https://chl.ca/lhjmq/en/ Thu, 23 Jul 2026 19:14:10 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0.2 https://chl.ca/lhjmq/en/article/drummondville-voltigeurs-hire-mathieu-gravel-as-head-coach Thu, 23 Jul 2026 18:45:44 +0000 https://chl.ca/lhjmq/en/article/drummondville-voltigeurs-hire-mathieu-gravel-as-head-coach https://chl.ca/lhjmq/en/article/6-qmjhl-players-invited-to-canadas-training-camp-ahead-of-2026-hlinka-gretzky-cup Wed, 22 Jul 2026 17:05:13 +0000 https://chl.ca/lhjmq/en/article/6-qmjhl-players-invited-to-canadas-training-camp-ahead-of-2026-hlinka-gretzky-cup Alexis Joseph (Lachenaie, QC) of the Saint John Sea Dogs, and the second overall pick, Malik L'Italien (Montréal, QC) of the Halifax Mooseheads. The Newfoundland Regiment will also be well represented, with defenceman Quinn Norman (St John’s, NL) and forward Benjamin Veitch (St John’s, NL). There will also be two goalkeepers: Sam Berthiaume (Stellarton, N.S./Cape Breton Eagles) and Mathys Fortin (Lorraine, QC/Drummondville Voltigeurs). The initial roster, which includes three goaltenders, nine defencemen and 15 forwards, was selected by Program of Excellence (POE) general manager Alan Millar (Tottenham, ON), alongside POE head scout Byron Bonora (Brooks, AB) and U18 assistant general manager Yanick Lemay (Drummondville, QC/Drummondville, QMJHL), with input from Scott Salmond (Creston, BC), senior vice-president of high performance and hockey operations, and Benoit Roy (Sudbury, ON), director of hockey operations. “We are excited to unveil the 27 players who will begin the road to the 2026 Hlinka Gretzky Cup at training camp in Edmonton. This is a talented and well-rounded group of young players,” Millar said. “Our staff have worked tirelessly to identify a roster that we believe gives us the best chance to be successful on home ice. We look forward to gathering in Edmonton next week to continue our preparations for the tournament, and for the opportunity to get Canada back on top of the podium in front of Canadian fans in August.” Of the 27 players, 25 suited up for Canada Red or Canada White at the U17 World Challenge. Joseph notably represented Canada at the 2026 IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship. Regarded by many as one of the top prospects for the 2027 NHL Draft, he tallied 60 points—including 24 goals—in 54 games during his first season in the QMJHL. He also recorded his first career hat trick on December 31. The Italian finished third in scoring among QMJHL rookies, but was the top 16-year-old with 24 points in 64 games. He was particularly impressive on the power play, with 10 points. One of the youngest players in the league in 2025–2026 and eligible for the 2028 NHL Draft, Norman recorded 13 points in 59 games for his home province’s team. He really came into his own during the second half of the season, racking up 10 points in 31 games after Christmas. Like Norman, Veitch is also a native of Newfoundland, and he won't be eligible for the NHL draft until 2028. He finished the season with 21 points in 58 games, but had a particularly strong playoff run. His seven points in 12 games tie him for the lead among 16-year-old players. Berthiaume spent the 2025–2026 season in the Maritime Junior Hockey League with the Truro Bearcats, where he led his team to the championship. He made his QMJHL debut for Cape Breton on January 25, making 32 saves in an overtime loss against the Charlottetown Islanders. After starting the season in the Ligue de développement du hockey M18AAA du Québec, with the Saint-Eustache Vikings, Fortin joined the Voltigeurs after Christmas. The 2025 QMJHL draft third-round pick posted an excellent record of seven wins and two losses in 10 games. Brad MacKenzie, from the Halifax Mooseheads, and Matthew Smith, from the Newfoundland Regiment, will be part of the coaching staff as assistant coach and video coach respectively. Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team training camp, set for July 27-Aug. 1 at NAIT Arena and Rogers Place in Edmonton, will include practices and a game against Sweden on July 30. Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team will also take on Czechia on Aug. 1 as part of the Hlinka Gretzky Cup pre-tournament schedule before the roster is finalized ahead of the start of the tournament. Canada opens the 2026 Hlinka Gretzky Cup against Switzerland on Aug. 3 at 5 p.m. MT. It will face Slovakia on Aug. 4 and Sweden on Aug. 5 to close out the preliminary round before the tournament concludes with the medal games on Aug. 8.]]> https://chl.ca/lhjmq/en/article/our-20s-rimouski-oceanic-3 Wed, 22 Jul 2026 15:14:48 +0000 https://chl.ca/lhjmq/en/article/our-20s-rimouski-oceanic-3 Throughout the summer, we’ll be looking back at the QMJHL careers of our 20-year-old players, who will be moving on to new opportunities next season. Today, we feature the graduating players of the Rimouski Océanic. Émile Duquet Duquet carved out a lengthy QMJHL career thanks not to his offensive production, but to his relentless work ethic and compete level. The former Lévis Chevaliers U18 AAA standout was selected by the Chicoutimi Saguenéens in the fifth round of the 2021 QMJHL Draft. At just 16 years old, he appeared in 14 games with Chicoutimi before spending three more full seasons with the club. He then moved to Rimouski in the summer of 2025. With the Océanic, he set a personal best with 25 points while playing for the league's second-last team. His career-high in goals came in 2023-24, when he scored 13. After finishing his junior career with 96 points in 263 games, Duquet is expected to join the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR) next season. Jack Martin* A third-round pick of the Halifax Mooseheads in 2021, Martin experienced the disappointment of losing in the QMJHL Final twice. The first came in 2023 with the Mooseheads against Québec, and the second in 2025 with the Océanic against Moncton. At least in 2025, Martin had the opportunity to compete in the Memorial Cup, as Rimouski was the tournament host. A few months earlier, the Océanic had acquired him from Halifax along with Lou Lévesque in exchange for Quinn Kennedy and a 2026 second-round draft pick. Martin played an important role for the Océanic during the playoffs, particularly with top defenceman Spencer Gill sidelined by injury. Over just more than four QMJHL seasons, Martin recorded 54 points in 205 games, including a career-high 21 points in 2024-25. He is expected to play for Holy Cross College next season. Luke Patterson Despite a difficult season for the Océanic, Patterson posted a career-best campaign, finishing second in team scoring with 30 points (13-17) in 62 games. His previous career high was 28 points, a mark he reached twice with the Cape Breton Eagles, who selected him 59^th overall in the fourth round of the 2021 QMJHL Draft. The former Moncton Flyers U18 AAA captain spent three full seasons in Sydney before joining Rimouski. He wraps up his junior career with 108 points (49-59) in 255 games and will attend the University of New Brunswick in 2026-27. Olivier Théberge Théberge was selected by the Armada in the fifth round of the 2021 QMJHL Draft but was never able to establish himself with the club. During the 2021-22 season, he primarily played for Séminaire Saint-François in the U18 AAA ranks, followed by the 2022-23 season with Champlain-Lennoxville in the QJHL. He was then traded to Rimouski, where he appeared in just 25 games as an 18-year-old. The 2024-25 season, however, will remain one of the highlights of Théberge's career. Not only did he become a regular on the Océanic blue line (56 games), but injuries to teammates also thrust him into a key role during the 2025 playoffs, which ended with a loss to Moncton in the league final. He then had the opportunity to compete in the Memorial Cup, hosted in Rimouski. Unable to guarantee him one of its three 20-year-old roster spots, the Océanic allowed Théberge to join Miramichi of the Maritime Junior A Hockey League before bringing him back at the end of November 2025. His ice time increased significantly following Jack Martin's season-ending injury. Théberge concludes his junior career with 24 points in 126 games and will join the University of Moncton in 2026-27. *Exceptionally, we are including four 20-year-old players here instead of three, due to the shoulder injury that ended Jack Martin's season on December 29.]]