In what was nothing more than a formality, the Val-d’Or Foreurs have won the official draw for the No. 1 overall pick in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League draft.
The Foreurs, who placed 17th out of 18 teams, technically edged out the last-place Halifax Mooseheads in the 50-50 draw held in downtown Montreal yesterday morning.
But the Foreurs actually have the rights to the Mooseheads’ pick too, so it didn’t make a difference who won the draw. Halifax’s No. 2 pick will officially go to Val-d’Or. The Mooseheads traded the pick as part of a blockbuster deal to acquire Brad Marchand in December 2007.
The buzz among the scouting community is that the draft isn’t particularly strong this year, which should help ease some of the pain for the Mooseheads on draft day.
