Five Teams to Watch : the Moncton Wildcats
Though they elected not to submit a bid to host this spring’s Memorial Cup, the Moncton Wildcats have gone to great lengths to try and punch their ticket to the tournament nonetheless. The first move, and perhaps the most impactful one, occurred in May with the hiring of legendary former UNB Reds and 2022 Memorial Cup Champion coach, Gardiner MacDougall. Also on board is his son Taylor, a ‘Q’ alumnus as a player, who was named GM.
The Draft weekend acquisitions of defenseman and Riverview, NB native Dylan MacKinnon, as well as 45-goal scorer Markus Vidicek from the Halifax Mooseheads raised further interest among the Wildcats faithful.
The methodical construction of this powerful lineup continued with the selection of physical Swedish rearguard and Boston Bruins draftee Loke Johansson at the 2024 CHL Import Draft. The club added yet another European NHL prospect during training camp, with the acquisition of Slovakian St. Louis Blues prospect Juraj Pekarcik.
The final pieces fell into place during the holiday trade period. Winger Maxime Côté arrived from the Sherbrooke Phoenix to solidify one of the most effective – and offensively proficient – checking lines in the league. A deal with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies delivered the rights to acquire another Riverview, NB product, defenseman Dyllan Gill, following his stint with the AHL Syracuse Crunch. The last move made by the current league leaders was perhaps the most surprising as Jacob Steinman and draft picks were sent to the Halifax Mooseheads for Mathis Rousseau and winger Logan Crosby in a swap of star 20-year-old netminders. Rousseau is backed up in Moncton by the steady play of Rudy Guimond, picked up as a free agent in November.
Even before these upgrades, the Cats returned a lineup this season that was far from average. This group includes highly touted 2025 NHL Draft prospect Caleb Desnoyers, veterans Vincent Collard and Alex Mercier and German standout Julius Sumpf up front, plus Calgary Flames prospect Etienne Morin and a breakout season from Adam Fortier-Gendron on defense. This is a lineup that can play any style and roll out four lines and six defensemen with confidence. Will this powerful lineup on paper translate to a first league title for Moncton in 15 years? Only time will tell.