> https://chl.ca/lhjmq/en/article/hulton-named-assistant-coach-to-canadas-coaching-staff-for-2027-world-juniors Mon, 20 Jul 2026 18:04:10 +0000 https://chl.ca/lhjmq/en/article/hulton-named-assistant-coach-to-canadas-coaching-staff-for-2027-world-juniors https://chl.ca/lhjmq/en/article/our-20s-rouyn-noranda-huskies-3 Mon, 20 Jul 2026 17:40:21 +0000 https://chl.ca/lhjmq/en/article/our-20s-rouyn-noranda-huskies-3 Throughout the summer, we’ll be looking back at the QMJHL careers of our 20-year-old players, who will be moving on to new opportunities next season. Today, we feature the graduating players of the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. Benjamin Brunelle A product of the Trois-Rivières Estacades program, Brunelle spent his entire junior career with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, who selected him 64^th overall in the 2021 QMJHL Draft. Today, Brunelle leaves the Huskies ranked eighth in franchise history with 255 games played. The 6'4", 194-pound winger enjoyed his best season in 2023–24, recording 42 points, including 20 goals. This season, after posting 30 points in the regular season, he made headlines in the playoffs with 11 goals in 17 games, helping the Huskies reach the semifinals, where they were eliminated by the powerful Saguenéens. Brunelle concludes his junior career with 125 points in 255 games and will join Canisius College in 2026–27. Axel Dufresne Dufresne is another player Huskies fans will remember for years to come, having worn the team's jersey 229 times. Among defencemen, only Jacob Neveu, Allan Caron and Redgie Bois played more games for Rouyn-Noranda. His 93 career points also place him among the franchise’s Top 10 defencemen. Drafted three spots ahead of Brunelle in 2021 while playing for the St-Eustache Vikings U18 AAA, Dufresne returned there for the 2021–22 season while also appearing in three games with the Huskies. Beginning in 2022–23, he showed steady development on the blue line, posting seasons of 16, 22, 27 and 28 points. He was also a key contributor in Rouyn-Noranda’s runs to the semifinals in both 2025 and 2026. Dufresne will continue his career at Clarkson University. Thomas Verdon It is no exaggeration to say that Verdon leaves a lasting legacy with the Huskies. A third-round pick in 2021, he also spent his entire junior career in Rouyn-Noranda, becoming a full-time player in 2022–23. His 275 games played rank third in franchise history behind Jeff Desjardins and Yannick Tifu, while his 250 points rank fifth all-time. He also sits sixth in goals and seventh in assists in Huskies history. Verdon saved his best for his 20-year-old season, recording 95 points, the third-highest total in the Q. That performance earned him a place on the QMJHL First All-Star Team and a nomination for the Michel-Brière Trophy as the league’s Most Valuable Player. Along the way, he helped the Huskies capture the Western Conference championship—surprising many observers—and advance to the playoff semifinals. Few would have predicted such a dramatic rise for Verdon after seasons of 46, 51 and 57 points. His outstanding performance earned him a commitment to Bowling Green State University.]]> https://chl.ca/lhjmq/en/article/our-20s-saint-john-sea-dogs-3 Fri, 17 Jul 2026 11:37:34 +0000 https://chl.ca/lhjmq/en/article/our-20s-saint-john-sea-dogs-3 Maxime Côté Côté, a Sherbrooke native, had the opportunity to be drafted by his hometown team, the Phoenix, in the 186^th overall position in 2021. At the time, he was playing Midget Espoir hockey with the Triolet Harfangs. The following season, he moved up to U18 AAA with the Magog Cantonniers, while also playing one game with the Phoenix. He earned a full-time spot in the QMJHL in 2022-23, and after two and a half seasons in Sherbrooke, he was traded to Moncton midway through the 2024-25 season. He quickly found his footing with the Wildcats, recording 27 points in 33 games before adding six points in 19 playoff contests to help them capture the Gilles-Courteau Trophy. Côté then began his 20-year-old season in Gatineau before being traded to Saint John during the holiday season. After a junior career that saw him collect 88 points (41-47) in 224 games, Côté will join the University of Moncton in 2026-27. Angelo Fullerton Fullerton was already 17 years old when the Cape Breton Eagles selected him 163^rd overall in the 2022 Draft, while he was a member of the Saint John Vitos U18 AAA team. He spent three full seasons in Sydney, recording 40 points (19-21) in 156 games. He was then traded to his home province of New Brunswick, where he experienced a breakout season with Saint John, finishing fourth among Sea Dogs scorers with 46 points. His 27 goals were a team-high. The 6-foot-3, 185-pound forward concludes his QMJHL career with 86 points (46-40) in 217 games and will play for the University of New Brunswick (UNB) next season. Julien Wasmer Wasmer, a 6-foot-2, 195-pound defenceman, has taken a rather unconventional path in hockey. He spent two years with Smiths Falls in the CCHL and half a season with Penticton in the BCHL before being signed by the Chicoutimi Saguenéens at age 19. He finished the 2024-25 season with 14 points in 41 games, then moved to Saint John for his 20-year-old season, where he recorded 11 points in 63 contests. He is expected to play for the University of Maine next season.]]> https://chl.ca/lhjmq/en/article/anthony-lapointe-hired-by-the-nhl Thu, 16 Jul 2026 14:40:05 +0000 https://chl.ca/lhjmq/en/article/anthony-lapointe-hired-by-the-nhl Here is a summary of his career: Originally from Verdun, Quebec, Anthony Lapointe has been climbing the ranks of professional officiating for the past four years. Following his junior playing career, which concluded in 2021, Lapointe began his officiating journey with Hockey Québec. He quickly progressed through Hockey Canada’s Officiating Excellence Program, earning invitations to the NHL Officiating Exposure Combine in both 2022 and 2023. Throughout his development, he was selected to work at several of Hockey Canada’s most prestigious events, including the World Junior A Challenge in 2022, the Centennial Cup in 2023, the TELUS Cup in 2024 and the U SPORTS University Cup in 2026. On the international stage, he represented Hockey Canada at the 2023 IIHF U20 World Junior Championship Division II, Group A, in Dumfries, Scotland, before being selected to officiate at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship. During that tournament, he was chosen to work the gold medal game. Before reaching the NHL, Lapointe officiated in the American Hockey League (AHL), the ECHL, the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) and the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL). He was also selected to work the Calder Cup Finals for two consecutive seasons before earning a full-time position with the NHL. Alongside his professional career, he has remained actively involved in Hockey Québec’s officiating program, where he has officiated in Junior AAA, the college circuit and U SPORTS. He also serves as the head referee of the Mont-Royal Outremont Minor Hockey Association (MRO), where he oversees the recruitment, development and mentorship of officials. Off the ice, Lapointe earned a Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education from McGill University while balancing the demands of a professional officiating career. Lapointe would like to thank Alexandre Dandenault, Doug Hayward and Hugo Vincent, whose guidance and support played a key role in the early stages of his journey and his progression into professional hockey.]]> https://chl.ca/lhjmq/en/article/our-20s-shawinigan-cataractes-3 Wed, 15 Jul 2026 13:33:53 +0000 https://chl.ca/lhjmq/en/article/our-20s-shawinigan-cataractes-3 Vince Élie After being selected 36^th overall by the Saint John Sea Dogs in the 2021 QMJHL Draft, Élie returned for another season with the Laval-Montréal Rousseau-Royal U18 AAA program. He then recorded 27 points in 65 games as a rookie with the Sea Dogs before being traded to the Shawinigan Cataractes midway through the 2023-24 season. That year, he finished with 62 points, followed by 69 points in his first full season with the Cataractes. Élie also helped Shawinigan reach the 2025 QMJHL Semifinals, where the team fell to Rimouski. As a 20-year-old, the 5-foot-8, 198-pound centreman totaled 52 points, finishing his junior career with 210 points (83G-127A) in 247 QMJHL games. His performance earned him a professional contract with the Stuttgart Rebels of Germany's third division. Mathys Fernandez Fernandez