That kid was Emmanuel Vermette.<\/p>\n
Now, the 21-year-old young man reflects on five seasons of growth in a blue and white sweater, how it all began, and how he got what he needed in taking those first tricky steps into the world of major junior hockey.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me, as a power forward coming in at 16, not having played the season before, it was hard,\u201d Vermette recalls. \u201cIt took me a bit more time than some others to adapt and be able to play my game. But Yanick and our coaching staff were really great. They were really patient with me and I had all the support I needed from them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s taken some huge steps,\u201d Jean points out. \u201cThe challenge for Emmanuel was consistency. He came to us straight out of (the U15 level) and it was tough for him at times. But he\u2019s grown so much as a player and especially as a leader. Guys like (former Saguen\u00e9ens captains) Jonathan Desrosiers and Kassim Gaudet really helped him along the way.\u201d<\/p>\n Vermette has indeed come a long way, reaching the point-per-game plateau for the second straight campaign and posting ten goals in the Sags\u2019 championship charge. The winger from Qu\u00e9bec City, Quebec capped off that run with a goal and an assist in Chicoutimi\u2019s game six triumph over Moncton on home ice. Much like his Head Coach, Vermette is quick to credit those who have surrounded him over the years in the club\u2019s title quest, as well as those who make sure the group maintains that goal.<\/p>\n They also endeared themselves to the fans in Chicoutimi, whose desire for a Gilles-Courteau Trophy after a 32-year drought was finally realized. Vermette has experienced the last half-decade of those ups and downs with those passionate fans, many of whom had tears in their eyes when the trophy made its appearance at center ice on the evening of May 17. He fully understands what this triumph means to those who\u2019ve supported him these last few years.<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s a hockey town,\u201d Vermette says. \u201cThe whole city lives through the Sags and the atmosphere is incredible. Through the years, we had some tough years and, still, the fans were always behind the team. It’s a great city to play junior in. Everything here is top-notch.\u201d<\/p>\n And so it was, in front of those emotional boosters, that Vermette became just the third player in the over five-decade long history of the Saguen\u00e9ens franchise to be handed the QMJHL\u2019s championship trophy to hold aloft. What goes through a five-year player\u2019s mind when he gets to hold it over his head?<\/p>\n Vermette also doesn\u2019t hesitate when he thinks of all he will miss as he departs the place he\u2019s called his second home over the past few years, first for Kelowna, BC and the 2026 Memorial Cup presented by Kubota, then for the next steps in his personal and hockey lives.<\/p>\n The rink, the people, his brothers on the ice. All of it is top of mind. And all of it reflected in the comments of his proud Head Coach, who made him the first building block of an eventual title-winner.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter five years, we\u2019ve created a great bond. I\u2019ll be sad to see him go. But at the same time, he\u2019s got some great tools that he can now use for life.\u201d<\/p>\n In the Summer of 2021, the Chicoutimi Saguen\u00e9ens were ready to turn the page on a couple of seasons that featured both impressive successes and constant setbacks. With the cloak of the pandemic covering everything, the organization took its first step back to the top by investing its first pick in that year\u2019s Draft…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":478,"featured_media":336140,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1786],"tags":[{"term_id":9194,"name":"chicoutimi sagueneens","slug":"chicoutimi-sagueneens","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":9195,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":103,"filter":"raw","term_order":"223"},{"term_id":5740,"name":"emmanuel vermette","slug":"emmanuel-vermette-en","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":5741,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":3,"filter":"raw","term_order":"609"},{"term_id":2144,"name":"Memorial Cup","slug":"memorial-cup-en","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2145,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":73,"filter":"raw","term_order":"926"}],"class_list":["post-336139","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article-en","tag-chicoutimi-sagueneens","tag-emmanuel-vermette-en","tag-memorial-cup-en","category-1786","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/25134609\/Sags-Manu-Vermette-scaled.jpg",2560,1440,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/336139","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/478"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=336139"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/336139\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/336140"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=336139"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=336139"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=336139"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":336129,"date":"2026-05-25T10:35:39","date_gmt":"2026-05-25T14:35:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/?p=336129"},"modified":"2026-05-25T10:35:39","modified_gmt":"2026-05-25T14:35:39","slug":"2026-memorial-cup-highlights-kelowna-vs-chicoutimi-may-24","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/video\/2026-memorial-cup-highlights-kelowna-vs-chicoutimi-may-24","title":{"rendered":"2026 Memorial Cup Highlights – Kelowna vs Chicoutimi – May 24"},"content":{"rendered":" Check out the highlights from the overtime thriller between the Chicoutimi Saguen\u00e9ens and Kelowna Rockets!