DIEPPE, N.B. — The QMJHL Draft scouting season begins as early as mid-August, with preseason hockey and showcases across Québec, Atlantic Canada, and New England. When it truly picks up its pace is October — specifically, Canadian Thanksgiving weekend with the league-sanctioned QMJHL Cup Atlantic. The tournament showcases the best U16 players from the four Atlantic provinces in a highly competitive environment, with provincial pride on the line.
This year’s event did not disappoint in terms of competition. In contrast, the majority of the tournament’s games in 2025 (Elite Prospects’ first year covering the event) were decided by four goals or more. In 2026, five games were decided by one goal, including two overtime decisions. These tight contests made for good hockey and especially good scouting — the closeness of every matchup came from high-end offensive and defensive showings from all four teams, and our top standout set himself apart at the top with his lock-in ability in close games and overtime.
The gathering of Atlantic Canada’s best just outside Moncton is even more important now in 2026, with the growing popularity of development leagues outside the region. At last year’s event, 11 players were playing their regular-season hockey outside of Atlantic Canada. This year, 29 of the 97 participants have set sail from the East Coast. This made this year’s QMJHL Cup Atlantic ever more important, a rare opportunity to see these prospects play against their 2027 QMJHL Draft-eligible peers.
The hosting province, Team New Brunswick, skated to a 7-6 win in the final on Sunday, defeating Team Nova Scotia and ending their four years of dominance at the event. Team Newfoundland, after coming tantalizingly close to beating Team Nova Scotia in regulation and punching their ticket to the final for just the second time ever, defeated Team Prince Edward Island by a score of 5-4 in the third-place game.
In the most evenly matched QMJHL Cup Atlantic to date, here are the top players from all four Atlantic provinces who made their mark in Dieppe.
Jaxon Mood, F, Team Nova Scotia/Mount St. Charles 15U AAA
Though this iteration of Team Nova Scotia didn’t post 7-1 scores like last year, they went undefeated in the round-robin thanks to Jaxon Mood. With two overtime goals in a 12-hour span against Team New Brunswick and Team Newfoundland, he posted a tournament-best five goals and tilted the ice on his every shift. With a tool base at the top of this Atlantic Canadian class, Mood forcefully drove play in every sense with his acceleration, puck-moving, offensive vision, and inside play with or without the puck.
Mood’s blend of second-nature finesse and slot-driving hard skill made him impossible to contain, and both sides of that coin only improved as the tournament wore on. Both of his overtime goals were excellent solo efforts with small-area handling to manipulate and make those final tucks and, even without a goal of his own in the final, his net-driving created the environment for at least two of Team Nova Scotia’s goals. His Saturday morning hat-trick game against Team Newfoundland was domination from start to finish, flashing some combination of his high-end tools on every shift. No single player at this tournament changed the complexion of the game in his minutes quite like Mood.
We’ll have to wait to see how the rest of Mood’s season plays out at Mount St. Charles, where he’s been playing since last season — on a late shift in the final, down by one and pushing for yet another game-breaking moment, he took a brutal hit to the shoulder area that sidelined him for the rest of the game. Whenever he makes it back on the ice in Rhode Island, countless pairs of eyes in Atlantic Canada and Québec will be seeking out what else the uber-talented Nova Scotian has up his sleeve leading up to the 2027 QMJHL Draft.
Max McCarthy, F, Team Newfoundland/Shattuck St. Mary’s 15U AAA
Coming into this edition of the QMJHL Cup Atlantic, Max McCarthy of St. John’s, Newfoundland, was the most anticipated name to watch. The Newfoundland bantam league’s all-time leading points-getter and the sole Canadian on the Shattuck St. Mary’s 15U squad didn’t put up his typical gaudy point totals, registering two goals over the weekend, but not for lack of effort, skill, or vision. As a high-sense connective playmaker who can bend the game to his will, McCarthy’s elite processes were clear on every shift, even as Team Newfoundland took some time to get going.
On the first game of the tournament — Team Newfoundland’s 4-2 loss to Team New Brunswick — McCarthy made his passing vision known, even as the New Brunswick defence handily managed Newfoundland’s collective net-driving chaos. After shuffling the forward lines, McCarthy leaned more on his puck-carrying skills for the rest of the weekend, tripping up even the best-skating defenders with cutbacks and surfing through zone entries, using soft skill to complicate his shots or pry open the play until a passing option emerged. His two goals on the weekend showed his at-range shooting prowess and his one-on-one manipulation ability.
McCarthy’s off-puck vision also made him a constant threat, landing not just passes but also takeaways and successful dump-and-chases. He also showed the penalty-killing and physical elements of his game, two more cherries atop one of the weekend’s best performances beyond the scoresheet. The event’s competitiveness gave space for McCarthy to show his defensive game, an aspect of his play that factors little into his role at the long-dominant Shattuck St. Mary’s. The most elite complete player at this showcase, McCarthy looked ready to extend Newfoundland’s streak of first-round QMJHL Draft picks to three consecutive years.
Zyon Decaens, F, Team New Brunswick/Masters Academy 15U AAA
Team New Brunswick’s acting captain for their first QMJHL Cup Atlantic victory, Zyon Decaens has long been on the radar in Atlantic Canada. Last season, he was granted exceptional status to play for the Moncton Flyers U18 team as a 14-year-old. Following a successful campaign (26 points in 38 games, then 15 points in 10 playoff games), he joined the new Masters Academy in Stow, Massachusetts as their first-ever 15U commit.
Decaens’ goal-scoring shone with the Flyers last season; his early returns at Masters showed a two-way element, and here at the QMJHL Cup Atlantic, his offence took centre stage once again. His motor fired on all cylinders all weekend long, splitting the D with the puck on breakaways without breaking a sweat, a fitting top-line centre for a New Brunswick team that ran and won on guerrilla offence.
With only one of Decaens’ six points on the weekend being a goal, his sharp-shooting tendencies from his time in the NBPEIMU18HL took a back seat to his down-low playmaking and general support game. His emerging defensive game earned him multiple points and countless scoring chances, working in his own end with quick-acting tenacity to pounce on takeaways and corral pucks to Team New Brunswick’s wealth of speedy net-crashing forwards. Decaens continued to reveal exciting elements in his game at this tournament, locking down his spot in top QMJHL Draft consideration.
Max Keough, D, Team Prince Edward Island/Charlottetown Knights U18 AAA
As an island province with a population of around 150,000, Team Prince Edward Island tends to struggle at this event because it has a much smaller pool of players to draw from. After being outscored 26-5 at last year’s QMJHL Cup Atlantic, they managed to score nine goals this year while allowing 19. A huge factor in this two-way improvement was Max Keough, a puck-moving force in this showcase with legitimate offensive-defenceman upside.
Keough’s standout trait was his skating, which underpins and enables everything else he does. His four-way mobility was complemented by slick puckhandling (especially in transition), retrievals, and an all-around ability to move the puck and command the game at his convenience. He was a commanding power play quarterback, with his ability to walk the blue line and see high-quality passing plays over point shots on autopilot. He even managed to tilt the ice to a similar effect on some five-on-five shifts — his skill was just that good at its best.
In all four games, Keough showed everything it takes to become a blue-chip defence prospect, bringing a level of skill that set him apart on Team PEI’s strong blue line at this year’s event. With the lofty upside he flashed in this showcase, he’ll be one of the top Atlantic defencemen to watch throughout the season — and likely the most exciting, given his high-water marks shown here.
Brett Cormier, D, Team Nova Scotia/Masters Academy 15U AAA
Team Nova Scotia’s Brett Cormier represents the ‘pure shutdown projection’ end of the defence spectrum. Yet another East-Coaster at Masters Academy, he impressed early south of the border with his aggressive game and defensive tools. Back on Canadian soil, he showed even more of the process behind his stops, with his defensive anticipation shifting his game from abrasive to tactical.
The shutdown projection isn’t to say Cormier lacked skill here — his edgework benefited him just as much on offence, and his puck skill emboldened him to take his time, given his ability to physically guard the puck against relentless opponents. Against forward cores that refused to let up, Cormier was incredibly calm and collected on his retrievals, with the frame and acceleration to pull ahead one way or another.
With plenty of shutdown skill plus competence on the puck, Cormier added a much-needed edge to a slighter-than-average Team Nova Scotia defence corps. One of the best defensive projections in the regional class, he’s yet another reason to keep an eye on Masters Academy.
Liam Costello, F, Team Newfoundland/The Hill Academy U16 AAA
'Size' and ‘skill’ are the two ever-present buzzwords in scouting, and Liam Costello has both in spades. Playing inside was no problem for him; it was where he naturally gravitated and pulled countless one-timers from. His game had much more in store than just trigger-happiness, though — he was consistently making passing plays and carrying the puck through the offensive zone as a way to bait defenders.
