2024 QMJHL Playoffs | Eastern Conference Preview
BAIE-COMEAU DRAKKAR (1st East)
Regular Season Record – 53-12-2-1 – 109 pts, 290 GF, 163 GA
It’s been a season to remember for the 2023-24 regular season champs as the Drakkar claimed its third Jean-Rougeau Trophy in franchise history. After a heartbreaking Game 7 overtime loss to the Moncton Wildcats in round one last spring, the Drakkar is a team on a mission, led by a balanced attack that includes 51-goal man Justin Porier, overager Justin Gill, and the talent of Matyas Melovsky and brothers Raoul and Jules Boilard, among others. Blueliners Niks Fenenko, Alexis Bernier and Anthony Lavoie have been sturdy in all zones for the circuit’s top defensive squad. Mid-season acquisitions Donovan Arsenault, Angus Booth and Charles-Edward Gravel have provided further stability to a club that hasn’t lost back-to-back games since early October. Then there’s the emotional center of the team, Emile Chouinard, the 20-year-old rearguard who was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in January. Chouinard has completed his final radiation treatment though his status for the first games of the postseason remains unconfirmed. The Drakkar, searching for its first series win since 2015, prepares to face the Charlottetown Islanders in round one.
HALIFAX MOOSEHEADS (2nd East)
Regular Season Record – 42-18-7-1 – 92 pts, 227 GF, 184 GA
It’s another Maritimes Division crown for a Mooseheads squad that reached the league final last spring. This edition has had to find success without relying heavily on offence as graduations and injuries have cut the club’s goals for by over 100. Mathieu Cataford and Marcus Vidicek have carried much of the load over the balance of the season, while trade period acquisition Lou-Félix Denis has proved clutch, recording five game-winners since arriving in Halifax. On the backend, Brady Schultz has matured into a multi-dimensional force, Czech David Moravec has provided stability, while Dylan MacKinnon has brought a physical edge in front of star netminder Mathis Rousseau. The biggest storylines surround captain Jake Furlong, who will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery, and last year’s league MVP, Jordan Dumais, who should return to action in Game 2 following extended time of his own on the injured reserve. The Mooseheads will face the Acadie-Bathurst Titan in what will be the fourth playoff meeting between the Maritime rivals.
MONCTON WILDCATS (3rd East)
Regular Season Record – 38-23-4-3 – 83 pts, 274 GF, 231 GA
Will the real Moncton Wildcats please stand up? It’s been an up and down season in the Hub of the Maritimes by times, but when on, the Wildcats are as tough an out as anyone. Led once again in scoring by Yoan Loshing, the team also enjoyed an inspired campaign from 32-goal scorer Miles Mueller. A QMJHL Draft weekend trade to acquire Vincent Collard from Baie-Comeau has paid dividends while rookies Caleb Desnoyers and Julius Sumpf combined for 111 points. On the back end, where Etienne Morin led the group in scoring, another off-season pickup, Olivier Boutin, has provided a strong veteran presence. Between the pipes, Jacob Steinman and Keegan Warren have successfully split duties. One word of advice for the Cats’ first round opponent, the Chicoutimi Saguenéens, is pretty basic; stay out of the box! The Wildcats enter the postseason with the top power play efficiency in the Q. This will be the third meeting between the two franchises in the playoffs.
CAPE BRETON EAGLES (4th East)
Regular Season Record – 39-26-1-2 – 81 pts, 216 GF, 194 GA
The Eagles enter the postseason on a nine-game winning streak, the longest such run for the club in 19 seasons, and every one of them vital to helping the squad earn home ice advantage in round one for the first time in seven years. Emerging atop the scoring leaderboard was New Jersey Devils draftee Cam Squires, who led a group of forwards that included Cole Burbidge, overager Cam MacDonald and 25-goal scorer and mid-season acquisition Lucas Romeo. Jacob Newcombe, back in the lineup in February following a pre-season cancer diagnosis, came through with almost a point per game down the stretch. The blueline was anchored by power play quarterback and mid-season pickup Tomas Cibulka along with Brayden Schmitt, who combined for nearly 100 points on the year. In nets, the Eagles could not have asked for more from the tandem of Nicolas Ruccia and Jakub Milota, who combined for a franchise record nine shutouts. The Eagles prepare to face the Rimouski Oceanic, the team that halted their playoff run in 2019, the last year Cape Breton won a playoff series.
