OUR 18 – Young guns will offer entertainment in Shawinigan

The Shawinigan Cataractes find themselves with less veteran depth compared to recent campaigns. But what they lack in experience they make up for in excitement as the next wave of Cats prepare to entertain their fans on a nightly basis.

The production up front that carried the club at times last year projects to be a strong suit once again. Leading the charge, both on the ice and off, is third-year veteran Chad Lygitsakos. Kody Dupuis returns for his overage campaign. Sophomore Olivier Charron and Louis-Émile Dumais, still technically a rookie, aim to build off impressive but brief appearances last season. The same can be said for former U18 phenom Samuel Boyer, now entering his first full campaign with the Cataractes. A training camp deal with Saint John will see 2024 fifth overall selection William Yared make his debut in Shawinigan. Among the newcomers to the league are Pierre-Alexandre Lemieux, who showed everyone in training camp the skill that made him the fourth overall selection at the 2026 QMJHL Draft. As for Gleb Ovlkhovik, he arrives from Russia with an impressive mix of size and skill.

A frequent visitor to the QMJHL website may notice, when scanning each team’s roster, that rookies are noted with an asterisk beside their name. There are a lot of asterisks on the Cataractes blue line to start the season. That does not in any way mean there’s a lack of talent, however. In fact, the two blueliners with ‘Q’ experience, Jonathan Prud’homme and Alexis Fortin, represent over 350 games of league experience. A pair of 2026 Import Draft picks will make their debuts with Shawinigan; Petr Novozhilov earned a reputation in the Russian junior ranks as a steady stay at home presence while fellow Russian Vladimir Shtyrkhunov is considered both an impressive puck distributor and a potential top prospect for the 2027 NHL Entry Draft. Between the pipes, Philippe Boucher prepares to take the reins in the crease following a 13-win rookie campaign.

A strong balance of veterans and newcomers are ready to make their marks on the league’s oldest franchise. How successful they will be remains to be seen. That said, don’t be surprised if the opposition needs a little time to adjust to this exciting squad.

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2025-2026 Stats: