Road to the President Cup: Moncton Wildcats
PLAYOFF MATCH-UPS
1) Blainville-Boisbriand Armada vs. 16) Val d’Or Foreurs
2) Acadie-Bathurst Titan vs. 15) Chicoutimi Saguenéens
3) Rimouski Océanic vs. 14) Moncton Wildcats
4) Halifax Mooseheads vs. 13) Baie-Comeau Drakkar
5) Drummondville Voltigeurs vs. 12) Cape Breton Screaming Eagles
6) Victoriaville Tigres vs. 11) Gatineau Olympiques
7) Rouyn-Noranda Huskies vs. 10) Sherbrooke Phoenix
8) Quebec Remparts vs. 9) Charlottetown Islanders
FINAL STANDINGS, REGULAR SEASON / (W-L-OTL-SOL)
*Blainville-Boisbriand Armada – 107 points (50-11-4-3)
*Acadie-Bathurst Titan – 96 points (43-15-8-2)
*Rimouski Océanic – 93 points (42-17-6-3)
Halifax Mooseheads – 93 points (43-18-6-1)
Drummondville Voltigeurs – 92 points (44-20-3-1)
Victoriaville Tigres – 90 points (42-20-4-2)
Rouyn-Noranda Huskies – 88 points (39-19-7-3)
Quebec Remparts – 86 points (40-22-3-3)
Charlottetown Islanders – 81 points (37-24-7-0)
Sherbrooke Phoenix – 79 points (34-23-7-4)
Gatineau Olympiques – 73 points (32-27-5-4)
Cape Breton Screaming Eagles – 72 points (32-28-6-2)
Baie-Comeau Drakkar – 65 points (30-33-4-1)
Moncton Wildcats – 62 points (27-33-5-3)
Chicoutimi Saguenéens – 61 points (28-35-4-1)
Val-d’Or Foreurs – 45 points (19-42-5-2)
Shawinigan Cataractes – 39 points (16-45-6-1)
Saint John Sea Dogs – 39 points (14-43-9-2)
*NOTE: The division winners are the first three seeded teams.
TOP SCORERS
Jeremy McKenna (Forward) – 36G 41A 77P
James Phelan (Forward) – 33G 41A 74P
Nicholas Welsh (Defenseman) – 12G 54A 66P
Jakob Pelletier (Forward) – 23G 38A 61P
Anderson MacDonald (Forward) – 27G 18A 45P
LAST PLAYOFF APPEARANCE
2016 (Lost in the semi-finals, against the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies)
TOTAL PLAYOFF APPEARANCES IN TEAM HISTORY (since 1996-97)
16 (1998, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016)
LAST PRESIDENT CUP
2011
TOTAL PRESIDENT CUPS IN TEAM HISTORY
3 (2006, 2010, 2011)
REGULAR SEASON SUMMARY
Though their 27-33-5-3 record and 62 points placed them 14th overall in the “Q”, that result still represents an incredible 31-point improvement for the Wildcats over their 2016-17 total. Moncton finished eighth overall with 233 goals to their credit, while on the other side of the puck, their 282 goals allowed placed them 15th. Their powerplay clicked to the tune of an 19.5% efficiency rating, good for 10th overall in the league, and on the penalty kill, their 79.9% success rate landed them in 12th. The Wildcats had a strong start to the season, their longest winning streak being four games from September 29th-October 6th. On the flip side, their longest losing streak was a nine-game slide from November 18th to December 7th. The Wildcats roster boasted five 20-goal scorers, led by Jeremy McKenna, who found the back of the net 36 times and finished with 77 points. Center James Phelan finished with 33 tallies and 74 points and showed the ropes to center Jakob Pelletier, chosen third overall by Moncton in last June’s QMJHL Draft, who chipped in 23 goals to go with 38 assists of his own. On the backend, 20-year-old defenseman Nicholas Welsh finished fifth among all QMJHL blueliners with a solid 66-point campaign. Between the pipes, Mark Grametbauer played the most games of any Q goaltender with 58 starts and finished the season with 24 victories to show for it. Phelan, who made his way to Moncton from the Victoriaville Tigres by way of the Val d’Or Foreurs, was the biggest Wildcat acquisition during the season. The club also dealt rookie defenseman Jaxon Bellamy to Sherbrooke after drafting the Hampton, NB rearguard in the first round of the 2017 QMJHL Draft in exchange for a first pick in 2018 and a second in 2019.