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Check out the highlights from the overtime thriller between the Chicoutimi Saguen\u00e9ens and Kelowna Rockets!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":336130,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"video","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1787],"tags":[{"term_id":9194,"name":"chicoutimi sagueneens","slug":"chicoutimi-sagueneens","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":9195,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":103,"filter":"raw","term_order":"223"},{"term_id":2144,"name":"Memorial Cup","slug":"memorial-cup-en","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2145,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":73,"filter":"raw","term_order":"926"}],"class_list":["post-336129","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-video-en","tag-chicoutimi-sagueneens","tag-memorial-cup-en","category-1787","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/25002746\/260524_GM3_KELvsCHI.jpg",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":{"video_id":"2619484","partner_id":"27533","player_id":"47926","width":"16","height":"9","360p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/27533\/sd\/2619484.mp4","240p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/27533\/ld\/2619484.mp4","480p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/27533\/hsd\/2619484.mp4","1080p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/27533\/fhd\/2619484.mp4","hls":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/27533\/streaming\/2619484\/2619484.m3u8","webp":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/27533\/webp\/2619484.webp"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/336129","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=336129"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/336129\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/336130"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=336129"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=336129"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=336129"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":336128,"date":"2026-05-25T00:35:42","date_gmt":"2026-05-25T04:35:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/?p=336128"},"modified":"2026-05-25T10:33:28","modified_gmt":"2026-05-25T14:33:28","slug":"memorial-cup-the-sagueneens-win-in-overtime","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/article\/memorial-cup-the-sagueneens-win-in-overtime","title":{"rendered":"Memorial Cup: The Saguen\u00e9ens win in overtime"},"content":{"rendered":" Twenty-four hours after their loss to Everett Silvertips, the Chicoutimi Saguen\u00e9ens bounced back in the right way and defeated the host Kelowna Rockets, 3-2, in overtime in their second game of the Memorial Cup tournament on Sunday night.<\/p>\n Liam Lefebvre played the hero at 5:28 of the overtime period with his second goal of the game.<\/p>\n The game carried major importance for both teams. The Saguen\u00e9ens had dropped a 5-3 decision to Everett on Saturday, while the Rockets had suffered a 5-0 loss to the Kitchener Rangers on Friday. In Memorial Cup history, only one team has ever won the Canadian championship after starting the tournament with two losses: the Windsor Spitfires in 2009.<\/p>\n Two goals were disallowed in the first period. The first came from the Rockets after Lucas Beckman was bumped before the puck crossed the goal line. The second was waved off for the Sags because Liam Lefebvre made a hand pass to Nathan Lecompte, who then scored.<\/p>\n Lefebvre redeemed himself moments later. He took a pass from Maxim Schafer, broke in alone and beat goaltender Josh Banini with a backhand shot high into the net at 14:38. A beauty!<\/p>\n The tight checking continued in the second period. Tij Iginla, a prospect of the Utah Mammoth, scored the Rockets\u2019 first goal of the tournament and tied the game at 6:29.<\/p>\n Anton Linde restored the Saguen\u00e9ens\u2019 one-goal lead by tipping a shot from Nathan Lecompte with 5:59 remaining in the third period. The puck crossed the goal line by barely an inch before Josh Banini swept it out of the net, but the goal was understandably awarded.<\/p>\n But just 1:49 later, defenseman Mazden Leslie forced overtime by finishing off a play set up by Tomas Poletin.<\/p>\n More details on the game HERE<\/a>. The Rangers, meanwhile, will take on the Everett Silvertips (1-0) on Monday night.