Meet the best prospect you’ve never heard of: Lou Lévesque’s unlikely fast-track to a top role on a top team

This article was written by Madison Delaval, who is part of the Professional Hockey Writers Association x To Hockey With Love Mentorship Program. This program pairs aspiring writers with established members of the association across North America to create opportunities for marginalized people that do not traditionally get published on larger platforms covering hockey. 

To Hockey With Love is a weekly newsletter covering a range of topics in hockey – from the scandals of the week to providing a critical analysis of the sport. 

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HALIFAX — Feb. 28, 2024 is a warm but rainy night in Halifax, daytime fog giving way to showers in the evening. At the Scotiabank Centre, squeezed between the city’s Citadel and Harbour, the home team Mooseheads take on their singular provincial rival, the Cape Breton Eagles, in their ninth and final matchup of the 2023-24 QMJHL season. The Mooseheads break the tie to win the season series five games to four, squeezing out a 2-1 victory and staving off a last-minute surge from the Eagles.

Post-game, the ice level of Scotiabank Centre bustles with arena staff, fans, and hockey personnel. Scouts dip in and out of the world beyond the black curtain, Mooseheads players identifiable by their youth and team gear, monogrammed with their jersey numbers. Lining the inner wall enclosing the team’s locker room are the likenesses of predecessors who lived these same lives once upon a time and moved onto much bigger stages—Jean-Sébastien Giguère, Nathan MacKinnon, Timo Meier, and more. The 2013 Memorial Cup championship always remains prominent in the Centre, both to the public and behind the scenes. The famed team photo looms over the box office entrance while here, an overhead shot of the QMJHL championship trophy stretches along the red brick wall.

As is customary after a game, a few players give interviews in the hallway. That includes a Mooseheads rookie forward on this particular evening. He’s in the middle of answering a question when a man of anonymous affiliation passes by, clapping him on the back.

 “Hey, you played great tonight,” the man says. 

Then he directs his comments outward to whoever will listen.

“Hey, look at this guy right here, he played good.” 

The rookie smiles politely at the praise. His No. 67 didn’t find the scoresheet, but it’s nice to have his considerable effort recognized.

At 5’8” and 148 lbs, Lou Lévesque is the smallest player on the Mooseheads roster, but his immediate impact far precedes him. A fifth-round pick (83rd overall) in the 2022 QMJHL Entry Draft, Lévesque expectantly did not make the championship-caliber Mooseheads roster out of 2022-23 camp. His odds for this season were complex—yes, the Mooseheads lost a lot of their key pieces to the junior hockey cycle, but they still had enough left in the cupboards and planned on going all-in yet again this year. Lévesque’s showing, coaches’ evaluations, and a touch of serendipity would help him trickle into the opening-night bottom six.

Lévesque became an instant fan favorite, racking up nine goals and 19 points in his first 21 games with the club. His unrivaled speed wins him every footrace, producing breakaways that bring fans out of their seats at a high clip. Through all games until the end of February (39 games), he was producing 0.6 shots on net off breakaways per game, or approximately 2.5 per 60 minutes of ice time. This figure fails to include the countless close calls that still elicit a rowdy reaction from the Halifax crowds.

He began his first QMJHL game on the third line but was quickly promoted to the Mooseheads’ temporary top line with Mathieu Cataford and Logan Crosby by game number three. Upon Jordan Dumais’ return from NHL camp and surgery in Columbus, Lévesque played on his other wing with Markus Vidicek down the middle. Earning minutes with teammates of this pedigree when, only 12 months ago, he was playing major midget with no great expectations of making the QMJHL . . . where in the world did Lou Lévesque come from?

Lofty goals

Literally speaking, Lévesque hails from Mont-Blanc, Quebec, a small town an hour and a half northwest of Montreal. His hockey beginnings are classic Canadiana: learning from older cousins on outdoor rinks, watching the local Montréal Canadiens on TV with his father. Reflecting on playing mini-sticks in his basement with his cousins, Lévesque revealed, “Actually, the first word I said was ‘ball,’ it was not even ‘Mom’ or ‘Dad.’ ”

Like most hockey players of his generation, Lévesque idolized Halifax product Sidney Crosby, young enough to not know of an NHL without him—but not too young to forget his golden goal at the 2010 Olympics. The reverence for Lévesque had always expanded beyond the on-ice product, lauding Crosby’s work ethic and humility.

