CHL to NHL: former QMJHL d-man of the year D’Astous debuts with Lightning

Former Rimouski Oceanic defenceman Charle-Edouard D’Astous made his NHL debut with the Tampa Bay Lightning on Oct. 25.

In a 4-3 win over Anaheim, D’Astous played 14:57 and recorded one shot, one block and one hit.

D’Astous spent four years with his hometown Oceanic from 2015-19 where he played in 244 games and registered 49 goals and 181 points, the most in franchise history by a blueliner. His games played and goals scored rank fifth and second respectively among all-time Oceanic defencemen.

In 2019, D’Astous was the recipient of the Emile Bouchard Trophy as QMJHL Defenceman of the Year while he was also named the league’s Humanitarian of the Year.

As a pro, D’Astous has spent time in the AHL, ECHL, Sweden’s SHL and Finland’s Liiga where he has incredibly collected three Defenceman of the Year awards. In 2022, he was the ECHL’s best blueliner as a member of the Utah Grizzlies, won the same award with Liiga’s KooKoo Kouvola in 2024 and last season won the SHL’s award with Brynas IF Gavle.

D’Astous was undrafted into the NHL.

Take your lap, 5️⃣1️⃣ pic.twitter.com/FAPujZy7Nl

— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) October 25, 2025