- Alexis Joseph is the biggest player on Canada’s Hlinka Gretzky Cup roster at 6-foot-4
- The Saint John centre put up 60 points in 54 games as a QMJHL rookie
- Read below for what Canada’s coach sees in the 2027 NHL Draft riser
Alexis Joseph is the biggest player on Canada’s roster at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, and he is turning into one of the biggest names in the 2027 NHL Draft class.
The 6-foot-4, 205-pound centre set up captain Landon DuPont for the opening goal of a 6-1 win over Slovakia on Tuesday at Rogers Place. DuPont is projected to go first overall in 2027. Joseph, an alternate captain on the same team, is one of the names right behind him.
Take a look at the highlights from Canada’s second win of the tournament:
Where the frame came from is a bit of a mystery to him. Joseph was asked about his size this week and could not point to anyone in the house.
“I’ve always been big,” Joseph told NHL.com’s Derek Van Diest. “My dad is 5-foot-11, and my mom is only 5-foot-5, so maybe my uncles or something were big.”
What he does know is how to use it.
“I try to use my size for 1-on-1 battles,” Joseph said. “I think it’s an advantage and I’m able to protect the puck. That’s where I use it the most.”
Canada coach Ryan Oulahen has had only a few weeks around him and already sounds sold on the package.
“With him, he’s very coordinated and I think he’s very powerful,” Oulahen said. “You see the plays he makes on the power play, and driving the middle of the ice he can really distribute.”
Joseph turned 17 on June 16. He piled up 60 points (24 goals, 36 assists) in 54 games as a rookie for Saint John of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League last season, sixth among all league rookies, and he goes back there once the tournament wraps.
Skating is the piece he has hammered on in the summers.
“I did work a lot on my skating this summer and the summer before that too,” he said. “That’s always difficult for a bigger guy and I take pride in being a good skater.”
Sweden is next. Canada closes out the preliminary round Wednesday night in Edmonton at 2-0, with a 5 p.m. MT puck drop:
Edmonton keeps showing up on his calendar. Joseph skated in the 2019 Brick Invitational in the city as a kid, he is there now with scouts filling the seats, and the 2027 World Junior Championship runs Dec. 26 through Jan. 5 in Edmonton and Red Deer.
