Road to the President Cup: Val-d’Or Foreurs
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
Julien Tessier (Forward) – 21G 33A 54P
David Noël (Defenseman) – 14G 32A 46P
Nicolas Ouellet (Forward) – 19G 19A 38P
Nathan Hudgin (Forwad) – 18G 18A 36P
Ivan Kozlov (Forward) – 17G 19A 36P
LAST PLAYOFF APPEARANCE
2017 (Lost in the quarter final, against the Saint John Sea Dogs)
TOTAL PLAYOFF APPEARANCES IN TEAM HISTORY (since 1993-94)
19 (1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017)
LAST PRESIDENT CUP
2014
TOTAL PRESIDENT CUPS IN TEAM HISTORY
3 (1998, 2001, 2014)
REGULAR SEASON SUMMARY
The Foreurs clinched the 16th and final playoff spot in the QMJHL with a record of 19-42-5-2 and 45 total points. This will be their eighth straight season participating in the President Cup playoffs. Val-d’Or finished last in the league in both goals scored (172) and goals against (308), 17th overall in powerplay efficiency (15.3%) and tied for 16th on the penalty kill (76.9%). On October 13th and 14th, the Foreurs won back to back games, representing their longest such streak of the season. The second half of the year was not kind to Val-d’Or as they closed the regular season portion of their schedule on a 13-game winless slide, the longest such skid of any playoff bound club in the league this season. Val-d’Or was led in scoring by center Julien Tessier. The former first round selection in the 2014 QMJHL draft finished the season with 54 points in 67 games. Defenseman David Noel, a fifth round selection of the St. Louis Blues in the 2017 NHL Draft, registered 14 goals and 46 points, while wingers Nicolas Ouellet and Ivan Kozlov recorded 19 and 17 goals, respectively. Tessier was one of the bigger acquisitions by the Foreurs, arriving during the Christmas trade period from the Moncton Wildcats. Roughly one week earlier, they picked up overage forward Nathan Hudgin from the Drummondville Voltigeurs. Building for the future, Val-d’Or moved center Simon Lafrance and goaltender Etienne Montpetit to the Victoriaville Tigres.
