Our 20s: Sherbrooke Phoenix
Israël Mianscum, Christophe Rondeau and Andrew Belchamber saw their successful junior careers come to an end with the Sherbrooke Phoenix in the second playoff round, following their six-game loss to the eventual champions, the Drummondville Voltigeurs.
Mianscum leaves Sherbrooke as one of the most significant players in the history of the franchise, which rose from the ashes in 2012.
Since then, his 264 games played and 96 goals have earned him second place in the franchise, while his 215 points put him fourth. Quite simply, in the history of the Phoenix, only Daniel Audette, Joshua Roy and Félix Robert have recorded more points than him!
Mianscum was drafted 10th overall by Sherbrooke in 2019 from the Amos Forestiers. The very next season, at age 16, he broke into the lineup and hasn’t stopped improving since, particularly over the past three seasons, when his point total has risen from 41 to 61 to 87, finishing fifth among QMJHL scorers in 2023-2024.
His excellent season convinced the Laval Rocket to sign him to a one-year AHL contract.
Rondeau and Belchamber will continue their careers at university level, the former with Trois-Rivières (UQTR) and the latter with Ottawa.
Rondeau was already 16 when the Phoenix drafted him in the 79th spot in 2020, having just completed his season with École secondaire du Chêne-Bleu in the juvenile division 1.
Over the years, Rondeau has become a reassuring presence on the blue line, offering intelligent defensive play. He was even promoted to captain in 2023-2024.
His 220 games played with the Phoenix rank sixth in team history, and his 67 points also rank sixth, but among defensemen only.
Belchamber was the Armada’s fourth-round pick (67th) in 2019. Used for two games in 2019-2020, he was traded to Baie-Comeau after just six games in 2020-2021.
He stayed with the Drakkar for almost two years before being traded to Sherbrooke in December 2022. At age 20, he enjoyed the best moments of his career, with 57 points, including 23 goals, in 65 games.
At the University of Ottawa next year, he’ll practically be playing at home, as he’s a Gatineau native who played his midget AAA hockey with the Gatineau Intrépide.
Have a great career and a great life, guys!
