NHL Draft notebook Victor Plante, brothers hoping to reach League together
Their father, Derek Plante, a professional scout with the Ottawa Senators, was selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the eighth round (No. 161) of the 1989 NHL Draft, and had 248 points (96 goals, 152 assists) in 450 games in eight NHL seasons as a forward with the Sabres, Dallas Stars, Chicago Blackhawks and Philadelphia Flyers.
Max leads Minnesota Duluth this season with 22 goals and 44 points in 32 games. Zam is second in goals (14) and tied for second in points (39) in 32 games.
Victor (5-foot-9, 163 pounds), No. 36 on NHL Central Scouting’s midterm ranking of North American skaters for the 2026 NHL Draft, leads USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program Under-18 team with 17 goals and eight power-play goals in 40 games, and his 32 points are tied for fourth.
“I’d say I’m a little bit like them both,” Victor said. “Zam’s definitely more skilled. Max is probably more of a passer. I’d say I’m kind of just right in the middle. I try to take a little bit of both.
“My dad always tells me I’m the most physical of the three of us. So does my grandpa.”
Said Derek Plante: “Victor has actually hit people at times. He’s not overly physical, he’s not a big bruiser, but compared to the other two, yes, he definitely is more rambunctious that way.”
Max has learned plenty by watching his youngest brother.
“I think Victor’s kind of a mixture of [me and Zam],” Max said. “We all kind of play very similar in that we just go out there and are not afraid to make mistakes. We just puck battle and try and steal pucks from other players. But I’d say Victor’s a little bit different in the way he’s got some swagger to his game. He’s always kind of had it, so I’m trying to learn from him, trying to add some swagger to my game.”
At no time was that more evident than in Game 2 of the 2025 CHL USA Prospects Challenge at VisitLethbridge.com Arena in Lethbridge, Alberta, on Nov. 26, when Victor scored his second goal at 5:53 of a 3-on-3 overtime to enable the NTDP to win the two-game series against the top prospects from the Canadian Hockey League.
“I was watching the game with a bunch of my teammates and was so excited Victor had the opportunity to play in those games,” Max said. “I thought he was one of the best players on the ice both nights. His OT goal was just a textbook hockey play, diving at the puck to keep it in the zone. Then he comes down and does what Victor does, snipes. As soon as he scored, I didn’t even watch and knew what his ‘celly’ would be. I went to give all my teammates high fives and accidentally slapped one of them in the face. It was a feeling like I scored myself.”