Costello’s skill took even greater centre stage after Team Newfoundland settled their lines and placed him with Reed Budgell and Elijah Jack. Those three overwhelmed opposing defences with their offensive pace and complexity, and Costello was the line’s wild card as an absurdly skilled power-forward type. His 6-foot-2 frame also made him a menacing checker, inescapable but for the most elite of skaters.
Following in the footsteps of many 2026 edition standouts, Costello is a high-certainty QMJHL Draft prospect with his innate size and practiced skill. He showed a lot to like at this tournament, given his ability to play a versatile game fit to his strengths.
Tucker Gates, C, Team Prince Edward Island/Charlottetown Knights U18 AAA
Team Prince Edward Island nearly doubled their goal-scoring output from last year’s event (from five goals to nine), and Tucker Gates was one of the province’s key offensive drivers. With three points on the weekend, he played a high-pace net-driving game with the physical edge often expected of the Atlantic underdogs.
Gates generated countless rushes and dangerous chances at this tournament, benefiting from a skating base with not just speed but all-around smoothness to manipulate defenders on the cycle. His stride advantage compounded to give him many opportunistic shooting lanes, and his three-zone physical game also contributed to PEI's success. He was particularly effective at turning up the heat on the penalty kill, forcing off-guard teams out of the offensive zone and extending puck battles to kill time off the clock.
Gates is one of a number of Team PEI forwards who managed to shine despite the team’s uphill battle, establishing the play that made them outsizedly competitive this year. With around two picks per QMJHL Draft class coming from the island province, PEI could have an outlier year with multiple talented, tenacious players like Gates.
Maddox Burke, F, Team Nova Scotia/Steele Subaru U18
Playing nearly every shift with Mood, his former Bedford Bandits U15 teammate, Maddox Burke’s skill level impressively popped most when paired with Team Nova Scotia’s MVP. The Fall River, Nova Scotia native played with high skill on the puck and high-end offensive vision, driving the net with shooting ability and seeing complex passes fit for the largest Atlantic province’s top line.
Burke moved seamlessly between scoring and supporting positions, providing no clear reads to defenders on what he’d do next. He could cut back on a blistering entry to set up a teammate or charge the net himself with equal ease. With a goal in the final, Burke had scoring chance after scoring chance, meeting the moment in a high-scoring back-and-forth game.
In a NSU18MHL without key 2027 QMJHL Draft-eligible players like Mood and Cormier, Burke is one of the top prospects playing at home in Nova Scotia. He captured considerable attention here early in the season with the skill and offensive driving ability to make a high pick.
Mason Milliea, D, Team New Brunswick/Moncton Flyers U18 AAA
Team New Brunswick were highly effective all weekend at shutting it down defensively, starting with their first game against Team Newfoundland. The blue line as a whole is worth a shoutout, but its most intriguing prospect was Mason Milliea. The two-way pivot brought both the defensive chops and the puck-moving to feed Team New Brunswick’s ever-eager offence.
Milliea moved well with the puck, with tape-to-tape turnover interceptions and efficient blue-line stops, possessing a variety of skills like passing and defensive skating abilities. Add in hitting and shot-blocking, and Milliea was the type of defenceman to trust and send over the boards in any game situation. His progression on the Moncton Flyers’ defence corps, playing alongside and learning from three QMJHL picks, will be a story to watch following this tournament.
Jaxson Steeves, F, Team New Brunswick/Moncton Flyers U18 AAA
Again, Team New Brunswick’s success up front came from a roster overwhelmingly filled with checkers and a system that sicced their entire roster full of wolves on the rest of the Atlantic region. Jaxson Steeves was one of the stars of this system, already fitting a skilled-and-mean mold as his A-game.
Steeves did it all at this tournament — deftly handling pucks out of chaos, playing off his teammates with high-pace passing, hitting hard, and throwing off puck-retrievers with his unforgiving checking. Offensively, he racked up dangerous solo breakaways and tipped shots, both to the benefit of the scoresheet. He also scored Team New Brunswick’s game-winning goal in the final, quickly capitalizing on a Team Nova Scotia retrieval gone wrong to send the puck into the net.
Steeves’ high-skill, high-confrontation game could always make a statement and put him at the centre of the action. It’s no wonder such a player scored the goal that delivered Team New Brunswick’s first QMJHL Cup Atlantic victory. That’s the type of player Steeves can become — top-six talent with bottom-six tenacity, the best of both worlds wrapped up in one effective power forward.
