'It's Time to Move On:' Zachary L'Heureux is Ready to Turn Pro

Nashville Predators forward prospect Zachary L'Heureux has developed a reputation as both an offensive threat and a hot-tempered pest - but he's eager to leave the latter behind him.

Selected by Nashville at No. 27 overall in the first round of the 2021 NHL Draft, L'Heureux attended his third Predators development camp in Nashville earlier this month and made it clear that he is ready to begin his professional career.

The 20-year-old Montreal native averaged more than a point per game during four years in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, most recently posting 26 points (11g-15a) in 20 playoff games for the Halifax Mooseheads during the 2022-23 season.

But L'Heureux's junior hockey career hasn't come without its challenges. Prior to the 2022-23 season, he had been suspended by the QMJHL eight times for incidents including high-sticking, unsportsmanlike conduct and fighting. He missed the first eight weeks of last season recovering from hernia surgery but returned with a vengeance, totaling 33 points (18g-15a) during a 22-game stretch that included an 11-game point streak. Then came his ninth suspension - this time, for an incident involving a fan in February.

"Zach had a little bit of a roller coaster year, which is to his own fault at some times," Predators Assistant General Manager & Director of Player Development Scott Nichol said. "But it's been a really good learning experience for him… He sat out a few games and then when he came back, he was playing so well before that and then he got suspended. Then he came back and it was hard for him to catch a moving train. He probably thought he could start where he left off, but he struggled, which was a really good learning experience."

L'Heureux returned from his 10-game suspension and struggled to produce at his usual rate, putting up five points (3g-2a) in nine games during the month of March. He returned to top form in time for the postseason, averaging 1.3 points per game during a Halifax playoff run that ended just short of a QMJHL championship.

"I thought he was the engine that drove that team in the playoffs," Nichol said. "He was very, very disciplined, he produced, he drew penalties. That's the Zach L'Heureux which we saw early on. He just got derailed a little bit. It's hard when you play with that kind of emotion… It's hard to toe that line, and sometimes you fall on the other side. It's just going to take some time with him."

So, what will it take for L'Heureux to turn the corner and reach his full potential as a first-rounder? Perhaps, Nichol suggests, a change of scenery and a new set of opponents could be just what the doctor ordered.

"I think he had the bullseye on him for a little bit," Nichol said. "I thought he played really well [in the playoffs], and he actually had a bullseye on him because other teams were like, 'Okay, let's take this guy off the ice. He's going to go haywire and get suspended or take a five-minute major.' But he didn't. He was totally in control. He played the game. So I just think [he needs] a new set of eyes… Sometimes you just play too long in junior hockey, and it's time to move on."

Perhaps no one is more eager for L'Heureux to put his past challenges behind him and take the next step in his career than L'Heureux himself.

"I'm happy I'm done with it and I'm moving to the next step," L'Heureux said. "It's something I want to leave in the past. I want to move forward from it and not let it affect me going into next year."

L'Heureux will compete for a spot on the Predators roster in training camp but will likely begin his professional career in the American Hockey League with the Milwaukee Admirals. Regardless, he feels he is ready to play at the professional level, and he is eager to prove himself against steeper competition.

"[Last year] was a lot of ups and downs," L'Heureux said. "I think that was kind of the story of my junior career. But I thought I really was able to focus on myself, focus on becoming a pro, being able to come to these dev camps and rookie camps and seeing how those guys that play in the National League really just come to the rink every day and put in work. So I really want to implement that in my off-ice training, my on-ice training, everything. I've been focusing a lot on that in the last year, and hopefully it translates to the next level."

As Nichol said, sometimes it's just time to move on. Following a storied junior career filled with the highest of highs and the lowest of lows, it's time for L'Heureux to come out on the other side and use the valuable learning experience to his advantage at the professional level.

"It is absolutely time for him to turn pro," Nichol said. "If it's here or Milwaukee, it's time for him to play against men and see where he's at."