Beyond the typical choice in the generational talent, Lévesque’s cited stylistic inspiration may not be a top-of-mind name, but it’s even more obvious—Paul Byron, the 5’9”, 159 lb speedy winger and breakaway machine who played for Lévesque’s hometown Habs from 2015 to 2022. Atop those similarities, Lévesque also compliments his defensive abilities as motivation and a drawn-up example in how to use his unrivalled speed at both ends of the ice.

Lévesque is the first to admit he was not expecting to make any big splashes at Mooseheads camp in 2022, a 16-year-old coming into a system with its eyes firmly set on the prize. In 2023, either, he was not guaranteed a spot, after Halifax fell two wins short of the QMJHL championship and, unlike other contenders, boasted an incredible returning roster. Whereas he approached his first QMJHL camp as simply leaving an impression for future reference, Lévesque entered his second attempt with more self-assurance and a challenge to himself to make the opening night roster.

As for what changed in those 12 months between the Augusts of 2022 and 2023, Lévesque credits his refusal to ease off the gas pedal of his own development.

“I think my success (comes) from just trying to always do something better and (caring) a lot about the play of the game,” he said. “I think when you care a lot, you always want to do better and you’re never satisfied about what you’re doing.”

The most monumental change for Lévesque, however, came off the ice.In September 2022, his mother Catherine Labelle passed suddenly from cardiac arrest. Stepping back on the ice with the Saint-Eustache Vikings while grieving was not easy, but Lévesque was able to find moments of joy and solace in hockey. That season, he improved upon his four-goal campaign in 17 games from the previous season, exploding to score 34 points in 42 games. Twenty-one of those points were goals.

As for maturing his mentality around the game, Lévesque credits his coach with the U18 Vikings, current Rimouski Océanic bench boss Joël Perrault. From Perrault, Lévesque gained the confidence in his style of play that brought him to his second camp in Halifax, faced with a roster challenging to crack but not for lack of trying nor believing.

For any recently drafted 16-year-old, QMJHL training camps are an otherworldly experience, and Lévesque’s placement with Halifax was one of the most surreal to land in 2022. Lévesque singled out Columbus prospect Dumais and Vegas third-round pick Cataford when he said, “I really liked seeing them play and I was like, ‘Okay, so next year, I would like to play with these guys, I’d like to be on the same team.’ ”

There’s certainly some idolization, a product more tangible with much greater access to the minutiae of their success.

“You just want to mimic them a little bit, even if they’re not the same type of player as you,” Levesque said. “You’re just trying to get every aptitude of these players and try to make the best out of it.”

Although they are very different players, seeing a second concurrent undersized winger on the Mooseheads draws comparison to Dumais. The 5’9” third-round pick of the Blue Jackets in 2022 is in his fourth season with the Mooseheads—although a season that had been reduced to just 21 of 68 games after subtracting NHL camp, World Juniors, lower abdominal surgery and his suspension from the team last week after being charged with a DUI. During Dumais’ post-op absence, Lévesque had been promoted to Halifax’s top line, playing alongside sharp-shooter Vidicek and power forward Cataford. 

“At 17 years old, (I) came (to) camp, didn’t know if I was making the team, and I’m here today – I’m replacing the place of Jordan Dumais right now on the first line,” Lévesque said.

Lessons in disguise

On Nov. 12, Lévesque’s point-per-game rookie season was derailed by an unassuming center-ice collision with Cape Breton defenseman Conor Shortall. Lévesque was immediately off the ice and down the tunnel of the Scotiabank Centre, shaking his right hand in pain. This seemingly small injury sidelined him for more than two months. He returned to the Mooseheads lineup on Jan. 18.

The wedge that Lévesque’s wrist drove between him and the game he loves took a heavy mental toll.

“Every night, you’re going home and there’s something missing in your days because, from the start of your hockey career, everyday, you’ve been playing hockey,” he said. “So for two months, you’re not playing hockey (and) you know that you miss something. There’s something missing around you.” 

