Émile Guité was far from top of his class as the Quebec Under-18 Hockey League started last season. At least he thinks so. The hope of the Saint-Hyacinthe Gauls estimates that it took a few months for him to really take off.

“I first had to get used to this level of play,” reveals the young striker, who is 1.80 meters tall and weighs 70 kilograms. At first you couldn’t see me on the ice. The goals didn’t fall. The click happened shortly before the CCM Challenge (in Saguenay) in December.

He’s absolutely right when he points it out, as he was effectively limited to eight goals and six assists in his first 22 games of the season. Then, on November 25, Guité scored a hat-trick. The following games will confirm that he has just reached the next level.

In his last 19 regular-season games, Guité has recorded 18 goals and 16 assists for 34 points. Not to mention his four goals and three assists in six games at the CCM Challenge, his six goals and five assists for 11 points in six games at the Canada Games, and his 10 goals and eight assists for 18 points in 10 playoff games.

It was enough for the scouts at the QMJHL Scouting Support Center to make him the second pick in the next draft, right behind his linemate Caleb Desnoyers.

“I think about the marathon every day for a few weeks,” admits Guité. I’ve had several good conversations with the QMJHL teams. No matter where my name comes up and what team I end up on, I’ll be happy.”

While Guité’s offensive talent is undeniable, he is very proud of the improvements his game has made in general.

“My greatest strengths are shooting once and throwing on the move. And while I’m seen as an offensive producer, I also see myself as a hard-working, detail-oriented player. I also improved my defensive game a lot in the last year,” he emphasizes.

“However, I still need to work on my explosion on skates and my mobility. Those are the two most important things I need to improve in my opinion. I also want to further improve my feel and my physical game. I see myself as a power forward,” adds the man who should basically be voted second overall by the Chicoutimi Saguenéens.

Recently, CSR director Pierre Cholette wasn’t shy about praising Guité’s goal-scoring skills.

“He’s an exceptional sharpshooter,” Cholette told RDS. (…) I don’t like to make comparisons, but it’s a bit like Ovechkin. He, the unique, is perfectly executed. What’s fun about him is that he’ll still be useful to his team in a game where he might be performing less well or having fewer chances to score. He will complete his checks, he will fall behind defensively. He’s a talented player who works. Émile, no matter what middle player he has, he will produce. He will score goals, that’s for sure.”

Lecompte compares himself to Bergeron

If he were a little bigger and stronger, Nathan Lecompte of the Grenadiers de Châteauguay would probably be the best candidate in the QMJHL. After all, he’s the one who won the Quebec U18 Circuit scoring championship with 32 goals and 60 points in 41 games.

But at 5ft 9in and 160lbs, Lecompte doesn’t stand a chance of matching the physiques of the other biggest hopes among the attackers, namely Caleb Desnoyers and Émile Guité of the Gaulois de Saint-Hyacinthe, despite having a fairly full toolbox. Zachary Morin of Detroit’s Little Caesar’s, Mateo Nobert of the Lac Saint-Louis Lions and Cole Chandler of Dartmouth’s Steele Subaru.

Grenadiers head coach Éric Lecompte, who is also Nathan’s father, believes his son may be a little underrated.

“The QMJHL Recruitment Support CSR remains the opinion of regional recruiters who have not all seen players regularly and need to work together to create a roster. Still, I have to be honest, it’s going to be a good draft,” said the former Chicago Blackhawks first-round pick in 1993, 24th overall.

“It’s true that Nathan isn’t the greatest. At his age I was already 1.90 meters tall. But I’m confident he’ll be at least 6 or 6 feet tall when he grows up,” Lecompte said.

According to the father, his son has several qualities in his game.

“Obviously there is still work to be done in all aspects of his game but he is good at everything. He is a good playmaker with a sharp and accurate shot and also has good offensive ability at the net. However, his greatest strength is the maturity of his game on the 200 feet of the rink. He also likes to compare himself to Patrice Bergeron,” emphasizes the Grenadiers pilot.

“Nathan just had an exceptional season. People forget he was part of a club that had nine 15-year-old players. Despite his young age, he had to take matters into his own hands. It was he who carried the club on his shoulders,” says Eric Lecompte.

Note that Nathan Lecompte was in his second campaign with the Grenadiers and at the age of 14 had been cleared to move up to the M18. In his first season at Châteauguay, Lecompte had done well with a 45-point harvest (15-30) in 38 games.