Joshua Roy

December 2022 – Since being drafted 150^th overall in 2021, Roy has played in 92 QMJHL games, and accumulated 162 points. This is no small feat, as he is becoming one of the best players in his league. Now at his second world juniors championship, Roy will be an important piece on a Canada team searching for a gold medal. There are several worrying parts of Roy’s game however. Many aspects of Roy’s game are passable, but he doesn’t particularly shine in any part of the game. The QMJHL is one of the weaker defensive junior leagues, so his point totals don’t tell the whole story. While he will jump to the pros next season, and he should find himself a nice role in Laval, in a Montreal system with several high-end forwards, Roy may find himself on the outside looking in. If Kent Hughes and company are looking to make moves for the teams’ future, they could very well leverage Roy’s point totals for draft assets. No matter which direction is taken with Roy, however, he was a phenomenal pick in the fifth round. Aaron Itovitch

April 2022 – Roy signed his entry-level contract on March 30. Not many fifth-round picks who are nearly ineligible for draft get signed within a year of their name being called on Draft Day, but Roy has defied expectations all year. The former QMJHL first overall pick did not put everything together in major junior until this season, but that product has been very impressive. Roy is tied for the QMJHL’s lead in points with 94 with 20-year-old Islanders prospect William Dufour but holds a game in hand. His 37 goals also place him fifth in the league. He is also the youngest of all the players in the top 10 of both categories, as he only turns 19 in August. While the production may indicate that Roy has elite upside, I still have my doubts. There are always junior players that produce at a high level and fail to translate that to the NHL, especially QMJHL alums, as the defensive play in the Quebec league generally offers forwards ample time and space to execute their plays. I really liked Roy’s performance at rookie camp prior to the season, and I think he has a solid foundation to his game, providing him with the relatively high floor of a bottom-six contributor, with time on the second powerplay unit. However, I do not see any elite qualities in Roy’s game. He has certainly developed his playmaking – it has likely overtaken his shooting as his most dangerous offensive tool – and he thinks the game at a high level, but I do not know if it is enough for him to become the top-six offensive player so many fans are propping him up to be. I certainly hope he proves me wrong here, just as he has done with countless others with his performances this season, but my rankings of his upside and NHL certainty reflect the concerns I still have. Roy may turn pro next season, as he has proved almost everything he can at the QMJHL-level, and could complement fair-few other good prospects in Laval in 2022-23. Sebastian High

July 2021 – Roy showed off his shooting ability this season scoring 13 goals in 20 games. He was drafted in the fifth round 150 overall by the Montreal Canadiens. Pablo Ruiz