Five Teams to Watch : the Chicoutimi Saguenéens
It’s hard to believe the Chicoutimi Saguenéens began this year with just four wins in their first 11 contests. That start might as well have happened in another season considering the run the up-and-coming Sags have produced since.
This Chicoutimi squad boasts eight players selected in the first round of either the 2022 or 2023 QMJHL Draft. A trio of them, 2024 Anaheim Ducks draftee Maxim Massé, Thomas Desruisseaux and Nathan Lecompte, find themselves among the leaders in team scoring for a club that features impressive depth up front. Alongside this group are veterans Emmanuel Vermette and Félix Gagnon. Providing a two-way presence and championship pedigree is 2023 Memorial Cup and 2024 Gilles-Courteau Trophy Champion, Kassim Gaudet. This core has helped propel Chicoutimi into the top five in goals scored throughout the season.
Those impressive feats with the puck aren’t limited to the forwards, however. Overager Loïc Usereau and 2025 NHL Draft prospect Alex Huang see big minutes in all situations while launching many counterattacks at the Centre Georges-Vézina. Jonathan Prud’Homme, a 2023 first rounder of the Sags’, is starting to show veteran poise in just his second campaign while Peteris Bulans has been a steady presence on the blueline both in Chicoutimi and for Team Latvia at the 2025 World Juniors. In nets, Raphaël Précourt continues to build off a strong rookie season last year while a holiday trade period deal brought further stability between the pipes with the addition of Jacob Brochu from the Sherbrooke Phoenix.
Then there’s the man guiding this group. As impressive as other clubs have been in the Q this season, only the Sags can boast the league’s all-time winningest coach. Yanick Jean is still aiming to do as a Head Coach what he once did as a player in Chicoutimi: bring home a playoff title.
With a long list of talent still in rapid development – 13 players on the current roster are 17- or 18-year-olds – the Saguenéens are built for tomorrow. However, given this club’s overall performance, it should not surprise anyone if it turns out the future is now.