<\/em><\/p>\n As for the Kelowna Rockets (0-2), they will not play again until Wednesday against Kitchener. That matchup will conclude the preliminary round.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Twenty-four hours after their loss to Everett Silvertips, the Chicoutimi Saguen\u00e9ens bounced back in the right way and defeated the host Kelowna Rockets, 3-2, in overtime in their second game of the Memorial Cup tournament on Sunday night. Liam Lefebvre played the hero at 5:28 of the overtime period with his second goal of the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":501,"featured_media":336127,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1786],"tags":[{"term_id":9194,"name":"chicoutimi sagueneens","slug":"chicoutimi-sagueneens","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":9195,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":103,"filter":"raw","term_order":"223"},{"term_id":2144,"name":"Memorial Cup","slug":"memorial-cup-en","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2145,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":73,"filter":"raw","term_order":"926"}],"class_list":["post-336128","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article-en","tag-chicoutimi-sagueneens","tag-memorial-cup-en","category-1786","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/25003451\/May24-CHI-KEL-0444-scaled.jpg",2560,1707,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/336128","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/501"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=336128"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/336128\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/336127"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=336128"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=336128"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=336128"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":336120,"date":"2026-05-24T12:52:41","date_gmt":"2026-05-24T16:52:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/?p=336120"},"modified":"2026-05-24T14:27:54","modified_gmt":"2026-05-24T18:27:54","slug":"man-of-culture-yanick-jeans-returned-to-the-top-full-of-learning-experiences","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/article\/man-of-culture-yanick-jeans-returned-to-the-top-full-of-learning-experiences","title":{"rendered":"MAN OF CULTURE \u2013 Yanick Jean\u2019s return to the top full of learning experiences"},"content":{"rendered":" <\/p>\n When Yanick Jean returned home to Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean 12 seasons ago to assume the role of Head Coach and General Manager of the Chicoutimi Saguen\u00e9ens, bringing a championship back to the region was obviously the top priority.<\/p>\n After all, Jean knows the feeling all too well. He was a defenseman with the 1994 squad, the last Sags club that won a championship. Until around a week ago, that was one of only two Chicoutimi clubs to emerge from the QMJHL as title holders.<\/p>\n Does Jean see any similarities between the club he toiled on the back end for and the one he cultivated on draft floors, in trade talks and behind the bench?<\/p>\n \u201cThe chemistry is very similar,\u201d Jean confirms. \u201cOnce you win, you\u2019re brothers for life.\u201d<\/p>\n For Jean, the talent he currently has assembled in Chicoutimi is obvious to anyone who has ever watched a game or read a stat sheet. But it\u2019s the atmosphere around this group that the 50-year-old from Alma, Quebec has worked particularly hard at nurturing as the Saguen\u00e9ens rose steadily through the standings over the past half decade.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve stressed a culture that is positive,\u201d Jean points out. \u201cWe want to make it fun to be here.\u201d<\/p>\n Of course, nothing is more fun than winning.<\/span> <\/strong><\/p>\n But the last time Jean attempted to build a winner, it was a global pandemic, not a rival team, that derailed the Sags\u2019 chances. The 2019-20 edition never had the opportunity to test its playoff mettle thanks to COVID related shutdowns. Still strong the following year, the club was stopped in the Semi-Finals during the \u201cbubble\u201d playoffs held in Quebec. It was a period of time that tested Jean and the Saguen\u00e9ens\u2019 resolve while also reenforcing the mantra the club and its Head Coach are quick to tout.<\/p>\n \u201cIt took a while to get over it but eventually, we turned the page,\u201d Jean recalls. \u201cIn fact, when you have to live it, you realize how important culture is. It makes you enjoy the process more. It\u2019s not like the last five years have all been rough, but we appreciate the steps it took. But still, culture has to be number one. Even if things don\u2019t work out in the end, you\u2019ll still enjoy the process.\u201d<\/p>\n The process has not only included the methodical drafting and development of key players. There have also been targeted acquisitions from around the league. Not just top players; top people as well. Four of the players picked up by the club \u2013 forward Mavrick Lachance and blueliners Tomas Lavoie, Alexis Bernier and Jordan Tourigny \u2013 were all members of their former team\u2019s leadership groups. That\u2019s not a coincidence.