Medicine Hat Tigers D David Quenneville – Draft Eligible Prospects With NHL Bloodline’s
By Ryan Ritchie
Medicine Hat Tigers D David Quenneville – Prospects with NHL Bloodline’s
Medicine Hat Tigers D David Quenneville is number 13 on our list in a series dedicated to draft-eligible prospects with current or past family ties to the NHL. David is the brother of John (NJ 1st rounder), and Peter (CLB 7th rounder). His second cousin is Chicago Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville. The Quenneville Brothers are also Nephew’s (by marriage) of New York Islanders D Johnny Boychuk.
Matthew Tkachuk, Jakob Chychrun, Alex Nylander, Kieffer Bellows, and Logan Brown are the first names to come to mind for 2016 draft-eligible prospects with current/or former NHL bloodline’s.
Both Keith Tkachuk and Michael Nylander had long, successful careers. Brian Bellows played nearly 1200 games, producing more than 1000 points. Jeff Brown also had a solid career posting 585 points in 747 points from the back-end. Jeff Chychrun was a 1984 draft pick, a veteran of 262 games playing until 1993-94, finishing his career with AHL Cape Breton.
We are featuring 15 draft-eligible prospects with NHL bloodline’s/family ties. The 2016 NHL Entry Draft will be held on June 24-25 in Buffalo, New York at the First Niagara Center.
NHL Bloodline’s: Medicine Hat Tigers D David Quenneville
Medicine Hat Tigers D David Quenneville
Brothers: John Quenneville, Peter Quenneville
Second Cousin: Joel Quenneville
Uncle (by marriage): Johnny Boychuk
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Peter Quenneville was taken 195th overall (7th Round) in 2013 by Columbus. Playing for USHL’s Dubuque Fighting Saints during his draft year (2012-13), Peter joined WHL Brandon in 2013-14 after a short stint at Qunnipiac University.
He went on to wear the “C” in 2014-15, posting 75 points in 72 regular season games. He added 10 goals, 10 assists (20 points) in 20 playoff contests. He began his pro career in 2015-16 joining the Blue Jackets ECHL affiliate in Cincinnati. He has 22 points in 47 games so far.
John Quenneville, selected 30th overall in 2014 by New Jersey is the most talented of the three brothers. He represented Canada at this year’s World Juniors, posting two points in five games, while showing he can play a complete 200-foot game. Wearing the “A” in Brandon in 2015-16, John has 64 points in 52 games so far.
Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville is an NHL legend. Former player, legend bench boss, Joel sits second on the all-time wins list behind the great Scotty Bowman. He will also serve as Assistant Coach for Team Canada at September’s World Cup of Hockey.
Having two talented hockey players for brothers has helped Quenneville’s development. The competitive nature in his family pushed him to try to keep up with his brothers on the ice and at times in the ring.
“We’re a very competitive family. We’ve had a lot of competitive games on outdoor rinks,” says Quenneville. “It absolutely has worked to my benefit because we all push each other. (Wheat Kings forward) John and I have had a lot of good fights and that pushed me to want to get stronger and tougher. But having competitive brothers has pushed me on everything like my shot and skating because we’re competitive and want to have the edge on each other.”
Medicine Hat Tigers D David Quenneville – 201st Ranked North American Skater (NHL Central Scouting Mid-Term Ranking)
A small, undersized defenseman at 5’8 183lbs, David owns a similar playing style to Nashville’s Ryan Ellis. Quenneville owns incredible offensive instincts as a blueliner, and sees the game well. He loves to jump in on the rush, and creates a lot of offense.
There are admitted holes in his defensive game. It doesn’t matter how strong you are when you’re 5’8 trying to move a 6’3 210lbs winger in front of the net. Defense of his size are rare in the NHL, meaning David will need to learn to play a bigger, stronger game.
Don’t be surprised if David is selected in the mid-to-late rounds in June. He’ll spend some extra time in Junior, and likely need a few extra years to simmer in the minors, and better develop his all-around game.
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The video below is from a couple of seasons back, just prior to joining the WHL. It gives you some insight on his offensive skill-set.
Next: NHL Bloodline's: Twins Kelly, Kevin Klima
2016 Draft-Eligible Prospects With NHL Bloodline’s:
*NHL family ties in parentheses
| Ty Ronning (Cliff) | Riley Stillman (Cory) | Graham McPhee (George) | Kenny Johnson (Jack) | Casey Fitzgerald (Tom) | Mathieu Sevigny (Pierre) | Luke McInnis (Marty) | Hudson Elynuik (Pat) | Ben Hawerchuk (Dale) | Hayden Verbeek (Pat) | Garrett Pilon (Rich) | Kelly and Kevin Klima (Petr) | David Quenneville (John, Joel) | Fredrik Forsberg (Filip) | Kristian Reichel (Robert)
In 2015-16, Medicine Hat Tigers D David Quenneville has 11 goals, 38 assists (49 points) in 58 games from the back-end in his second WHL season. He only posted 20 points in 66 games as a rookie in 2014-15. Medicine Hat is currently sitting in 9th place in the WHL Eastern Conference, fighting for that last playoff spot with Edmonton.