RIMOUSKI OCÉANIC (5th East)
Regular Season Record – 37-26-5-0 – 79 pts, 250 GF, 236 GA
As the host team for the 2025 Memorial Cup, the Oceanic could be forgiven for looking ahead. However, there’s a lot to like about this club right now. Led by the dynamic trio of Alexandre Blais, Maël St-Denis and Jacob Mathieu, the Océanic enters the postseason with almost 40 more goals to its credit compared to last year. The back end is anchored by rising star Spencer Gill and 2023 Memorial Cup Champion Charle Truchon, part of a group that has banded together even more so in the second half after a long-term injury to Florida Panthers draftee Luke Coughlin. The man between the pipes is Cedric Massé, one of seven netminders to appear in the Océanic crease due to trades or injuries. Massé himself is back in nets for the first time in a month, now carrying the load with Quentin Miller on the shelf long term. Despite the juggling acts throughout the lineup, Rimouski will be ready as ever to take on Cape Breton, whom it defeated in the 2019 Quarterfinals, the only series between the two.
CHICOUTIMI SAGUENÉENS (6th East)
Regular Season Record – 35-25-4-4 – 78 pts, 247 GF, 229 GA
It wouldn’t be surprising if other teams in the East looked at the standings down the stretch with a leery eye towards the Sags, who enter the 2024 postseason on the heels of a strong second half. With top 2024 NHL Entry Draft prospect Maxim Massé leading the charge, Chicoutimi has developed dependable offensive contributors up and down the lineup, including 60-point sophomore Thomas Desruisseaux and a trio of 20-goal scorers in Alexis Morin, Emmanuel Vermette and rookie Émile Guité. The blue line features much of the same; youth, experience and consistency. While veteran Loïc Usereau and Latvian star Peteris Bulans have guided this group through all in-game situations, Alex Huang has given fans in Saguenay glimpses of a strong future after being selected fifth overall in last June’s Draft. In nets, Rémi Delafontaine arrived from Shawinigan at the deadline and helped guide the Sags through a 10-game win streak in February, the longest such run in over 30 years for the club. Now, it’s off to Moncton to start the first round, where the Saguenéens will face a Wildcats club they have not defeated in postseason competition, dropping first-round encounters in 1998 and 2015.
ACADIE-BATHURST TITAN (7th East)
Regular Season Record – 30-31-3-4 – 67 pts, 227 GF, 243 GA
It’s back to the postseason after a one-year hiatus for the Titan, who improved by 19 points in the standings thanks to some critical performances throughout the lineup. Up front, the trio of Robert Orr, Milo Roelens and Colby Huggan combined for 79 goals and 140 assists, not to mention 13 game-winning tallies between them. Defensively, Émile Perron and rookie Noah Laberge have offered up consistent performances, while one of the most understated acquisitions in the league this year, Igor Mburanumwe, has been a rock on the backend since arriving from the Victoriaville Tigres. All of this has led to the Titan shaving off 35 goals against from its 2022-23 totals. With reliable netminding from Joshua Fleming and Antoine Keller, this Titan club is poised to make life difficult for its rivals from Halifax in round one.
CHARLOTTETOWN ISLANDERS (8th East)
Regular Season Record – 26-34-6-2 – 60 pts, 208 GF, 267 GA
As the process of building the next great team on PEI continues, the Isles enter the postseason aiming to gain, if not advantages, some valuable experience. With the accomplished Jim Hulton behind the bench, the Islanders grind for goals with the likes of Michael Horth, Cole Huckins and Giovanni Morneau, part of a contingent that saw Charlottetown include nine players with double-digit goals in its lineup. Leading the offensive charge from the point, not to mention playing key minutes in all situations as a sophomore, is defenseman Marcus Kearsey. In nets, Carter Bickle has held the fort admirably. Then there’s the rookies; among them, forwards Matthew Butler and Kyle Powers, defenseman Owen Conrad and goaltender Axsels Ozols. With the daunting task of facing the Baie-Comeau Drakkar in round one, this Islanders squad will no doubt find a way to make the regular season champs earn any victories they might achieve.
