Before he was a Stanley Cup champion or the newest piece in the Maple Leafs’ playoff puzzle, Nicolas Roy was a towering, two-way force in Chicoutimiand Canada’s World Junor team.
Selected first overall in the 2012 QMJHL Entry Draft by the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles, Roy was a can’t-miss prospect out of the Amos minor hockey system in Quebec. But it was a mid-season trade to the Chicoutimi Saguenéens that set the stage for his evolution from raw talent to respected leader.
The numbers hinted at his potential—81 points in 63 games during his final junior season—but Roy’s impact went deeper. He was the captain who handled tough matchups, took critical defensive-zone draws, and made life miserable for opposing stars. Coaches and scouts raved about his maturity and work ethic, qualities that have quietly powered his NHL rise ever since.
“You could see right away that he cared about both sides of the puck,” one QMJHL scout recalled during Roy’s draft year. “He had the tools to be a first-line scorer in junior, but he also took pride in shutting people down. That’s pretty rare.”
Drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes in the fourth round in 2015, Roy took the long road—four years in the QMJHL, time in the AHL, and eventually a trade to Vegas that unlocked his potential as a reliable, playoff-tested center.
Today’s move to Toronto feels like a full-circle moment. For a franchise long searching for depth down the middle, Roy arrives as a proven winner who knows how to play the game the hard way. The Leafs are banking on the same qualities Chicoutimi once leaned on: size, smarts, and an unselfish style built for big moments.
Roy’s junior coaches always believed he could thrive when the stakes were highest. Nearly a decade later, with a Cup ring on his resume and a new chapter in Toronto, he’s proving them right.
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