Joshua Roy looking dominant in the QMJHL playoffs
The fifth-round pick of the Montreal Canadiens must be leaving a lot of GMs wishing they'd taken him earlier.
Regardless of what happens through the remainder of the Sherbrooke Phoenix’s QMJHL playoff run, it will be their last with Joshua Roy on the roster. The fifth-round pick is expected to make the jump to professional hockey next season, and frankly, he needs a step up in competition to continue growing as a player.
The Phoenix now lead the Drummondville Voltigeurs 2-0 in their second-round series, thanks to their 8-1 win at the Palais des Sports on Saturday night. The first star of the game? Roy, of course, with three goals and three assists in a truly dominant performance for the young winger.
https://twitter.com/DrakeMT/status/1647363659432075265
He got things going for Sherbrooke early in the game with this feed to St. Louis Blues prospect Marc-André Gaudet. Not a wildly impressive play, but you can see some of the intelligence that makes him effective. He gets the loose puck, shoulder checks to determine the right play, and hits Gaudet in stride, leading to a goal.
The game remained pretty tight for the next 30 minutes, with the Phoenix taking a 2-1 lead into the room after the second period. When he took the ice for the third, Roy decided enough was enough, and took over the game.
https://twitter.com/DrakeMT/status/1647390072751247362
This doesn’t look as impressive as it actually is. Roy is an extremely accurate shooter, and when he picks his spot, he can hit it with ease. He has the goaltender well out to the top of the blue paint to challenge him here, and decides under the arm on the far side is his best chance. Just like that, 3-1 Sherbrooke.
https://twitter.com/DrakeMT/status/1647390478508195841
Right after the 3-1 goal, a rare miss for Roy, but just look at the move he pulls off to make the shot possible in the first place. His hands are an underrated part of his game, and he clearly wanted that second goal. It frustrated him to miss that one.
Didn’t take very long for him to get it anyways.
https://twitter.com/DrakeMT/status/1647391740419088386
This is a hallmark of Roy’s game — attacking downhill. He lurks around until the defense loses him, and then re-appears coming down from the blue line looking to attack while heading south. His shot gets blocked, but he’s right on the rebound to extend the lead for Sherbrooke.
https://twitter.com/DrakeMT/status/1647393999693414400
I’m not entirely sure he really thought this hat trick goal was going in, but sometimes, you’re just feeling it. He basically couldn’t miss in this game, so I can understand why he felt throwing one on net was the best bet in this situation. It is something you see often from him — coming in to help out his centre on face-offs — and usually he’s able to get something going for his team from it. This time, he got a little puck luck, but you have to be good to be lucky.
He added another two power play assists to complete his six-point night, and with him leading the charge, the Phoenix look like a force to be reckoned with. Habs fans should have every reason to be excited about him turning pro next season.
This is almost child’s play for him, and if the agreement with the CHL permitted it, he’s likely good enough to have been playing with the Laval Rocket this season. He’ll be there next season, although it wouldn’t be surprising to me if he makes a serious push at the Habs roster in camp.