Huard looking to make a splash in Victoriaville

Nick Huard may have been overlooked by the OHL in the past two drafts but Major Junior scouts in Quebec have been taking notice.

The 17-year-old Trappers graduate was planning on heading to the Lewiston Maineiacs this week but he had to make it through QMJHL waivers after clearing OHL waivers earlier this month. During that process recently, the Victoriaville Tigres decided to pluck Huard off the waiver wire.

The Tigres finished 16th overall (29-37-2-2) last season in the 18-team QMJHL.

Huard caught the eye of Tigres scouts while attending a pair of prospect camps in Eastern Canada hosted by the University of New Brunswick.

“Our scouts saw him this summer in Montreal and what we like is his passion for the game and we want to build our team with players who are passionate about game. We also like his playmaking ability and his ability to set up plays,” said Tigres head coach Yannick Jean about the Trappers forward who finished with 34 goals and 29 assists in 34 regular season games last year.

While Huard was expecting to be part of the Maineiacs – he respects the process and is grateful to finally get a shot at Major Junior hockey.

“I’m excited to join a team like Victoriaville that is in a reloading mode and I’m excited to come in and hopefully help them out offensively,” said Huard.

One bonus for Huard is that he’s played in the summer prospect tournament with Tigres forward Brandon Hynes – the 3rd overall pick in the 2009 QMJHL midget draft.

Still, Huard must have a solid camp to officially secure a spot with the Quebec League squad.