THREE QUESTIONS ON THE SHERBROOKE PHOENIX

• Could we see a few more goals scored this year?

The name of the game in Sherbrooke last season was balance; when a team scores and lets in the exact same number of goals (201), what else can you call it? But this edition of the club returns a few threats up front while augmenting the lineup with some potentially pivotal new additions. Last year’s top scorer Mavrick Lachance is back to lead the charge. Thomas Rousseau and Florent Houle also return after proving to be effective with and without the puck in their rookie campaigns. Overager Olivier Dubois is aiming to bounce back from an injury-marred year. Robin Benoit battled through injuries as well but has been outstanding in camp. Among the newcomers are a pair of imports. Ilya Kolmakov, a Russian who has one unbelievable North American season under his belt – a 157-point tour de force with the Little Caesars U-16 program – is on board, not to mention Latvian winger Martins Klaucans, who has spent his past two seasons stateside as well.

• Can a mostly returning defense and very different goalie tandem come together?

The blue line still features many of the names that helped this club on the rise find success, even in the toughest of low-scoring contests. 2023 QMJHL first-rounder Louis-Alex Tremblay is back to lead the club in transition (in every sense of the word). Eloi Bourdeau and Jean-Felix Lapointe are back to resume their roles as hard defending stay-at-home guys on the backend. Brandon Delarosbil came up for good after his final U-18 season and impressed in a brief period of time, particularly with the puck on his stick. Yet another Latvian, Reinis Auzins, is prepared to make his ‘Q’ debut. In net, Linards Feldbergs has moved on after a remarkable 2024-25 campaign with the Phoenix. Sharing the load this year is Kyan Labbe, a former national U-18 AAA champ with Magog who handled backup duties in Sherbrooke last year. New to the fold is Justin Brisebois, who impressed in camp as a free agent after time spent in Florida’s minor hockey system where his father, Julien, is GM of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

• How much will intangibles and coaching drive team success?

Just because the era of fisticuffs has passed from the ‘Q’ doesn’t mean the Phoenix have stopped doing what they’ve done so well in recent times; punching above their weight. That was apparent once again last season as a group that was not expected to turn many heads fought hard for every point earned under the impressive leadership of Head Coach Gilles Bouchard and his staff. Now that the next great team to hail from Sherbrooke is beginning to form, where should the expectations lie? Or, perhaps more accurately, how much can this squad overachieve as it continues to make life miserable for every opponent it faces off against? There’s no question the Phoenix has taken “hard to play against” and made it not just a saying but a way of life.

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2024-2025 Stats: