Chouinard and Newcombe win the Paul-Dumont Trophy
The QMJHL is proud to announce that Émile Chouinard of the Baie-Comeau Drakkar and Jacob Newcombe of the Cape Breton Eagles are the co-winners of the Paul-Dumont Trophy, awarded to the Personality of the Year.
In his fourth and final season in Baie-Comeau, Chouinard picked up 14 points in 45 games, as well as a +38 rating, good for seventh on the Drakkar’s powerful squad. The defenseman was forced to end his regular season on February 3 to undergo treatment for Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The courageous number 15 remained close to the team until his return to action in Game 3 of the first round of the playoffs on April 2.
As for Newcombe, he will remember January 18 of 2024 for the rest of his life. On that day, against his former team, the Chicoutimi Saguenéens, he made a comeback after battling non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Thanks to his 24 points in 26 games, his return helped inspire the Eagles, who compiled the QMJHL’s fourth-best record in the second half of the season, en route to fourth place in the Eastern Conference.
The finalists were:
Yanick Jean, Head Coach, Chicoutimi Saguenéens
On February 23, Yanick Jean set a QMJHL record with his 590th victory as head coach. A bench boss in the Q since 2005 and with Chicoutimi since November of 2014, Jean also led the young Saguenéens squad to a 35-25-4-4 record for 78 points, just five points behind Moncton and third place in the Eastern Conference. Not bad for a team relying on eight rookies who played at least 20 games.
Justin Poirier, Forward, Baie-Comeau Drakkar
In his second QMJHL season, Poirier made headlines by becoming the first 17-year-old to score 50 goals since Sidney Crosby did it back in 2004-2005. His 51 goals earned him the first-ever Mario-Lemieux Trophy, as the league’s top goal-scorer. He also added 31 assists to finish seventh in league scoring. He is eligible for the next NHL Entry Draft.