D, Stanstead College Prep (CAHS)

Highly impactful in every phase of the game, Eliot Faucher provided four complete performances at this showcase. On retrievals, he absorbed checks, evaded them with high-end deceptive edgework, and quickly set up his escapes. On breakouts, he found middle outlets, hanging onto pucks under pressure and allowing teammates to escape up the neutral zone. Offensively, he activated into rushes, pushed down the boards with the puck, worked the point laterally, and ended up as the tournament’s joint-top scorer as a result. He worked his own zone well, defended the rush with energy and poise, and constantly stayed on top of plays. Add to that the tremendous tools in his skating, playmaking vision, and handling, and you have the blueprint of a top-pair, two-way QMJHL defenceman. He might end up being the first defenceman picked in June.

Jayden Tillman, D, Bishop Kearney Selects (15U AAA)

Jayden Tillman was a man on a mission in this tournament, with high-end two-way aggression and tremendous four-way mobility at the heart of his game on every shift. He beat down on net-front threats and cycle threats, erased gaps effortlessly off the rush, pinched hard in the neutral zone, and pounced on retrievals with his feet at an angle and dynamic posture to withstand and bounce off of forecheckers. He joined rushes with just as much aggression, activating hard out of his zone and offering change-of-side outlets for his forwards looking to gain the zone, finishing his routes to the net and shortening the offensive zone through high-slot walk-in plays. As he develops, calibrating his aggression and finding calmer exit plays will allow his three-zone impact to shine even further. He looked like a clear top-two-round prospect at this event, with a clear tool base for top-four impact as a two-way blue-liner.

Team Samuel-Girard (White)

Pierre-Alexandre Lemieux, C, Collège Esther-Blondin Phénix (QM18AAA)

The best all-around player at the event, Pierre-Alexandre Lemieux, likely further improved his stock in the eyes of QMJHL scouts. In a tournament where most attempted to showcase their individual skills, rushing down the ice to fire at the net, Lemieux played a highly collective game, focusing on making the best passing plays, protecting the puck, extending possessions for his team, and supporting teammates. He has almost everything you could want out of a prospect at this level: size, hockey sense, playmaking ability, scoring tools, and physical abilities. If he can improve his skating, he could become not just a top QMJHL forward, but also a coveted player at the NHL draft in a couple of years.

Justin Gagnon, LW, Collège Notre-Dame Albatros (QM18AAA)

Justin Gagnon’s game seemed to grow with every shift at this showcase. A slick handler with clever and purposeful rush patterns, he accelerated into pockets, baited pinches with the puck in front of his skates, and quickly escaped up the wall or down the blue line to exploit space. Equally proficient as a playmaker and shooter down the stretch, he connected plays instantly off the wall, reloaded above the puck, attacked downhill, and leveraged dot lanes well. He played on the penalty kill, too, showing decent positional sense and puck-pressuring ability. Gagnon continued to gain ground on our board with his dexterous and creative yet patient and effective game at this showcase. He looks like a top-six creator in the making.

Malik Tremblay, LW, Magog Cantonniers (QM18AAA)

One of the top skaters at the tournament, Malik Tremblay, went through opposing defences like they weren’t even there sometimes, beating opponents wide, looking for slot passes, and firing hard shots. When defenders outnumbered him or closed on him on the wall, he changed his momentum, cut east-west, and used deception to keep control of the puck. With passing exchanges, he also spun the opposition’s defence, breaking coverage, and creating scoring chances. His performance wasn’t as consistent as some other top prospects, but his highs revealed a high skill level that could make him a top-line forward at the QMHJHL level.

Bryce Lazare, C, Lac St-Louis Lions (QM18AAA)

When teammates needed a pass option, net-front support, or help on the wall, Bryce Lazare provided assistance. When the opposition escaped with the puck, he blocked their path, pressuring them into mistakes. The etiquette of two-way forward suits Lazare well, but on top of his off-puck game, he also displayed his skill level, evading defensive pressure, connecting with teammates after carrying the puck and entering the zone, and winning battles on the wall with physical skills. He aimed his shots well, creating rebounds for teammates and generally pushing the offence forward without forcing actions. If he can add another layer of offensive skills in his game, creating more advanced plays, Lazare could become a two-way pillar of a QMJHL team.

Nathan Riendeau, RW, Collège Charles-Lemoyne Riverains (QM18AAA)

One of the top playmakers at the tournament, Nathan Riendeau, connected more and more passing plays as he developed chemistry with his linemates. Consistently using deception, he dragged defenders with him, changing speed and lanes, creating openings for teammates and relaying forehand and backhand passes. When he couldn’t reach others directly, he deposited the puck in space for them, showing a higher level of foresight than most. He scored with a near-post drive, reading the play and anticipating a pass from below the goal line. His work ethic, playmaking vision, and hockey sense earned him praise from our staff, but his skating ability remains a question mark. If he can correct his hunched-over posture, Riendeau will improve his odds of reaching a top-nine and powerplay role in the QMJHL.

