Guillaume Brisebois THW Close-Up:

Date of birth: 7/21/1997

Place of birth: Longueuil, QC, Canada

Ht: 6’2″     Wt: 172 lbs

Shoots: Left

Position: D

NHL Draft Eligibility: 2015

Twitter: @jrbreezer_21

THW The Next Ones Rankings (February): not ranked

Guillaume Brisebois plays a similar game to Matt Carle of the Tampa Bay Lightning (Jeff Griffith-USA TODAY Sports)

Other Rankings:

THW War Room Rankings (March): 65

Future Considerations: not ranked

HockeyProspect.com (February): not ranked

Last Word On Sports (February): not ranked

Craig Button (March): 52

CS Final Rankings for North American skaters (January): 30

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The Acadie-Bathurst Titan were abysmal this year. They ended dead last in the QMJHL standings and only won a mere 17 games. Be that as it may, a young defenseman by the name of Guillaume Brisebois has been one of the team’s few bright spots who grew leaps and bounds since last season.

A standard two-way defenseman, Brisebois was urged by his coaches to carry the puck up the ice more often this season and join the rush. He has a fluid skating strides and strong legs that allow him to break out of the defensive zone with ease. Down the ice, he possesses excellent vision and pinpoint breakout passes to his teammates. Brisebois has a great slapshot and wristshot. The only issue is he seems timid to use it, which will have to be an aspect of his game he needs to work on further.

Just looking at stats can be deceiving. This season Brisebois was a minus -40, but that’s a testament to how poorly the Titan were this year than it was about how bad Brisebois played in his own end. He’s responsible in the defensive zone and challenges opposing forwards as they enter the blueline. An effective pokechecker, the Quebec-native disrupts plays and cuts down passing lanes. He could stand to add some extra muscle and use his size to knock players off the puck, but Brisebois still has time. At this stage, he’s very raw in his hockey development and will likely stay in the QMJHL a full four years before developing further in the AHL. However, for my money, he’s still worth the gamble.

Where Will He End Up In June:

I think Brisebois ends up getting taken in the 3rd or 4th round.

Scout’s Honor:

“Above average skater who is quite agile and moves with a fair amount of ease around the ice.  His good skating ability allows him to close down on attacking forwards quickly….Does not possess a big shot by any means, but will often make smart plays to get the puck on net.  He will never be a guy that scores a significant amount of goals…Looks very comfortable on the puck and does a good job distributing the puck out of the defensive zone.  He really excels at making the smart and safe play with the puck…Has good vision and often starts the breakout for his team.  Very smart player in the defensive zone, closing down on forwards and uses the poke check well to knock players off the puck…Brisebois is not particularly physical and could stand to put on some extra pounds to potentially improve that area of his game.”

David McKnight – Hockey Prospectus

“Captain’s a weak Titan team and is good at both ends. Very thin, but still willing and able to use his frame to knock puck carriers. Maintains good gaps and plays solid despite the lack of depth around him. At this juncture is more a defense-first place but he may still round out his offensive game. “

Bill Placzek – DraftSite.com

Statistics:

Bio/Interview(s)/Links:

Interview with John Moore

Interview with Neate Sager of Buzzing the Net

International Tournaments:

Brisebois has played for team Canada four times, having won a gold medal and a bronze medal.

ETA:

4-5 years

Risk/Reward Analysis:

Risk: 2.5/5   Reward: 3.5/5

NHL Potential:

2nd pairing two-way defenseman.

Strengths:

Fluid skating

Pushes the puck up ice

Strong outlet pass

Shot power

Pokecheck

Solid positioning

Flaws/Aspects He Needs To Work On:

Using his shot more often

Adding muscle

Playing more physical

Fantasy Hockey Potential:

Offensive: 6/10    Defensive: 5/10

NHL Player Comparison:

– NHL comparison: Matt Carle

Video(s):

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THW’s The Next Ones prospect profile template design architect: Chris Ralph