2024 Gilles-Courteau Trophy Final | Drakkar vs. Voltigeurs Preview

It’s a best-on-best battle for the biggest prize in the QMJHL! The regular season champion Baie-Comeau Drakkar hosts the Western Conference’s best, the Drummondville Voltigeurs, Thursday night to kick off the 2024 Gilles-Courteau Trophy Final.

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The Drakkar, who was overlooked by many league followers when the season began, proved its 53-win, 109-point campaign wasn’t just a fluke; it might’ve been an understatement. The toughest opponents in the ‘Q’ this spring have been the Vikings from the north shore of the St. Lawrence, who enter the Final series with a 12-1 record in postseason play following four-game sweeps of the Charlottetown Islanders and Acadie-Bathurst Titan, as well as a five-game decision over the Cape Breton Eagles in the semis. The Drakkar, now appearing in its first final in ten years, has seen its main contributors from the 2023-24 campaign carry their strong play into what’s been a near flawless postseason run. After netting 51 goals during the regular season, Justin Poirier keeps on rolling, entering round four with 17 goals to his credit while leading the playoffs with 25 points. Linemates Justin Gill (10G-14A) and Matyas Melovsky (4G-13A) also find themselves within the top ten scorers, as well as veteran Niks Fenenko (4G-11A), currently the league’s top scoring blueliner. The Baie-Comeau defense corps, already the league’s best collectively during the season, has sealed up its own end even better the past month, as its combined +44 attests. Charles-Edward Gravel has replayed the trust put in him when the Drakkar acquired him from Blainville-Boisbriand earlier this year, leading the league with a 1.89 GAA to this point.

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The Voltigeurs were considered among the favorites to embark on a lengthy postseason run when the curtain lifted on the 2023-24 campaign. With the second-best regular season record in the ‘Q’, all they’ve done since then is live up to all expectations. They swept the Saint John Sea Dogs 4-0 in round one, eliminated the Sherbrooke Phoenix in six games during the quarterfinals and then eliminated the Victoriaville Tigres in five to punch their ticket to the Final for the first time in 15 years. After leading the league offensively in the regular season, the beat goes on in Drummondville, where the home team has averaged almost 4.5 goals per game through three rounds. From seven twenty-goal scorers in the regular season, the Luc-Robitaille Trophy winners boast eight players in double-digit postseason points, including leaders Ethan Gauthier (10G-10A) and Luke Woodworth (6G-10A). General Manager Yanick Lemay can also take a bow as Alexis Gendron (8G-5A), Mikael Huchette (4G-11A), Vsevolod Komarov (4G-8A) and Noah Reinhart (5G-6A), all acquired this season, also count themselves among this group. It’s not all about the offense, however. The league’s Kevin-Lowe Trophy winner as Top Defensive Defenseman, Mikaël Diotte (3G-6A), has been a reliable presence in all three zones as the leader of a solid shutdown group. Between the pipes, Riley Mercer is setting his sights on the league title which eluded his brother Dawson in Drummondville, leading the league in save percentage (.927%) entering the championship round.

[WATCH THE FINAL LIVE ON CHL TV]

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The Volts held a 3-1 season series advantage over the Drakkar, winning a pair of home games, 5-4 on November 10, and 4-0 on February 1. The Drakkar earned a 4-1 triumph in Baie-Comeau on March 6, before falling once more to the Voltigeurs at home, 4-2, on March 23.

Although these two clubs have never faced one another in the postseason, if history is any indicator, we could be in for a series for the ages. The last time the Drakkar, who is still searching for its first league title, reached the Final was in 2014, when it lost to the Val-d’Or Foreurs in heartbreaking, last-minute fashion of Game 7. Baie-Comeau also appeared in the 2013 Final.

Meanwhile, the Voltigeurs claimed what was then the President Cup in a thrilling seven-game battle with the Shawinigan Cataractes back in 2009. It remains the organization’s lone title, having also reached the Final in 1986, 1988 and 1991.

The winner of this series will move on to Saginaw, Michigan and the 2024 Memorial Cup presented by Dow. With only one title in 69 combined seasons between them, these two clubs will produce a historical result regardless of the outcome. Get ready for an entertaining ride!

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Team Comparison (Reg. Season):