Carter Giberson, D, Fredericton Caps U18 AAA (NBPEIMU18HL)

Without blowing minds offensively, Carter Giberson displayed some of the most projectable shutdown details of any defenceman at this tournament. His angling and footwork off the rush were tremendous, he disguised his reach to bait carriers into accessing false space before neutralizing them with a lunge, and timed his pivots and pokes with deke attempts to dislodge the puck and send it back to the neutral zone. He faced a large amount of odd-man rushes and took options away wonderfully, keeping passing lanes closed while incrementally erasing the shooting lane. He was slamming pucks through traffic left and right from the blue line, too, offering simplistic yet functional scoring upside. He’ll need to add deceptive layers to his exit game and trust his solid skating mechanics on breakouts to unlock more offensive upside, but he can shut down rushes and defend the cycle at a QMJHL level already.

Logan Cotter, D, St. Mark’s School (USHS-Prep)

Watching Xavier Villeneuve and Tommy Bleyl dominate shifts from the back-end in the QMJHL playoffs, one can’t help but be excited about Logan Cotter’s potential. An elite mover, capable of spinning on defenders, shaking them with lateral movements, and carrying pucks with fast-paced crossovers, he can break defences on his own, creating looks for himself through fakes and deception. He also brought a tremendous amount of physical aggression, landing open-ice hits and beating down on opponents along the wall despite his size. If Cotter can build a playmaking game around his agility, not just relying on one-on-one moves to create, and develop the defensive side to a passable level, he could be a powerplay quarterback and play-driving QMJHL defenceman.

Team Simon-Benoit (Red)

Simon Cantin, LW/C, Collège Charles-Lemoyne Riverains (QM18AAA)

Simon Cantin was the showcase’s best cycle possession extender, despite his 5-foot-8, 150-pound frame. Tremendous contact-absorption strategies and high-end blind-spot vision allowed him to draw a check, spin off of it, and connect with teammates in central positions or send pinpoint passes low to high. With tremendous size-circumventing hustle, he supported exits in his own zone, sprinted neutral-zone routes, caught pucks in flight, cut inside on defencemen as they anticipated wide drives, and delayed to offer trailers an opportunity to jump into the play. He has built his game around his ability to find support, and does so at an elite level already. Driving offence more directly, taking shots off those middle-lane drives off the rush, and rotating to the slot off those wall climbs he performs so well would unlock even more offence. He looked like a potential late first-round candidate, and a potential top-line creator if the skating improves.

Domenico Borsellino, LW, Lac St-Louis Lions (QM18AAA)

Every time Domenico Borsellino stepped on the ice, something happened. Striding faster than everyone else, he attacked loose pucks, connected passing plays, and jumped to new areas to get the puck back. He always seemed to find teammates in space, sending passes across the ice, from below the goal line, and directly off the wall after cleanly picking up rims. Capable of firing in between strides and picking his spot on the goalie, he looked like one of the most threatening shooters at the tournament, on top of being one of its top playmakers. His motor and desire to create earned him high marks from our staff. A true dual-threat forward, he could become a top-six forward at the QMJHL level if he adds more depth to his skating stride, improving its fluidity.

Alexy Blanchette, D, Jonquière Élites (QM18AAA)

In moments, Alexy Blanchette looked like the best defenceman at the tournament. While many of his counterparts defaulted to rims and reverse plays on breakouts, he looked to create space and numbers advantage for his team, evading forecheckers, carrying pucks, and making plays through opponents. He also found passes all over the offensive zone, participated in the cycle, shot for tips, and attacked down the wall. Attempting more difficult plays, he had his share of mistakes, but he repaired them defensively, displaying a skating advantage that should translate well to the next level. A hard engager, he closed on opponents fast, wanting to get the puck back sliding up the ice as soon as possible. His game is fueled by his confidence, and if his highlights are representative of the player he could become, Blanchette could transform into a highly effective puck-moving QMJHL defenceman.

Mason Stonacek, D, Mount. St. Charles Academy (15U AAA)

Defencemen like Mason Stonacek sometimes go unfairly unnoticed. If you spend a few shifts focusing on him, you see how each one of his actions positively influences the play, safeguarding his team defensively, recovering pucks, absorbing rushes, and rotating to the right spots. He offered unbelievably steady defensive-zone cover, keeping up with cycles through timed scans and proactive anticipation. Not forcing plays offensively, he let plays develop, tried to find teammates in space across the ice, and pinched hard to get the puck back under his team's control. An easy two-way projection, Stonacek should find a role at the QMJHL level as a puck-mover and insulator. Pushing his skill level would cement that upside.

Honourable Mentions: 

Robert Dekleine (Black, Belmont Hill School)

Max Brien (Black, Steele Subaru U18)

Gabriel Coache-Luqman (Blue, Collège Charles-Lemoyne Riverains)

Nathan-Nicolas Roy (White, Collège Charles-Lemoyne Riverains)

Olivier Lafrenière (White, Woodbridge Wolfpack 15U AAA)

Tommy Leroux (Red, Collège Charles-Lemoyne Riverains)

Matteo Roy (Red, Moncton Flyers U18 AAA)

Alexandre Noël (Red, Saint-Hyacinthe Gaulois)