The 2021-22 Michel-Brière Trophy finalists unveiled
The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League announced today its final nominees of the 2022 Golden Puck Awards by unveiling the finalists for the prestigious Michel-Brière Trophy that is awarded to the league’s Most Valuable Player. This year’s three runner-ups are: Charlottetown Islanders defenseman Lukas Cormier, Sea Dogs power forward William Dufour and QMJHL top scorer Joshua Roy.
The award is named after Malartic native Michel Brière, who died at the age of 21 after suffering major head trauma in a car accident. Brière played his junior career with the Shawinigan Bruins, scoring 129 goals and adding 191 assists in 100 games. Thereafter, he played just one season with the Pittsburgh Penguins, posting 44 points in 76 games. Past recipients of the Michel-Brière Trophy include many NHL stars such as Sean Couturier, Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Drouin and Anthony Mantha.
Lukas Cormier just finished his fourth season in a Charlottetown Islanders uniform. The Sainte-Marie-de-Kent, New Brunswick native has kept improving since joining the league in 2018. Cormier reached new career highs this season with his 33 goals and 48 assists. The Vegas Golden Knights prospect also maintained a stunning +40 rating while scoring 12 power play goals and adding eight game-winning goals.
Acquired by the Saint John Sea Dogs before the 2021-22 campaign, William Dufour displayed throughout the season the many reasons why Trevor Georgie traded for him. The Quebec City native posted the best season of his career with 56 goals and 60 assists in 66 regular season games. His previous career high was 55 points, set back in 2019-20. The New York Islanders prospect has been a critical component of the Sea Dogs’ squad this season, especially thanks to his 13 game-winning goals.
Every spotlight was on Joshua Roy this season after he was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. The Saint-Georges-de-Beauce native responded perfectly to the pressure by finishing first in league scoring thanks to his 51 goals and 68 assists for 119 points in 66 games. Roy was the main factor behind the Sherbrooke Phœnix’s success as he helped the team end the 2021-22 campaign at the top of the Western Conference standings.
