TRISTAN LUNEAU

Defense
6’2/174
Right
Gatineau Olympiques/QMJHL

Related: Denton Mateychuk

Tristan Luneau was selected with the 1st overall pick in the 2020 QMJHL Draft by the Gatineau Olympiques, and made an impact for the team right away, earning the QMJHL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year honors. Luneau is a mobile two-way blueliner with good size and instincts and has the potential to be a play-driving top 4 defenseman at the NHL level. An early-season injury derailed his draft stock a bit, but if Luneau finishes the season strong, he could work himself up the draft board and become a top 15 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft.

Size/Strength Great
Skating Great
Shot/Scoring Good
Puckhandling Great
Physical Play Good
Offensive Play Great
Defensive Play Great
Hockey Sense Great
Competitiveness Great

Strength

1. An effective two-way defenseman, who can log heavy minutes and play in all situations.
2. Right-handed shooting defenseman who can run the power play, and has a great one-time shot from the point.
3. His vision is very good and has massive upside due to his puckhandling and passing ability.

Areas of Improvement

1. Doesn’t have any dynamic skill at this point.
2. Some scouts question if have strong enough skating ability to make it to the next level.

Scouting Report:

Tristan Luneau is a highly intriguing 6-foot-2 right-shot defenseman with a high skill level and creates well inside the offensive zone. He drives play from the back end by routinely creating clean exits, both with his feet and with his passing ability. His stride is powerful and clean but he isn’t particularly explosive at this point in his development. The young blueliner excels on puck retrievals, utilizing shoulder checks to scan for oncoming forecheckers as well as outlet options and he makes quick decisions with the puck on his stick. With his ability to quickly turn play in a positive direction for his team, Luneau effectively limits the amount of time his team spends defending when he is on the ice. Although he isn’t overly physical, he uses his body to take away space and box out attacking forwards, both in defensive transition and in defensive zone coverage of the cycle. Luneau is a willing shot blocker and has the intelligence to read the play and get his large frame into shooting lanes. In the offensive zone, he controls the blue line with his mobility and vision to help sustain pressure by getting into space and distributing the puck efficiently. He has a good shot and is proficient in creating lanes to get it through from the point, and his one-timer is an added weapon on the powerplay. There aren’t really any glaring weaknesses in his game but using his skill set to be more dynamic offensively would really take his game to the next level. I see some similarities between Luneau and current Washington Capitals Star defenseman, John Carlson; while Luneau is not nearly as offensively dynamic
yet at this point in his development, he has all the tools to become the type of defenseman that John Carlson is. An early-season injury really derailed his draft stock, but if he has a strong finish to the season, Luneau should definitely be a top 20 pick in the draft.

Skill: Big right-handed defenseman with good mobility and great instincts all over the ice, and can run the powerplay.

NHL Comparison: John Carlson

NHL Potential: Top 4 Two-Way Defenseman

Season	Team	League	GP	G	PTS
2020-21	Gatineau Olympiques	QMJHL	31	4	18
2021-22	Gatineau Olympiques	QMJHL	26	5	15