Pierre-Luc Dubois – The Next Ones: NHL 2016 Draft Prospect Profile

by

by Eldon MacDonald (edited by @ChrisRalphTHW)

Pierre-Luc Dubois

2015-16 Team: #18, Cape Breton Screaming Eagles

Date of birth:24-Jun-98

Place of birth:Ste. Agathe-des-Monts, QC

Ht:6’2″  Wt: 205 lbs

Shoots: L

Position: Centre/Left Wing

NHL Draft Eligibility: 2016 1st year eligible

Twitter: @18Dubois

THW The Next Ones Ranking: 6

 

Other Rankings

  • Consensus:5
  • Craig Button (TSN):4
  • Draft Buzz: 4
  • Future Considerations: 4
  • Hockey Prospect: 4
  • NHL Central Scouting Combined: 4
  • Bob McKenzie (TSN):5
  • Corey Pronman: 5
  • ISS: 5
  • THW War Room Rankings: 7
  • McKeens: 8

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Pierre-Luc Dubois: The Pro

The Pro: The career as a hockey player requires long hours of physical training, long and intensive  development of specialized ,and perhaps even more importantly the vow and the mental commitment to do what is necessary to develop the body and the skillset of a hockey player. Marc-Andre Dumont, the Coach of Pierre-Luc Dubois, says that Pierre-Luc is the most professional junior player that he has ever seen. You can see the professionalism in his game. He is high-end in just about everything he does – at all parts of the ice. He can be that impact power forward on offense that can make things happen. He also can be that shutdown guy on defense to keep you in the game. The BMO CHL/NHL Top Prospects is a good example of why Pierre-Luc Dubois is just a pro and can be such a dominant force on the ice.

 

5 Reasons Why Pierre-Luc-Dubois “The Pro” Is A Top 5 Pick

  • Impact player and power forward: Some players go out and play a good game which may help the team. A select few like Dubois go out to impact the game and lead the team. Dubois is that impact player. Just look at the graph in the twitter feed below, Pierre-Luc had one of the highest ratio of primary points (goals plus first assists) in the entire CHL (3rd amongst draft eligible forwards).
  • Production: Started strong at 1.1 points per game in the first two months of the season (PPG) but finished even stronger at 1.8 PPG for the rest of the season including a blistering 2.0 PPG down the stretch in the last two months.
  • Pro style work ethic and willingness to improve: Spent last summer away from home in Montréal to train with Mark Lambert who may be the top personal trainer in the game today. Mark is currently the Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Tampa Bay Lightning. The results: close to 20 pounds in added weight with the additional strength to go with it – talk about a difference, a boy to man transition.
  • Hockey sense and understanding of the game: Talks like a coach off the ice; plays like the coach’s wants him to on the ice. He plays attention to even the smallest details, invites feedback from the other players and coaches, constantly thinks of making even the tiniest of improvements.
  • The Coach’s son: Pierre-Luc is the son of Eric Dubois, the Captain of the 1988-89 QMJHL Champions, the Laval Titan. After Laval, Eric went on to play minor pro in North America and Europe. More significantly he has spent the last ten years as a Head Coach or as an Assistant Coach in the QMJHL. Pierre Luc’s pro maturity is in many ways a product of the time spent with his father in studying and learning the game. Talk about full time hockey studies, there is the Coach every day at breakfast. Lunch too, as his school was only a minute from the hockey arena where his Dad coached. As an aside, Pierre-Luc’s mother is an American originating from Georgia so he has dual citizenship.

Offense

Dubois is that big-man power forward that every team wants in their line-up.

  • Rush: Big-man momentum, excellent balance, ability to change gears, Gorilla Glue on the stick, the drive to crash through – yes, he excels of the rush.
  • Shot and finish: Great release, heavy shot, nice one timer.
  • Stickhandling: Can really hold onto it off the rush, has the soft hands in close.
  • Vision and creativity: Excellent mental game, can process the game in front of him quickly, see what possibilities are available and then take immediate action. Watch his goal in the Top Prospects game and you will see what I mean (Link here).
  • Puck protection: Great balance and excellent size make it hard for the opposition to strip him of the puck.

Defense: Pierre-Luc Dubois is that shutdown guy that winning teams need to win.

  • Shutdown guy: He has the size, the skills, the speed and the pro mentality to make himself the one a coach would want to put out to stullify the opposition’s top line.
  • Edge: Shows an edge to his game that is developing, can deliver the big hits
  • Competiveness: Does what it takes to win, will block shots
  • Backcheck: Uses the combination or size, reach, speed and combativeness to be very effective in the backcheck.

Summary Comment

  • The Pro gives you that pro game, that pro mentality, that pro size, and that pro work ethic to constantly improve that is needed in today’s game.

