Our 20s: Rouyn-Noranda Huskies
William Rousseau, Jérémy Langlois and Anthony Turcotte have all had a remarkable stint in the QMJHL, before seeing their junior careers come to an end in the second playoff round, when the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies were defeated by the Victoriaville Tigres.
Let’s start with goaltender Rousseau, whose track record is truly impressive. He won the Gilles-Courteau Trophy and the Memorial Cup with the Québec Remparts in 2023, being voted top goaltender and earning a spot on the All-Star Team of the Canadian Championship.
This season, he won a second consecutive Jacques-Plante Trophy (best goals-against-average), as well as being named to the first QMJHL and Canadian Hockey League (CHL) All-Star teams.
All this, after a season of 34 wins in 50 games (personal best), with a 2.24 GAA, .924 save percentage and a QMJHL record eight shutouts! In the process, he earned the first-ever Patrick-Roy Trophy – his former coach in Québec – as the league’s best goaltender.
In addition to his individual and collective honours, Rousseau leaves the QMJHL with a total of 15 shutouts, tied for fourth all-time. His 95 wins, meanwhile, put him in a tie for 25th place.
The Quebecer was recently invited to the Minnesota Wild’s development camp and hopes to continue his career with the pros. If not, he will complete his studies to become an airplane pilot.
Jérémy Langlois, meanwhile, was a third-round pick of the Arizona Coyotes in 2022 and will begin his professional career next year, with the new Utah Hockey Club.
A first-round pick of the Cape Breton Eagles in 2019, 17th overall, Langlois was named captain prior to the 2021-2022 season. Then, on December 27, 2022, he was traded to Québec, with whom he won the Gilles-Courteau Trophy and the Memorial Cup a few months later.
Traded to Rouyn-Noranda in June 2023, he dominated QMJHL defensemen with 17 goals this season, earning a selection on the league’s second All-Star team. His 62 points and +41 rating were two other personal bests.
His 175 points (44-131) in 253 games in our league represent the 87th-highest total ever among defensemen.
Finally, Anthony Turcotte spent his entire junior career in Rouyn-Noranda, playing 232 games (105 points) with the Huskies, tied for 14th in franchise history.
A 10th-round pick of the Huskies in 2019, the Val-d’Or native made his full-time QMJHL debut in 2020-2021, at age 17. Since then, he has improved every year, recording personal bests this season of 16 goals, 32 assists and 48 points. With a +35 rating, he was one of the three finalists for the Guy-Carbonneau Trophy, awarded to the league’s best defensive forward.
Turcotte will bring his all-round game to USports next year, with the UQTR Patriotes.
