Five Teams to Watch : the Drummondville Voltigeurs
No matter the stockpile of talent the teams that accompany the upper echelon of the QMJHL standings possess, they can’t boast the one element the Voltigeurs have earned: a vast array of championship experience.
The organization which captured the 2024 Gilles-Courteau Trophy returns with another potent lineup this season. Among the returnees are 2023 Tampa Bay Lightning draftee Ethan Gauthier, sniper Sam Oliver and captain Luke Woodworth. Joining this core is free agent pickup Adam Cavallin. Come trade period time, the Voltigeurs shopped wisely, picking up Justin Larose from the Victoriaville Tigres and Nathan Baril from the Val-d’Or Foreurs to reinforce their depth up front.
The back end features a pair of veteran Volts in Marc-Olivier Beaudry and Buffalo Sabres prospect Simon-Pier Brunet. Teo Toubans Besnier made his way from France after being chosen by Drummondville during the 2024 CHL Import Draft and has adjusted well in his first North American season. Once again, when it came time to bolster the lineup over the holidays, the organization focused on depth on the blue line. The end result was the pickup of Samuel Kingsley via yet another deal with Victoriaville.
As efficient as the defensive structure of the club is in general, what few leaks the Voltigeurs may spring among its skaters are more than capably corrected with the sensational netminding of Riley Mercer. After putting on a clinic during last year’s Final, the overage goaltender has picked up right where he left off, sitting among the league leaders in wins, shutouts, goals against average and save percentage.
The last time the Memorial Cup was held in Rimouski, back in 2009, the Voltigeurs were league champions, earning the second QMJHL berth at that year’s tournament. This year’s edition hopes history repeats itself, and it has firmly placed itself in a position to control that fate.