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019d done our homework for years,\u201d Jean explains. \u201cWe followed all of these guys up close. The list of players we had an eye on was a short one. We didn\u2019t just want guys who were talented, we wanted them to be able to leave their egos at the door.\u201d<\/p>\n Egos at the door is a statement Jean has made for years. <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n This time around, the meaning held particular significance. This is a Saguen\u00e9ens club that made more significant in-season changes that ever before in Jean\u2019s time with the club. An understanding needed to be reached when dealing with a group of teenagers who\u2019ve known nothing but being the biggest fish in their previous ponds.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s about role acceptance,\u201d Jean says. \u201cWe\u2019ve got guys like Colby Train and Gryphon Watson-Bucci who are 19-year-olds that are only stepping into the lineup if we have injuries. Other guys that were used to playing 30 minutes are playing 22 here. We asked everyone, \u2018Are you willing to see your ice time cut?\u2019. Everybody said yes.\u201d<\/p>\n What these players inevitably signed up for was a championship season. <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n In the end, no one remembers who played the most minutes or was on the ice for the most defensive zone draws. But flags fly forever. The names on this year\u2019s Chicoutimi roster will be reflected in the banner \u2013 perhaps banners \u2013 that will hang from the rafters at the Centre Georges-V\u00e9zina next fall.<\/p>\n No one in the organization has a greater appreciation for this that the man who runs the show.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had about 10 or 12 guys from the \u201994 team in the rink at one point or another during the Final,\u201d Jean mentions with pride. \u201cThe bunch of guys we have here, 30 years from now, they\u2019ll look back on this the same way that group does now.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n (Photo credit : Steve Dunsmoor)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" When Yanick Jean returned home to Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean 12 seasons ago to assume the role of Head Coach and General Manager of the Chicoutimi Saguen\u00e9ens, bringing a championship back to the region was obviously the top priority. After all, Jean knows the feeling all too well. He was a defenseman with the 1994 squad, the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":478,"featured_media":336121,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1786],"tags":[{"term_id":9194,"name":"chicoutimi sagueneens","slug":"chicoutimi-sagueneens","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":9195,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":103,"filter":"raw","term_order":"223"},{"term_id":4902,"name":"Yanick Jean","slug":"yanick-jean-en","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":4903,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":6,"filter":"raw","term_order":"710"},{"term_id":2144,"name":"Memorial Cup","slug":"memorial-cup-en","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2145,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":73,"filter":"raw","term_order":"926"}],"class_list":["post-336120","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article-en","tag-chicoutimi-sagueneens","tag-yanick-jean-en","tag-memorial-cup-en","category-1786","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/24125131\/Sags-Yanick-Jean-scaled.jpg",2560,1440,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/336120","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/478"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=336120"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/336120\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/336121"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=336120"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=336120"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=336120"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":336114,"date":"2026-05-24T10:42:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-24T14:42:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/?p=336114"},"modified":"2026-05-24T10:42:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-24T14:42:11","slug":"2026-memorial-cup-highlights-everett-vs-chicoutimi-may-23","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/video\/2026-memorial-cup-highlights-everett-vs-chicoutimi-may-23","title":{"rendered":"2026 Memorial Cup Highlights – Everett vs Chicoutimi – May 23"},"content":{"rendered":" It was a showdown between the QMJHL champs and the WHL ones on Saturday night at the 2026 Memorial Cup presented by Kubota Canada.<\/p>\n Here are the game’s highlights.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It was a showdown between the QMJHL champs and the WHL ones on Saturday night at the 2026 Memorial Cup presented by Kubota Canada. Here are the game’s highlights.