2011 NHL Entry Draft: Canucks Select Alexandre Grenier (3rd round, 90th overall)

With their second pick in the 3rd round, the Canucks went back to the QMJHL, selecting Alexandre Grenier, a big right-winger who spent last season with Patrick Roy’s Quebec Ramparts.

3rd round, 90th overall: Alexandre Grenier, RW, Halifax Mooseheads

It’s clear that Mike Gillis wants to add some size in the system. At 6’5″, 200 lbs., Grenier is a beast.

From Dan Sallows:

Along with having excellent size and reach, he is a good skater, with nice hands, good puckhandling skills, has a tremendous release, adept hockey sense and vision, and plays an overall complete game. So much so, that Québec head coach Patrick Roy would rely on Grenier in several key situations late in the season.

Some scouts call him a classic late-bloomer. He was born in 1991 so he’s older than most draft picks. The Halifax Mooseheads traded for him after last season, and while he is eligible to play in the AHL next season, they expect him to stay in Halifax and be a large contributor as an overager.