Zachary L’Heureux

June 2023 – Z’Heureux finished his major junior career with his first trip to the QMJHL playoffs with the Halifax Mooseheads, where they were bested by the Quebec Remparts in 5 games. His progression plateaued over the last two seasons, as he’s been stricken by injury and suspension (9 suspensions in 4 years), which might have stunted his overall development. He’s likely off to the AHL next season to continue developing his game. While his fantasy upside has lowered since being drafted in the first round in 2021, he still projects as a middle-six forward with 50-point upside and a good amount of shots and hits. Jeff Grybel

April 2022 – After such a blistering start to the season, L’Heureux has struggled at times in the second half. March was a brutal month for the power forward as he endured an eight-game pointless streak where the Mooseheads lost seven of those games. Since then, the pace has picked back up with three goals and ten points in his last ten games, but defensive struggles have been at the forefront. For a player in such a prominent role and with such high expectations, L’Heureux needs to have a strong playoff run to remove some of the doubts in his game. I think the raw skill and upside are still there; he just needs to clean up aspects of his play. Curtis Rines

January 2022 – After being omitted from Team Canada at the short-lived World Junior Championship, L’Heureux has continued to dominate the QMJHL. With eight goals and 19 points in his last 10 games and no sign of slowing down, the Halifax Mooseheads forward should finish within the league’s top 10 scorers by the season’s end. With plenty of time to go until the draft season, expect L’Heureux’s stock to continue to rise, specifically in banger dynasty leagues. Curtis Rines

July 2021 – The Nashville Predators traded up to select L’Heureux in the first round, 27th overall in the 2021 NHL Draft. Nick Richard

April 2021 – Here we are again. This time, it’s to talk about L’Heureux’s third and fourth suspensions of the year. Suspended two games for ‘Unsportsmanlike Misconduct’ on April 4th and then again for fighting after the initial altercation on the 13th of April for an additional four games. That brings the season total to 13 games where L’Heureux has been suspended this season alone. The talent is obvious and a team could wind up with a steal if he falls down the board because of the clearly evident discipline issues. The problem is that availability is a skill at the end of the day and L’Heureux repeatedly taking himself out of the lineup with bonehead plays is a major concern at this point. Whatever team decides to add the QMJHLer to their prospect pool will have to do some major homework and the interview process will be integral. Tony Ferrari 

February 2021 – This has been a frustrating year for L’Heureux. He has been suspended twice now and the discipline is becoming a red flag. He’s always played on the edge and that is an asset to him and a factor that sets him apart but if he can’t reign it in, it becomes worthless. L’Heureux is a skilled power forward and you want him to play physical. He has a good shot and can be a freight train when he picks up speed. From a fantasy perspective, he could be a machine in any league that counts peripherals and values hits. Tony Ferrari 

November 2020 – L’Heureux’s hot start has been put on hold for the time being as he was suspended for a fight and post-whistle scrum on November 6, 2020. He collected two game misconducts, an instigator penalty, and a fighting major. He was thrown from the game in the first period. The entire play started when L’Heureux was buried from behind into the end boards. The young winger lost his temper and immediately went on the defense of himself despite the referee’s arm being up with a penalty ready to be called. The result of the play left L’Heureux out of the game and his team down a man as he was the only one thrown from the contest. While this isn’t ideal for the Halifax Mooseheads scorer, physicality and rough stuff are a part of his game. He will need to reign in mental lapses like this but it could be a welcome trait in the modern NHL. Pat Quinn

November 2020 – The 2021 NHL Draft is shaping up to be one of the most unique in history because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting delays and stoppages around the sporting world. Fortunate for L’Heureux, he is playing in the QMJHL, the only league of the three leagues in the CHL to take the ice thus far. He also plays for the Halifax Mooseheads, a maritime team that has seen very little interruption in terms of scheduling and play being suspended despite numerous stoppages for the Quebec based teams. This has given the stalky forward the chance to showcase the improvements in his game and get a bit of a leg up on the competition in North America early in the year. A trade from Moncton in the offseason and a role on the top line has given L’Heureux the opportunity he wanted and he’s wasted none of it.

Although not over 6’0″, L’Heuruex plays a strong and sturdy game. He is a dual-threat attacker who plays a power game. He has a low center of gravity and gets his pad level low when inviting contact in the offensive zone. He can use his excellent puck control and an outstretched arm to shield the puck from his opponent as he works his way towards the slot and high-danger areas. He knows how to work himself in and out of traffic and establishes excellent position around the net. The Mooseheads leading scorer through almost a dozen games this far has been a play-driver and growing playmaker. He sees the ice well when the puck is on his stick and has really nice touch on his passing. Excelling at passing into space, he uses excellent timing and soft hands to put the puck into open space with just enough touch to allow his teammates to skate into the puck without losing any momentum. He has very good hands for a player who generally plays a more power forward type game, able to deke and dangle his way to the “home plate”. There he has a lethal wrist shot that pops off his stick with a quickness not many in the draft class are capable of. His blend of power and skill give him a unique skill set intrigue teams and analysts alike as he has come out of the gate hot to start the season. His play to start the season pushed him into the top-12 on the DobberProspects’ Scout team rankings and if he can maintain this level of consistency or something close to it, he has a real shot of cracking the top-five in the 2021 NHL Draft. With it being such a wide-open year at the top, number one isn’t completely out of the question either. Tony Ferrari