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":336115,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"video","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1787],"tags":[{"term_id":9194,"name":"chicoutimi sagueneens","slug":"chicoutimi-sagueneens","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":9195,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":103,"filter":"raw","term_order":"223"},{"term_id":2144,"name":"Memorial Cup","slug":"memorial-cup-en","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2145,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":73,"filter":"raw","term_order":"926"}],"class_list":["post-336114","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-video-en","tag-chicoutimi-sagueneens","tag-memorial-cup-en","category-1787","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/24000210\/260523_GM2_EVTvsCHI.jpg",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":{"video_id":"2618677","partner_id":"27533","player_id":"47926","width":"16","height":"9","360p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/27533\/sd\/2618677.mp4","240p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/27533\/ld\/2618677.mp4","480p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/27533\/hsd\/2618677.mp4","1080p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/27533\/fhd\/2618677.mp4","hls":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/27533\/streaming\/2618677\/2618677.m3u8","webp":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/27533\/webp\/2618677.webp"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/336114","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=336114"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/336114\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/336115"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=336114"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=336114"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=336114"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":336110,"date":"2026-05-24T00:01:20","date_gmt":"2026-05-24T04:01:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/?p=336110"},"modified":"2026-05-24T10:39:39","modified_gmt":"2026-05-24T14:39:39","slug":"memorial-cup-the-sagueneens-start-with-a-loss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/article\/memorial-cup-the-sagueneens-start-with-a-loss","title":{"rendered":"Memorial Cup: the Saguen\u00e9ens start with a loss"},"content":{"rendered":" Six days after capturing the Gilles-Courteau Trophy, the Chicoutimi Saguen\u00e9ens opened their Memorial Cup tournament Saturday night with a 5-3 loss to the Everett Silvertips, champions of the Western Hockey League (WHL).<\/strong><\/p>\n The game got off to a rough start for the Saguen\u00e9ens, as Jesse Heslop gave the Silvertips a 1-0 lead just 74 seconds into the contest.<\/p>\n Christophe Berthelot responded eight minutes later, pouncing on a rebound from an Alexis Bernier shot.<\/p>\n Then, at 5:39 of the second period, Alex Huang gave the Sags a 2-1 lead with a laser of a shot that beat goaltender Anders Miller over the right shoulder.<\/p>\n But just 33 seconds later, Lukas Kaplan tied the game on a shot from the left wing that Lucas Beckman \u2014 beaten under the left arm \u2014 would likely want back.<\/p>\n That goal proved to be the turning point of the game in Everett\u2019s favour. The Silvertips increased the pressure and, at 13:55 and 14:45, scored twice in a span of 50 seconds to take a 4-2 lead. Zackary Shantz and Carter Bear were the goal scorers.<\/p>\n The Sags, who had erased a 4-0 deficit in Game 5 of the Gilles-Courteau Trophy Final against Moncton, were unable to complete another comeback against Everett.<\/p>\n Maxim Mass\u00e9 gave the Sags a glimmer of hope by making it 4-3 with 28 seconds remaining, after Beckman had gone to the bench, but Matias Vanhanen found the back of the empty net seven seconds later.<\/p>\n More details on the game HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n —<\/p>\n The Saguen\u00e9ens will play their second game of the Memorial Cup tournament Sunday night at 9 p.m. ET (6 p.m. PT) against the host team, the Rockets.<\/em><\/p>\n Kelowna also dropped its opening game on Friday, falling 5-0 to the Kitchener Rangers.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Six days after capturing the Gilles-Courteau Trophy, the Chicoutimi Saguen\u00e9ens opened their Memorial Cup tournament Saturday night with a 5-3 loss to the Everett Silvertips, champions of the Western Hockey League (WHL). The game got off to a rough start for the Saguen\u00e9ens, as Jesse Heslop gave the Silvertips a 1-0 lead just 74 seconds…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":501,"featured_media":336109,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1786],"tags":[{"term_id":9194,"name":"chicoutimi sagueneens","slug":"chicoutimi-sagueneens","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":9195,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":103,"filter":"raw","term_order":"223"},{"term_id":2144,"name":"Memorial