The likelihood of drafting NHL players outside of the first round at the NHL draft is not great. That’s not to say it doesn’t happen, and you can even find some diamonds as late as the seventh round, but the odds simply aren’t in your favour on day two. Teams have to look for specific tools, or a level of skill that they believe they can develop into something more.
Well, meet Miguel Marques, a player with a boatload of skill, despite which he’ll probably see himself slide into day two of the draft.
Birthplace: Prince George, British Columbia
Date of birth: March 8, 2006
Shoots: Right
Position: Right Wing
Height: 5′11″
Weight: 172 lbs.
Team: Lethbridge Hurricanes (WHL)
Marques saw his scoring pace increase exponentially in his third season with the Lethbridge Hurricanes. After a 20-point season in 2022-23, he exploded for 74 points last year, leading his team to a playoff berth despite lacking the offensive punch of other teams around the league.
One of the craftier playmakers available in this draft, Marques is a master manipulator of defenders. He uses high-level puck handling skills to move or freeze defenders, opening up passing lanes that he can exploit with ease. His skating isn’t a wow-factor tool, but he has a tendency to look faster than he actually is because of the way he dangles with the puck. He forces defenders to miss him entirely rather than needing speed to get around them.
He also doesn’t need much of a passing lane, as he will routinely complete some of the most ridiculous dishes you’ll see. Whether on the backhand or the forehand, give him the smallest window of opportunity, and he can fit a pass through to his linemates. The accuracy he displays with passes through minuscule windows is remarkable, and something that should serve him very well when he’s ready to turn pro.
His shot isn’t elite, but his puck skills definitely make it a plus tool. He has a very well-executed toe-drag release, allowing him to shape his shots around coverage and get pucks on goal even through solid defending. When passing lanes don’t open up for him, he can dangle defenders out of position enough to get his own look at goal. The puck skills flow into his shots and make it a better tool than it would be on its own.
The main concern that scouts note with Marques is his lack of ability to take the bull by the horns, so to speak. He seems to rely heavily on mistakes by the opposition, often seen flat-footed and waiting for the play to come to him rather than forcing the issue himself. This works in junior, but when you get to professional hockey, passivity like that will be a problem when the mistakes don’t happen, and you just end up getting beat, repeatedly.
His hockey sense and positioning make him a capable defender, but some of that passivity is an issue in his own zone. He doesn’t seem to try and create turnovers, but hopes that they’ll just happen for him. If there is one thing he needs to work on to improve his NHL hopes, it’s being more assertive in all three zones without the puck on his stick.
The compete level just isn’t there on a consistent enough basis, which has understandably hurt his draft projections. Still, the amount of skill he showed with the puck on his stick suggests a ton of upside potential to be unlocked. A true boom-or-bust prospect.
Preliminary Rankings
Dobber Prospects: #28
Elite Prospects: #38
FCHockey: #70
Hadi Kalakeche: #23
McKeen’s: #68
Bob McKenzie (TSN): #61
NHL Central Scouting: #53 (North American skaters)
Corey Pronman (The Athletic): NR
Scott Wheeler (The Athletic): #63
Like a lot of boom-or-bust prospects, the preliminary rankings are all over the place for Marques. Our own Hadi Kalakeche has him towards the end of the first round, but other outlets have him as far as the 70s, if he’s on their preliminary rankings at all. It is, as such, anyone’s guess as to where he’ll end up going when the time comes. On skill alone, he’d be a first rounder, but the concerns around his consistency and compete level appear to be enough to see him slide into day two of the draft.
There should be better options for the Canadiens with their 26th-overall pick, so if they’re interested, they’ll want to look his way either with their second-rounder, or if he happens to slide into the third. He is a risky bet on upside in the first round, but the risk factor is all but gone when you’re looking at a second or third-round pick. You can afford to take risks in those middle rounds, hoping to hit a home run.
Marques does have the potential to be a home run with some solid development work. If a team feels like they have the right system in place to get him to where he needs to be, it’s a pick that could look very good down the road.