took a winding path before establishing himself in Shawinigan beginning in January 2024. Originally selected 43^rd overall by the Québec Remparts in the 2021 QMJHL Draft, he never suited up for the club after being traded to Val-d'Or following a season with Collège Esther-Blondin's U18 AAA team. Then, in the summer of 2023, he was on the move again, this time to Chicoutimi, where he spent half a season before being dealt to Shawinigan. Fernandez found his groove with the Cataractes, posting a .910 save percentage during the 2024-25 regular season. He was even better in the playoffs, recording a .915 save percentage while helping Shawinigan advance to the QMJHL Semifinals. As a 20-year-old, he set a career high by appearing in 42 games and finished with a .906 save percentage. After playing 133 QMJHL games, Fernandez will continue his career at Concordia University next season. Drew Hockley Hockley's QMJHL journey began in 2022 when he attended the Acadie-Bathurst Titan's training camp, but he did not earn a roster spot. He returned for another season with the Mount Academy Saints before spending a season and a half in the BCHL with the Victoria Grizzlies. He then played one season at Quinnipiac University before choosing to join the Shawinigan Cataractes, with whom he finished the 2025-26 season with six points in 26 games. Hockley will play for the University of Alaska-Anchorage next season.]]> https://chl.ca/lhjmq/en/article/20-qmjhl-drafted-players-to-attend-hockey-canada-u17-development-camp Tue, 14 Jul 2026 16:47:57 +0000 https://chl.ca/lhjmq/en/article/20-qmjhl-drafted-players-to-attend-hockey-canada-u17-development-camp The Canadian Hockey League (CHL) is proud to recognize the 80 players drafted by clubs in the Western Hockey League, the Ontario Hockey League, and the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League who have been invited by Hockey Canada to its 2026 U17 World Hockey Challenge Development Camp, taking place July 17–21 in Oakville, ON, at the Sixteen Mile Sports Complex. The roster includes eight goaltenders, 24 defencemen, and 48 forwards, drawn from all three CHL member leagues: 29 players drafted by Western Hockey League teams, 31 selected by Ontario Hockey League clubs, and 20 drafted by Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League organizations. Among these selections are the 2026 first-overall draft picks in the Ontario Hockey League (Kane Cloutier – Oshawa Generals), and the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (Thomas Boisvert - Rouyn-Noranda Huskies), as well as the second overall pick from the 2025 Western Hockey League Prospects Draft (Holden Wouters – Edmonton Oil Kings).  Hockey Canada Program of Excellence General Manager Alan Millar spoke to the group's talent ahead of camp: “This is a very talented and exciting group that will be surrounded by world-class coaching and support staffs, and we look forward to introducing them to our program, setting the expectations for the season and preparing for the U17 World Challenge later this year.” For a full list of players at the camp, click HERE.  The U17 Development Camp gives players an opportunity to be introduced to Hockey Canada's Program of Excellence and to compete against other top players from across the country. The camp also serves as an evaluation ground for the U17 World Challenge, set to take place November 1–7 in Oakville, ON. At last year's event in Truro, NS, 44 players from across the WHL, the OHL, and the QMJHL took home a medal, with 22 players from Canada Red winning gold and 22 players from Canada White winning silver. This year's two teams will be selected by an all-CHL staff, led by Canada Red and White Directors of Hockey Operations Dave Drinkill (Saginaw Spirit, OHL) and Dylan Seca (Sarnia Sting, OHL), along with Red and White Head Coaches Dan DaSilva (Saskatoon Blades, WHL) and Dylan Smoskowitz (Barrie Colts, OHL), as well asHockey Canada's Program of Excellence staff. For more information on CHL players competing in international events, visit CHL.ca or follow us on social media @CHLHockey.]]> https://chl.ca/lhjmq/en/article/the-armada-sold-to-john-moreland Tue, 14 Jul 2026 14:15:12 +0000 https://chl.ca/lhjmq/en/article/the-armada-sold-to-john-moreland