Drummondville vs. Baie-Comeau — Five players to watch
It’s as simple as this: the best team in the QMJHL will face off against the second best tonight.
The Drummondville Voltigeurs (41-12-5-1), who lead the Western Conference and rank sixth in the latest CHL Top 10, are in Baie-Comeau to take on the Drakkar (48-9-2-1), the top team in the QMJHL and the CHL, tonight at 7 p.m. ET as part of the CHL Game of the Week.
Suspense will be high for this match as the Voltigeurs are the only team the Drakkar has never beaten in two encounters. The first ended 5-4 on Nov. 10, with Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Ethan Gauthier (2G, 2A) and Luke Woodworth (2G, 1A) each scoring twice. In the second encounter on Feb. 1, Riley Mercer blocked all 27 shots directed at him and Justin Côté scored twice in a 4-0 shutout win for Drummondville.
For Jean-François Grégoire’s men, the clear directive is to avoid the penalty box. In the two games against Drummondville, they’ve accrued 43 penalty minutes compared to 19. And the Voltigeurs have scored five of their total nine goals on the power play.
However, the big difference is that these two duels happened at the Marcel-Dionne Centre. This time, the showdown will be at the Henry-Leonard Centre, where the Drakkar are nearly unbeatable. Their home record stands at 25-2-2-0, including seven consecutive wins. After their 4-0 loss in Drummondville on Feb. 1, the North Coasters then earned points in their next 11 games (10-0-0-1) before losing last Saturday to the Acadie-Bathurst Titan.
On the road, the Volts boast a record of 17-6-5-1. They’ve had a tougher time lately, losing three of their last five games. Their trip to Baie-Comeau might just be the perfect remedy to get back on track.
Fans of offensive play have a good chance of being pleased tonight. The Voltigeurs possess the best offence in the QMJHL with 264 goals scored while the Drakkar are tied for second with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies at 261 goals. Defensively, it’s the Huskies who are the best in the league, conceding 144 goals. The Voltigeurs are second with the fewest goals allowed at 158.
It will also be a duel between the second-best power play (27%) on the Voltigeurs’ side and the third-best on the Drakkar’s (26.1%). On the penalty kill, the Red Team ranks fourth in the league (81.2%). Baie-Comeau, on the other hand, sits fifth with a slightly lower percentage (80.9%).
With a win, the Drakkar would also move within one victory of the prestigious 50-win mark this season and would be the first team to achieve this feat in the 2023-2024 CHL season. And with an 11-point lead over the Voltigeurs, they would have a serious grip on the Jean-Rougeau Trophy, awarded to the regular season champions of the QMJHL.
Justin Poirier is also one to watch. With 46 goals, he is currently the top scorer in the QMJHL and could become the fourth player in the CHL to score 50 goals this season in the coming days.
As the game is sold out, the only other option for fans to watch it will be via CHL TV, for free, starting at 7 p.m. EST. It will also be available on RDS.ca.
There would be many other excellent suggestions, but who are the players to watch tonight? Here are five suggestions.
Vsevolod Komarov – Drummondville Voltigeurs
Komarov (BUF) was an extremely important acquisition for the Voltigeurs during the QMJHL trade period. Arriving from the Quebec Remparts on Dec/ 3, 2023, Vsevolod Komarov (Buffalo) has a record of 10 goals and 33 assists for 43 points in 30 games with the Volts.
Adding his stats from Quebec, Komarov is the top scorer among defensemen with 62 points in 52 games. More importantly, he currently has a +121 rating over three seasons in the QMJHL. He is currently 11th in league history at this level, and +20 away from Sean Couturier’s record (+141, 2008-2011).
Komarov also scored the winning goal to secure the 2023 Memorial Cup for the Remparts in Kamloops. He was a fifth-round pick, 134th overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2022 NHL Draft.
In his debut with @VoltigeursDRU, #LetsGoBuffalo prospect Vsevolod Komarov blasts home his first with the club! 🚀
Komarov marque lors de ses débuts avec Drummondville ! 🚨 pic.twitter.com/f6UeVvLisl
— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) December 7, 2023
Maveric Lamoureux – Drummondville Voltigeurs
Not necessarily for his size, because that’s pretty straightforward: at 6 feet 7 inches, Maveric Lamoureux (ARI) will be the tallest player on the ice. But mainly because he was part of the Canadian team that participated in the 2024 World Juniors in Sweden. As the most utilized player by head coach Alan Letang he stood out for his extremely physical play and his long reach on the defensive end. He’ll want to do the same against the Drakkar. A first-round pick, 29th overall in the 2022 draft by the Arizona Coyotes, Lamoureux is currently having his best season offensively in the QMJHL. Despite missing several games due to the World Juniors and mononucleosis, he has gathered 31 points, including nine goals, in 33 games.
Ethan Gauthier – Drummondville Voltigeurs
Alongside Alexis Gendron (PHI), Gauthier (TB) is the only NHL-drafted player among the Voltigeurs’ forwards. He is also his team’s top scorer, with 32 goals and 62 points in 55 games.
In the first encounter against the Drakkar on Nov 10, he scored two goals and provided two assists. He can be a threat to the opponent with his skills and his shot. And with his more agitating side, he has the qualities to send opposing players to the penalty box.
The son of former Voltigeurs and NHL player Denis Gauthier, Ethan was a second-round pick (37th overall) by the Lightning in the 2023 NHL Draft.
Ethan Gauthier a enregistré son premier tour du chapeau avec les @VoltigeursDRU lors d'une victoire 10-3 contre Québec !#GoBolts prospect Ethan Gauthier with his first hat-trick of the season! pic.twitter.com/9q2yh1WHXG
— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) December 4, 2023
Justin Poirier – Baie-Comeau Drakkar
He’s only 17 years old. He’s eligible for the 2024 NHL Draft. And he’s the top scorer in the entire QMJHL. That sums up why Justin Poirier needs to be watched. He currently has 46 goals in 60 games: he could become the first player under 18 to reach 50 goals in the QMJHL since Sidney Crosby with the Rimouski Oceanic in 2004-2005. Furthermore, he also has 72 points this season. The reason for his success: his shot. It’s extremely accurate and powerful. But Poirier also stands out for his energy and work in the corners. He was the 73rd ranked North American skater in NHL Central Scouting’s mid-term rankings that were released in January.
Justin Gill – Baie-Comeau Drakkar
Acquired this summer from the Sherbrooke Phoenix, where he formed a thunderous duo with current Montreal Canadiens player Joshua Roy, Gill (NYI ) is dominant in his 20-year-old season with the Drakkar. He ranks second in QMJHL scoring with 89 points in just 57 games while he is fifth in goals with 36. In 2022-2023, with the Phoenix, Gill scored 44 goals and collected 93 points in 68 games. He was then drafted in the fifth round, 145th overall by the New York Islanders in the 2023 NHL Draft.
C’est Justin Poirier avec un tour du chapeau
🎩🎩🎩#NHLDraft | @DrakkarBAC pic.twitter.com/zN2NLTxCe4— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) September 24, 2023
