2025 QMJHL Playoffs | Wildcats vs. Drakkar Preview

The past two QMJHL regular season champions are preparing to do battle as the Moncton Wildcats take on the Baie-Comeau Drakkar in their upcoming Gilles-Courteau Trophy Quarter-Final series.

The Wildcats enter this series having won 19 consecutive contests dating back to early February. That said, the club’s four-game sweep of the Québec Remparts in round one was anything but easy, with three games decided by one goal and two requiring overtime. While Caleb Desnoyers was the unsurprising leader in points for the Cats in round one, a critical factor in this quick series was the performance of Gabe Smith, whose four goals included an OT winner in game three. Etienne Morin and Dyllan Gill continued their poised play on the backend, particularly while games were tight, and Julius Sumpf provided the overtime winner in game one, ending a nerve-wrecking start to the series. Between the pipes, coach Gardiner MacDougall maintained his rotation of Mathis Rousseau and Rudy Guimond, a decision which produced winning results, including Guimond’s 33-save shutout in game two. This group effort afforded the Cats their first playoff series sweep in 21 years. Next up is an opportunity to reach the league Semi-Finals for the first time since 2016.

The Drakkar dispatched the Cape Breton Eagles in six games during round one. Of course, when considering the fact game five of the series was determined in the fifth overtime period, it certainly felt like a longer series! Despite the loss of star forward Justin Poirier and defenseman Alexis Bernier prior to the start of the playoffs, the Drakkar kept rolling with its best players truly being at their best at many key intervals. Mid-season acquisition Justin Gendron tied for the team lead in scoring against the Eagles alongside Raoul Boilard. Matyas Melovsky was his usual outstanding self in all three zones while the duo of Anthony Lavoie and Evan Bellamy combined to eat up big minutes, particularly in the aforementioned game five marathon. Louis-Charles Plourde was a difference-maker, particularly in the series clincher while Skogen Schrott made his presence felt with a pair of game-winners. In nets, Lucas Beckman added four more well-earned victories to the 31 he racked up in the regular season. The Drakkar will be aiming for its second-straight Semi-Final appearance after making its way to the league Final last year.

It’s been a while since these two clubs clashed. Moncton swept the season series with a 2-1 victory in Moncton on November 10 and a 5-3 triumph just 13 days after that. This is the fourth playoff encounter between the two clubs, the Wildcats winning the previous three. The most recent duel was a memorable seven-game first-round series in 2023 that was punctuated by five overtime games.

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Team Comparison (Regular Season):