Watch for Washiiyeh Jeannotte
Two years ago, he moved 240 miles from his home on Algonquins of Barriere Lake First Nation in Rapid Lake, Quebec to play AAA hockey in Ottawa for the Eastern Ontario Wild. This year, 2011 birth year defenseman Washiiyeh Jeannotte has moved another 480 miles from Ottawa to play for Under 16 AAA level Detroit HoneyBaked of the Michigan Amateur Hockey Association.
A mammoth defender, the 6 foot 3, 210 pound Jeannotte has already emerged as a top prospect for the 2027 Ontario Hockey League priority selections draft. In fact, Jeannotte (in photo at left) is listed as the sixth best prospect of any player who is on a ’26-27 roster of an American based team.
Jeannotte, who is represented by player agent Eddie Mio and director of player development Wayne Smith of Octane Sports, told Hockey News Windsor that making a “big decision” to move from Ottawa to Detroit to play for HoneyBaked this season was because it was felt that it “was the right opportunity for me at this point in my development. HoneyBaked has a great reputation for developing players and preparing them for the next level. I wanted to put myself in an environment where I would be challenged every day, surrounded by experienced coaches and trainers, and competing against some of the best players.
“I believe this is going to be a great opportunity for me to grow not only as a hockey player, but also as a person,” Jeannotte continued. “The coaching and training staff have a lot of experience, and I know they are going to push me to improve every part of my game. I’m excited to learn from them, compete every day and take advantage of everything HoneyBaked has to offer.”
When asked by Hockey News Windsor what he feels his biggest strengths are as a player, Jeannotte replied that “I love working on my 200-foot game. I want to be the type of defenseman who can be trusted in every situation and contribute in all three zones. I take a lot of pride in defending, moving the puck, joining the rush and making the right play offensively.
“I think one of my greatest attributes is my ability to slow the game down. When there is pressure, I’m comfortable taking a second to read the play, make the right decision and find a teammate. I think being able to stay calm and make plays under pressure is a big part of my game,” he added.
Jeannotte also told Hockey News Windsor that he wants “to show the OHL scouts that I can play at the highest level in every zone. I want them to see that I’m a reliable two-way defenseman who can compete, defend, move the puck, make plays and contribute offensively. I also want to show that I’m constantly working to get better. My goal is to improve every day and become the best two-way defenseman I can be. I know there is still a lot of work ahead of me, and that’s something I’m excited about. I want to use this season at HoneyBaked to prove that I can compete at a high level and earn the opportunity to play OHL hockey.”
Meeting and getting to know his new HoneyBaked teammates has been a plus for Jeannotte.
“The teammates are already a great group of guys. Even though we’re still early in the season, we’re already becoming a tight-knit family. Everyone wants to work for each other, and that makes coming to the rink every day even more enjoyable. I really believe we have the potential to go far this season. We have a lot of talent, but more importantly, we’re building a team that cares about each other and wants to compete together. I’m really excited to see what we can accomplish.
“For me, HoneyBaked is about putting myself in the best possible environment to develop, compete and prepare for the next level. I’m grateful for the opportunity and excited to see where this season takes us,” said Jeannotte, in summation to Hockey News Windsor.
