A MAMMOTH SEASON – Tomas Lavoie fills out key role on Q champs
As a 16-year-old, Tomas Lavoie was considered by most the top prospect available at the 2022 QMJHL Entry Draft. The Chicoutimi Saguenéens, holders of the third overall selection that year, naturally had a chat with the tall, rangy defenseman. It was the first time Lavoie spoke to the men who would eventually help lead him to a Gilles-Courteau Trophy.
“I had a really good feeling about them when we met back then, and I really liked the vibe that they were giving me and the things they were saying,” Lavoie said of a Saguenéens organization that was building itself back into contention. “To be with them this year, it’s even more special. The main message from them when I had my first meeting after the trade was ‘Are you ready for this adventure?’. I came here to win and that’s what we accomplished. I’m really proud of this group and I want to thank them for bringing me to this team.”
Lavoie would in fact be selected first overall shortly after that interview in 2022, by the Cape Breton Eagles. Between that day and now, he has added the word “hulking” to his 6’4” and 230-pound physique, earned selection by the Utah Mammoth at the 2024 NHL Entry Draft and even, with the Eagles, managed to eliminate the Sags in the postseason two years ago. He also learned quickly – and sometimes through the hard lessons a 16-year-old blueliner typically faces – how to handle the rigours of junior hockey with his trademark maturity.
“Ever since I was young, I’ve always been alongside older people. Even my friends are all older than me,” he says when discussing the source of his personality. “From my first year in this league, I was playing with a lot of older guys and against the best players on all teams every night. I think it built my character.”
Yanick Jean saw much the same as everyone else in the guy who was wearing the ‘C’ in the Cape before he found himself a member of the powerhouse that Chicoutimi built.
“When he’s on his game, he’s a man among boys, the Sags bench boss explains. “He’s incredibly tough to play against and not only is he a great player, he’s a great person. He has so much maturity.”
It wasn’t just his personal character that made Lavoie a natural fit in the Saguenéens’ dressing room. There was also an air of familiarity. Cape Breton teammates Thomas Desruisseaux, Émile Ricard and Alexis Toussaint are also part of this ride with Lavoie.
“After that it was about building connections with everybody else,” Lavoie goes on to explain. “We just built our chemistry more and more and, by the time we finished the regular season, the whole team was almost like brothers.”
That quick bond paved the way to a 16-4 playoff run and a first ‘Q’ title in Chicoutimi since 1994. Lavoie’s 13 points, two game-winning goals and shutdown role were keys to victory. An added dimension in the Final against the Moncton Wildcats was taking on two of his fellow Utah prospects in Caleb Desnoyers and eventual playoff MVP Gabe Smith.
“It was special, from the first game to the last game,” Lavoie says regarding this meeting of the Mammoths. “But the thing for me was that we’re friends before that series even if you aren’t my friend during it. Still, we’re friends afterwards, no matter what happened. For Utah, I think it was special to see three prospects featured in that series. Desi’s been unreal the whole season, came back from a big injury last year, and Smitty, he has all my respect. He deserved that MVP trophy. He did everything for that team.”
Lavoie’s a fantastic judge of the opposition. But what does he think put his team over the top?
“I think firstly, our depth made a big difference,” he explains. “We played our four lines during the playoffs. Also, the trades that Yanick made at the Christmas break. He brought in not only some unreal players but unreal humans too. I think that was what won us that cup.”
Because humility is a key part of maturity, Lavoie won’t necessarily admit it but everyone who has watched him over the past four seasons knows – he’s also talking about himself.
