Round 5: Jake Fisher, C/Denver
Jake Fisher will be one of the cooler prospects to follow after what was an encouraging season in 2023-24 with the USHL’s Fargo Force. He finished the year with 23 goals in 51 contests, and 47 points total before tacking on another six points and four goals in 12 postseason appearances.
Fisher will continue his hockey career at the University of Denver, one of the best and most consistent programs in the nation. He should make an offensive impact early, and look for him to continue to parlay that consistency as his collegiate career wears on.
Round 6: Jackson Unger, G/Moose Jaw Warriors
Jackson Unger has seen a lot of time in the crease over the past two seasons, making 87 regular season appearances. While his numbers weren’t good earlier in his career, the trajectory has since changed this past season when he finished 35-15-0 with a 0.908 save percentage and a GAA of 3.08 to go with three shutouts.
Those may not look incredible, but they were a significant improvement from the 0.867 save percentage and 4.19 GAA he put up in 2022-23. Further, Unger looked even better in the postseason with a GAA of 2.90 and a 0.910 save percentage in 20 playoff games.
Round 7A: Julien Lanthier, D/Baie-Comeau Drakkar
These final-round picks are great for players who show off potential, so that was my overall goal here. Julien Lanthier hasn’t put up two-way numbers since before his QMJHL days, but he showed creativity during the 2021-22 season when he recorded 26 assists and 33 points in 40 regular season games for the Saint-Eustache Vikings; he just needs to figure that out in the QMJHL.
Round 7B: Pier-Etienne Cloutier, LW/Quebec Remparts
Perhaps the higher potential pick of the two seventh-rounders in this simulation, Pier-Etienne Cloutier brings a 6’4, 196-pound frame that’s more than NHL-worthy, even if it will be more than a minute before he sees a single game in the big league. The productivity hasn’t been there in his first full QMJHL season, but he has more than enough time to grow his game.
He’s got the size, and there is nothing questioning it, so it’s all about whether he can figure things out at the junior level.
(Statistics provided by Elite Prospects)