Tournas returns for one more run with Cats
For last season’s leading goal scorer Niko Tournas, the decision to return to Moncton for his 20-year-old season was about more than hockey. It was about unfinished business.
After helping lead the Wildcats to their second deep playoff run in the past two seasons, the 2025 free agent signing is back in Moncton for one final season in a Wildcats uniform — and his motivation is crystal clear.
“Honestly, it means a lot to be back, especially this year,” Tournas said. “With the passing of Mr. Irving, it just brings a whole new kind of set of life between the guys, the staff, and the whole organization.”
It’s that sense of family pride and purpose that has helped shape the Wildcats heading into their upcoming 2026-27 season.
“We know we’re here to do one mission and it’s to win the Memorial Cup,” Tournas said. “So, it means a lot to be [here in Moncton] and able to push for that for one extra year.”
Tournas enters his final junior season coming off one of the most productive offensive seasons he has had in his junior career. In his first season in the QMJHL, the Connecticut native led the Wildcats with an impressive 43 goals and finished fourth on the team in scoring with 74 points in 64 regular-season games. His 43 goals were tied for the seventh-most in a single season in Wildcats history and ranked fifth in the QMJHL last year.
His production continued into the postseason as well, where Tournas recorded six goals and 12 assists for 18 points in 21 games — helping the Wildcats advanced to the QMJHL Final for a second straight season.
Now, with one final season ahead of him, Tournas knows exactly what he wants to accomplish, and that’s winning a championship.
“We know we have everyone behind us,” Tournas said. “So, we want to try and make Moncton proud.”
For Tournas, that means embracing the opportunity to finish what the Wildcats couldn’t a year ago.
Photo: Daniel St. Louis
