QMJHL Draft first round reactions: Québec, Saint John bring home the big haul

Day 1 of the 2025 QMJHL Draft has now come and gone, and it was a doozy. 

The (mostly) undisputed top prospect, Alexis Joseph, predictably went No. 1 overall to the Saint John Sea Dogs, but from then onwards, the next picks were a good blend of out-of-left-field selections and highly predictable scenarios.

We’ll highlight the top surprises and most predictable outcomes of the first round, and highlight the winners of the draft so far.

Surprises: Zack Arsenault, among others, selected early

We didn’t have to wait long at all to see the draft take a left turn. After Joseph’s selection at first overall, the Rimouski Océanic stepped up to the podium with Victoriaville’s selection and picked Zack Arsenault, a highly-skilled winger with a phenomenal release, ahead of the expected second-overall pick