The Commissioner reveals key points of the 2025-26 season
QMJHL Commissioner Mario Cecchini met with the media on Tuesday at Hotel Monville in Montreal to officially launch the 2025-2026 season.
The Commissioner took the opportunity to announce the first 12 players who will participate in the very first QMJHL Prospects Game on October 21, in Sherbrooke. The players were selected by NHL Central Scouting.
The starting 12 includes goaltenders Jacoby Weiner (Moncton) and William Lacelle (Rimouski), defencemen Xavier Villeneuve (Blainville-Boisbriand), Benjamin Cossette Ayotte (Val-d’Or), Cameron Chartrand (Saint John) and Charlie Morrison (Quebec), and forwards Maddox Dagenais (Quebec), Olivers Murnieks (Saint John), Rian Chudzinski (Moncton), Lars Steiner (Rouyn-Noranda), Egor Shilov (Victoriaville) and Thomas Rousseau (Sherbrooke).
This matchup will bring together the top 40 QMJHL prospects for the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, and a large contingent of NHL scouts is expected to attend.
Tickets for the event can be purchased here
OFF-ICE
The QMJHL also announced two new programs.
The first is with PEM Hockey (Player Efficiency Model), created by Gabriel and Dany Dubé (a well-known figure in the hockey world, who is an analyst for the Montreal Canadiens’ games on 98.5 FM). PEM Hockey is an advanced stats system that brings into focus players’ efficiency. The system will provide an additional tool for general managers and coaches to properly analyze the performance of their skaters, especially during five-on-five play. The League could also use this tool to further promote its players.
The second partnership is with the UQTR (Trois-Rivières University), for the implementation of an innovative and performance optimization project in partnership with the UQTR Hockey Research Laboratory (headed by Jean Lemoyne) and the Catapult company. During the QMJHL Prospects Game and the Winter Classic 55 Cup Challenge, microchips will provide invaluable information in order to document the workload of players and its impact on performance.
Mario Cecchini also reiterated that the QMJHL continues to work on the player experience, more specifically on the supervision, education and guidance of its players. This includes billet families, police officers and sports psychologists helping the players, as well as two on-boarding days, on September 11 and 13, held in Moncton and Drummondville, which brought together 190 first-year players.
HOCKEY
The 2025-2026 season also marks the return of inter-league games. Teams from the OHL and the QMJHL will face off under QMJHL rules (notably regarding fighting):
Friday, January 16, 7 p.m.: Gatineau Olympiques vs. Ottawa 67’s
Saturday, January 17, 4 p.m.: Ottawa 67’s vs. Gatineau Olympiques
Sunday, January 18, 2 p.m.: Rouyn-Noranda Huskies vs. Sudbury Wolves
Sunday, January 25, 4 p.m.: Sudbury Wolves vs. Rouyn-Noranda Huskies
Also, QMJHL hockey will be played in Fredericton, NB, as the Saint John Sea Dogs will play three home games at the Aitken Centre in Fredericton as part of the Capital City Series:
Sunday, November 30, 3 p.m. vs. Cape Breton Eagles
Thursday, January 8, 7 p.m. vs. Gatineau Olympiques
Sunday, February 1, 3 p.m. vs. Baie-Comeau Drakkar
Friendly reminder that starting this season, divisions have been abolished and a new playoff format will take place. The first round of the playoffs will remain intra-conference (East and West), but starting with the second round, the matchups will be determined according to the regular season’s overall standings.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Mario Cecchini added that the 2025-2026 season will be Richard Trottier’s last as Director of Officiating.
“For 16 seasons, Richard has worked hard to improve the level of officiating in the league. The 2026-27 season will mark the beginning of a new era in QMJHL officiating. We will announce the new director in due course. I want to thank Richard from the bottom of my heart for his hard work. I wish him nothing but the best for the future,” said Mr. Cecchini.
The 2026 QMJHL Draft, presented by Fenplast, will officially be held in Halifax, on Friday, June 5 and Saturday, June 6.
“The QMJHL is very pleased and excited to hold its 2026 Draft presented by Fenplast in the beautiful City of Halifax, a very important market in our league, said the Commissioner. The players, families and teams present at the Draft will be able to fully enjoy the beautiful attractions of the city.”
Finally, the Commissioner announced that the QMJHL will donate $100,000 to the Guy Lafleur Fund of the CHUM Foundation, the equivalent of $10,000 per year for 10 years. The fund is dedicated to cancer research.
“Guy Lafleur was a great contributor to the QMJHL. He single-handedly made it grow, said Commissioner Cecchini. In fact, during our 50th anniversary celebrations, he was voted the greatest player in our history. I met his son Martin a few times over the years. For us, the decision to partner with the Guy Lafleur Fund was a very easy one. Guy was always heavily involved in the community, and he was very close to the people and the League. This donation is a way for us to carry on his legacy.”
The 2025-2026 QMJHL regular season kicks off on Thursday, September 18 with the first game in the history of the Newfoundland Regiment, at home, against the defending champions, the Moncton Wildcats.