For Lévesque, hockey is automatic, a domain where he can be at peace and shut off any noise in his mind. Distance truly makes the heart grow fonder, as he recalled his greatest lesson from injury being a full realization of how much hockey means to him.

Before his wrist injury, Lévesque was living up to expectation as precisely as possible, scoring nine goals on 9.03 expected goals. Upon returning in January through the end of February, Lévesque has only three goals on 5.71 expected goals, shooting 8.6%. While maintaining a position on the top line, plugging into Dumais’ assumed place, Lévesque’s puck luck drought doesn’t go unnoticed.

“I did not make the best of it since I came back, I’m not happy with how (I’ve been) playing (in the past) month because I want to be so (much) better,” Lévesque said. 

He pinpoints consistency in his speed as the problem area.

 “I want to be more aggressive on the forecheck, I want to be better offensively,” he said. “With my speed, I’m a 200-foot player, so sometimes it’s just like I know what my issues on the ice (are). Sometimes I’m not moving my feet enough and as a small player, it’s not good for me.”

The details in Lévesque’s speedy offense show a moderate slowdown, going from 0.8 low slot shots per game to 0.6. His breakaway shots are also down, from 0.7 per game pre-injury to 0.5 since returning. His overall shooting is down from 2.4 shots per game to 1.9.

Lou Lévesque’s shots on goal through Feb. 29, 2024 (SOG = 86). Red 0.19 xG, yellow 0.20 xG, blue 0.09 xG. (xG model: All Eyes Out East)

Lou Lévesque’s goal types and locations through Feb. 29, 2024 (G = 12). Circle wrist, square snap, plus tipped, triangle backhand. Red 0.19 xG, yellow 0.20 xG, blue 0.09 xG. (xG model: All Eyes Out East)

Lou Lévesque’s shots on goal before (blue, SOG = 52) and after (orange, SOG = 34) injury through Feb. 29, 2024.

	Sep. 22 to Nov. 12	Jan. 18 to Feb. 29
Games played	21	18
Goals	9	3
xG	9.03	5.71
Shots on goal	52	34
Shooting percentage	17.3%	8.6%
Slot shots	20	12
Shots off breakaways	15	9

Scoring and shooting statistics for Lou Lévesque, before and after wrist injury.

This regression, aided handily by a well-rested wrist, has led Lévesque to focus on his all-around play, recalling shades of his Habs idol Byron. Lévesque knows he is capable of playing well and making an impact with his singular speed, counting stats be damned. When bounces aren’t going his way or pucks slip off his stick on the breakaway, the ability to turn around and execute takeaways, to be able to do some defensive cleanup in the fast-and-loose QMJHL especially, would cement Lou Lévesque as a crucial piece of the Mooseheads roster. He knows, too, this is what comes next.

“I know and that’s the worst part,” Lévesque said of his deficiencies since returning. “When you know (there’s) something that you don’t do and when you’re going on the ice (and) you still do not do it, it’s really hard.” 

Throughout Lévesque’s words, his love for the game shines through—when describing his early introductions to hockey, his insatiable desire to be better and faster and stronger, or the hardships of being forced to the sideline with a broken wrist. Lou Lévesque’s passion manifests in the way he zips around the ice and embraces any spotlight that comes in one of the QMJHL’s largest and most win-habituated markets. It’s the common thread connecting him and his two boyhood idols, the notoriously superstitious Crosby and the salvaged journeyman in Byron.

Lévesque is in his first year of eligibility for the NHL Draft and remains largely off the radar. Being in his rookie QMJHL season, he is a fresh name in the mix with a low sample size at the major junior level. His untimely injury has exacerbated this further, along with the typical reservations surrounding players of his size. Still, his counting stats put him in the same club as other draft-eligible rookies in his league (Raoul Boilard of Baie-Comeau and Julius Sumpf of Moncton) and his skating, fast and technically fluid, cannot be ignored when it is the transferable skill most scrutinized by scouts.

On the full process, from working toward making the Mooseheads roster to regaining his scoring touch to earning the opportunity to play pro, Lévesque remains optimistic.

“It’s part of being a hockey player so you have to fall in love with that process and just keep working,” he said. “It’s gonna come. When you want (it), you’re probably gonna find a way to just manage and find a way to do it.”

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