NHL Draft Projection

This is a guy who is equally adept at centre or wing. Teams drafting in the top 10 will compare him to Matthew Tkachuk and Alexander Nylander if they are looking for like winger (Edmonton and Calgary for example). Likewise, teams looking for a centre (likely Vancouver and Montreal) will be sizing him up against Tyson Jost and Logan Brown. Don’t forget the other teams either (Arizona and Buffalo), they could just say he is my BPA (best player available). Pierre-Luc is likely to be selected somewhere in the 4 to 9 range. He is just too good and shows too much pro to be left to even 10. Just a little Dreaming time left until June 24th; after that, the hard work in becoming a star NHL player begins anew.

 

Quotables

“If you need someone to check the other team’s top line and be a shut-down forward, he’s a guy who can do that. If you need someone to generate scoring opportunities, he has the skill, speed and hands to do that too. He’s a very all-around player.”

Dan Marr, NHL Director of Central Scouting,at NHL.com

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“I’ve been in the Q eight years as an assistant coach or a head coach and I’ve never seen a kid like him. His professionalism is outstanding for a junior player. He behaves like a pro, he talks like a pro — he’s a pro.”

Marc-Andre Dumont, Head Coach and General Manager of theCape Breton Screaming Eagles , at LocalXpress.ca

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“I just think we’re pretty much seeing the complete player Tkachuk is going to be, which is tremendous and there’s nothing wrong with that. But I think there’s a really high ceiling with Dubois. Tkachuk had the luxury of being in a system where you’re playing a pro game with special teams where he’ll be an asset with what he does. If we flip-flopped, Dubois would have been just as effective.Tkachuk is already competing like a pro, and Dubois is a great competitor, but I think he’s going to understand there’s another gear to get to. There’s a great history of people who have been in the NHL for a while who learn how to compete even harder, and I think there’s some room for that from Dubois.”

NHL Scout at NHL.com

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“Dubois profiles as a high-end power forward with the ability to succeed at either center or wing. A skillful tower of strength in the mold of Jamie Benn or Patrick Marleau, Dubois is a mature specimen who combines God-given physical talents with a sort of sixth sense rarely seen in a teenage prospect. He’s tough to play against on or off the puck, and uses a wide stance and long wingspan to keep the puck nestled within an impregnable zone of protection. Dubois has a long stride and reaches top speed quickly for a forward already above 200 pounds before his 18th birthday. He is a tough out in one-on-one situations, and changes gears fast enough to leave the smartest of positional defenders behind him. His pro shot and quick release are just part of a myriad of ways he can beat you. All that said, his hockey sense and ability to process plays in a nanosecond helps vault him to the upper tier of a very talented group of draft-eligible power forwards.”

Steve Kournianos, The Draft Analyst, at TheDraftAnalyst.com

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“His move to centre this season has taken his game to new heights. He’s gotthe size, hands, hockey sense, and creativity to become a true #1 centre in the NHL. Add in his dedicationto getting better, mental make-up, and willingness to compete hard on every shift in all three zones,and he’s a fairly wart-proof prospect. The only minor pitfall is that he lacks first step explosion and aseparation gear at the top end in his stride right now – but he is working on it diligently.”

Red Line Report – January 2016

 

Statistics

 

Strengths

  • Size
  • Shutdown forward
  • Impact player
  • 200 foot game, all around player
  • Hands, stickhandling
  • Shot, release, heaviness, one-timer
  • Hockey sense and understanding of the game
  • Vision
  • Competitiveness and intensity
  • Work ethic
  • Attack off the rush
  • Puck protection
  • Forecheck and backcheck

 

Under Construction (Improvements to Make)

  • First steps
  • More time at centre to complete the transition to centre

 

NHL Potential

Pierre-Luc Dubois is that big-size power forward that every team wants to have in their line-up. He can provide that Ryan Kesler like intensity, and has the ability to be that shutdown guy you send out against the other team’s top line. He has a top six skill level for the NHL. The only question that some have is whether he is a fit at centre. My answer to that is that he has the versatility to play all three forward positions at a high level. Any lingering deficiencies that he may have at centre will fade away over time as he just started to play centre part way through the 2015-16 season.

Risk-Reward Analysis

Risk = 0.5/5   Reward = 4.5/5               

 

Fantasy Hockey Potential

Offensive = 8/10   Defensive = 9/10

 

Awards/Achievements

  • 15-16 – CHL – Top Prospect Award
  • 15-16 – CHL – Top Prospects Game
  • 15-16 – QMJHL – Second Team All-Star
  • 15-16 – QMJHL – Personality of the Year
  • 15-16 – QMJHL – Best Professional Prospect

 

Interview/Profile Links

Article of Interest

The Next Ones 2016 NHL Draft Guide (Free!) 

Videos

  • 2015-16 Highlights – Linkhere
  • Profile – Link here
  • ISO Video – Link here
  • Combine Interview – Link here