And so we trundle a podium onto the stage to present the three medalists of our rankings.
Bowing his head to accept the bronze is the smarts-abounding, puck-impounding, rebound-hounding, goalie-confounding, QMJHL-astounding left-winger and newly-minted captain of the Val d’Or Foreurs, Jakob Pelletier.
How did we get here?
Born à Québec in March 2001—the same year the Colorado Avalanche nabbed their second Stanley Cup after relocating from his hometown—Pelletier progressed with ease and oppressed the opposition throughout his entire minor hockey tenure in the provincial capital. He scored at a goal per game pace in Bantam AAA and finished fourth in points in his Midget AAA league as a 15-year-old.