Plante was selected by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2nd round (47th overall) of the 2026 NHL Draft.

Victor Plante is a smart, responsible player who doesn’t cheat the game. For me, I find his game unspectacular, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing; every team needs a player like Plante. Plante is what I like to call a slot to slot player, he backchecks hard all the way to the slot defensively, breaking up plays, and he drives the net hard offensively which is a big part of how he makes an impact offensively.

He’s a strong skater which means he gets up and down the ice well, he closes in on opponents on the forecheck, and often tries to take the body, even if it means overshooting the puck entirely. He wins pucks back well though, whether it’s coming in as support, deflecting passes, or winning board battles, he does all the small things. I can also appreciate how his defensive closeouts aren’t just half measures. He really tries to get into shooting and passing lanes out on the perimeter.

He’s also a smart player, who I think has good ideas and details. Very nice small area passing to get the puck to his teammates in motion in transition and nice moments of patience in his own end to zip long stretch passes to teammates. There are flashes of puck protection in tight areas but his offensive zone passing is perimeter centric and mostly non-threatening.

All in all, I like the work ethic and how Plante thinks the game. Those 2 facets, paired with strong skating makes me believe he has what it takes to be a pro someday. I’m less confident in the actual tools he possesses, and I think that the offensive upside is capped with a player of his profile. He’s definitely someone worth drafting, but one that NHL front offices should temper expectations for, it’s probably an NHL bottom six outlook for me as of right now.