Ottawa Senators Draft Profiles: Philippe Daoust
By Daniel Bruce
Ottawa selected the resilient winger with their first 6th round pick
After a long, windy road, Philippe Daoust finally caught a break, being selected to the NHL after being passed over his whole life. Not highly regarded going into the draft, Pierre Dorion and staff must’ve liked what they saw from Daoust, especially in the character department.
Biography
Date of Birth: November 5, 2001
Hometown: Barrie, Ontario
H: 6’0″ W: 161 Pounds
Shoots: Left
Passed over in the OHL draft multiple times after not standing out in minor hockey, Daoust wasn’t looking like a typical NHL prospect. At the beginning of the 2018-19 season, Daoust had just joined the French River Rapids in the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League (NOJHL), quickly becoming the team’s best player with 59 points in 56 games. This, however, was not enough to get Daoust noticed by any OHL teams so he would sign with the Moncton Wildcats of the QMJHL and would successfully nail down a spot on the roster.
While Daoust didn’t put up great numbers last season with 29 points in 58 games, he continued to improve as the season went along and it would be enough for the Senators to draft him. From being stuck in Junior A to being drafted into the NHL all within a year and a half is a testament to Daoust’s work ethic.
Attributes
Prior to the 2019-2020 season Daoust was a smallish forward, standing at just 5’9″ but due to a recent growth spurt now stands at 6’0″, he combines good size with smooth skating and transferrable offensive skills.
Daoust is really good in transition, he can carry the puck from end to end and showcases great ability on the rush, here’s a good example from play this year:
Bernier opens the scoring after an impressive rush by @Senators Draft Selection @philippe_daoust @monctonwildcats 1-0 vs @ABTitan @QMJHL pic.twitter.com/WTfBDp8QdW
— Craig Eagles (@Eags37) October 23, 2020
While he doesn’t have eye-popping talent, if he continues to improve at this pace he could become an Ottawa Senator.
What They’re Saying
Yet another Senators pick that left draft analysts and fans saying “who?”, as Daoust wasn’t ranked by many scouting services.
The Ottawa Senators take the @NOJHL alumni Philippe Daoust from Moncton. Former French River Rapids player. 20 OHL teams let him walk to the QMJHL & he has flourished. I'm happy for the kid & it further shows that the path is rarely straight.
— North American Central Scouting Independent Bureau (@MarkSeidel) October 7, 2020
Mark Seidel was very happy with the selection and praised Daoust for his resilience after being overlooked throughout his career. He also praised Daoust’s offensive ability:
He has become an important player for that team. You don't expect that from a guy that 20 other teams pass on. He is slippery & has offensive skills. His point totals are low because he had to work his way up the lineup. I expect him to double his points this season.
— North American Central Scouting Independent Bureau (@MarkSeidel) October 7, 2020
Byron Bader’s model didn’t lend to kindly to Daoust, but he has taken such an interesting path to this point that can deem some aspects of the model ineffective.
Philippe Daoust L - Round 6, 158th Overall
— Byron Bader (@ByronMBader) October 15, 2020
Daoust is an older player and has very low production. Late picks like this almost never make the NHL. 12% of these players will make the NHL in some capacity. Remember, this is a deep draft, there's some options left still.
21/ pic.twitter.com/GkcVZbYK6M
2020-2021
The QMJHL is the only league in the CHL to have started play so far this season and despite having a week postponement due to increased Covid-19 cases, they restarted action on Friday. Daoust went pointless in his first 3 games before adding 2 assists on Friday versus Acadie-Bathurst.
Playing a bigger role on Moncton this season, look for Daoust to push near a point/game at the end of the season.