A little confidence and some motivation went a long way for forward Pierre-Luc Dubois of Cape Breton of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
The 6-foot-2, 202-pound left wing was No. 1 on NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of the top North American skaters eligible for the 2016 NHL Draft. It's a six-spot climb from No. 7 in the midterm ranking.
Dubois, versatile enough to play all three forward spots, had 42 goals and 99 points in 62 regular-season games for Cape Breton.
A motivator for him was being one of the final players cut from Canada's team for the 2016 World Junior Championship.