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FN Draft Profiles: Offensive blueliner Tommy Bleyl burst onto the QMJHL scene in 2025-26
Photo credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports
Folks, every year there’s a handful of top prospects heading into the season that scouts are agog over. And every year, inevitably there’s a few players that the hockey establishment hadn’t really heard of that burst onto the scene and really draw notice over the season with some superb performances.
A year ago, right-shot defenceman Tommy Bleyl had just dripped his toe into the United States Hockey League. Now, after a really impressive season in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League, Bleyl might be a first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. Could he bit a fit for the Flames?
What do scouts think of Tommy Bleyl?
A product of Schenectady, New York, Bleyl is a right shot blueliner listed at 6’0″ and 165 pounds. He’s a December 2007 birthday, so he’s on the older side of things as far as first-time draft eligible prospects go.
Bleyl plied his trade in various spots in prep league hockey in the northeastern United States during his teens, with impressive stints with teams in Massachusetts, New York and Connecticut. He represented the United States at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in 2024 and played a trio of games with the USHL’s Dubuque Fighting Saints late that season.
Already committed to Michigan State University, Bleyl headed to the QMJHL in 2025-26, joining the Moncton Wildcats. It turned out pretty well, as he emerged as one of the top offensive defencemen in that league in his first full season of elite-level hockey.
Sportsnet and Pro Hockey Group’s Jason Bukala had this rundown of Bleyl’s campaign:
Bleyl exploded on to the scene in Moncton this season and has taken full advantage of the opportunities he has been provided. Bleyl has been deployed in all situations for the Wildcats and averaged nearly 24 minutes of ice time per game. In 82 games between the regular season and playoffs so far, Bleyl has registered 19G-87A. He’s similar to Villeneuve in stature, but he’s a right shot. I have the two transitional defenders side by side in my rankings for a reason. If one of these names goes off the board a team searching for a Lane Hutson type of prospect will have another name in the hat to choose from.
Over at Daily Faceoff, our pal Steven Ellis had this write-up in his recent top 100 rankings:
Bleyl feels like the type of guy the general public loves significantly more than NHL Central Scouting. Personally, there’s a lot to love. He’s a highly skilled two-way defender who came out of nowhere to register 81 points as a QMJHL rookie. He’s exceptionally crafty, skates very well and doesn’t let bigger competition bother him. Bleyl plays a calm, collected game defensively while consistently getting himself into scoring lanes in the other zone. Right now, he needs to get stronger – he gets pushed around too often, especially in front of the net. But his mobility and raw hockey sense are definitely there. I’m interested to see if he can keep the numbers flowing at Michigan State.
How did Tommy Bleyl produce in 2025-26?
Bleyl was a rookie in the QMJHL this season. He had 13 goals and 68 assists for 81 points across 63 games. (He had another 28 points in 22 playoff games.)
He led the QMJHL in assists – by a defenceman, by a rookie and overall. He led all QMJHL defencemen in points. He was named the league’s Defenceman of the Year and Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Could Tommy Bleyl be a fit for the Calgary Flames?
Do the Flames need another right-shot defenceman? Well, if he’s good they do. And the nice thing in terms of Bleyl’s trajectory is that since he’s a bit skinny and needs to fill out, a couple years at college seem like a great move for him. He’s set to return to Moncton for next season, so you’re looking at a talented young blueliner with a long runway, and that gives the Flames time to figure out how the rest of the blueline group looks.
In terms of availability, Bleyl appears pretty consistently in public draft rankings between 25th and 35th overall. He’ll probably be a late first-round pick or an early second-rounder, which feels fairly aligned considering the Flames have Vegas’ first-round pick (30th or 31st overall) and then a pair of early second-rounders. If the Flames want Bleyl, they have the picks to get him.
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