Cup","slug":"memorial-cup-en","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2145,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":73,"filter":"raw","term_order":"926"}],"class_list":["post-336110","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article-en","tag-chicoutimi-sagueneens","tag-memorial-cup-en","category-1786","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/23231808\/May23-CHI-EVT-0480-scaled.jpg",2560,1707,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/336110","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/501"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=336110"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/336110\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/336109"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=336110"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=336110"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=336110"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":336104,"date":"2026-05-23T01:14:53","date_gmt":"2026-05-23T05:14:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/?p=336104"},"modified":"2026-05-23T09:41:07","modified_gmt":"2026-05-23T13:41:07","slug":"something-ive-been-dreaming-about-for-the-last-4-years-the-sags-ready-for-the-memorial-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/video\/something-ive-been-dreaming-about-for-the-last-4-years-the-sags-ready-for-the-memorial-cup","title":{"rendered":"”Something I’ve been dreaming about for the last 4 years” : The Sags ready for the Memorial Cup"},"content":{"rendered":" Hear from Emmanuel Vermette, Jordan Tourigny, Tomas Lavoie, Lucas Beckman, assistant coach F\u00e9lix Bibeau and Head Coach Yanick Jean from the Chicoutimi Saguen\u00e9ens ahead of the 2026 Memorial Cup.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Hear from Emmanuel Vermette, Jordan Tourigny, Tomas Lavoie, Lucas Beckman, assistant coach F\u00e9lix Bibeau and Head Coach Yanick Jean from the Chicoutimi Saguen\u00e9ens ahead of the 2026 Memorial Cup.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":336103,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"video","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1787],"tags":[{"term_id":9194,"name":"chicoutimi sagueneens","slug":"chicoutimi-sagueneens","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":9195,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":103,"filter":"raw","term_order":"223"},{"term_id":4902,"name":"Yanick Jean","slug":"yanick-jean-en","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":4903,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":6,"filter":"raw","term_order":"710"},{"term_id":2144,"name":"Memorial 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BLUE \u2013 The Sags\u2019 journey to the 2026 Memorial Cup"},"content":{"rendered":" <\/p>\n With the 2026 Memorial Cup presented by Kubota set to kick off on Friday night in Kelowna, British Columbia, the field that began with 61 CHL clubs in September has been whittled down to four. This year\u2019s QMJHL representatives, the 2026 Gilles-Courteau Trophy Champion Chicoutimi Saguen\u00e9ens, join the OHL Champion Kitchener Rangers, WHL title holder Everett Silvertips and host Kelowna Rockets in a final battle for junior hockey supremacy.<\/p>\n The Saguen\u00e9ens entered the season as strong championship contenders this year as Head Coach and GM Yanick Jean and his staff methodically built a well-balanced nucleus over a five-season span. The first addition to this building process, back in 2021, was current Sags captain Emmanuel Vermette. As the club began its climb up the standings, it also drafted or acquired top-end talent in the form of this season\u2019s League MVP Maxim Mass\u00e9, two-way forward Christophe Berthelot and, through a trade in the middle of the 2022-23 campaign, offensively gifted center Thomas Desruisseaux. The build went into overdrive at the 2023 QMJHL Draft, with the addition of winger \u00c9mile Guit\u00e9, center Nathan Lacompte and defenseman Alex Huang with picks two, four and five, respectively. The following day, in the Draft\u2019s fifth round, goaltender Rapha\u00ebl Pr\u00e9court donned the blue and white for the first of many times.<\/p>\n Battling the Moncton Wildcats for first place overall throughout the second half, the Saguen\u00e9ens would fall one point short of the Jean-Rougeau Trophy with an impressive 49-10-3-2 record and 103 points, Chicoutimi\u2019s best regular season result in twenty years and the second-highest point total in the club\u2019s 53-season history. The Sags led the league in goals scored, fewest goals against, power play and penalty killing efficiency during the year, the first club since the 1997 Memorial Cup Champion Hull Olympiques to pull off that feat.<\/p>\n All of the Saguen\u00e9ens\u2019 abilities were on display throughout the 2026 postseason as well. In their first round encounter against the Halifax Mooseheads, only a 2-1 squeaker in Game 2 provided any drama. The Sags outscored the Mooseheads 24-4 en route to a four-game sweep, the first playoff encounter between the two teams since the 1997 Conference Finals, a date which would prove prophetic for this year\u2019s Saguen\u00e9ens.<\/p>\n Round two saw Chicoutimi matched up against one of its chief rivals, the Qu\u00e9bec Remparts. An up-and-coming group, the Sags bottled up the Remparts, allowing just two goals in yet another four-game sweep, including back-to-back road shutouts in Games 3 and 4. The first notable test for this versatile group came in the Semi-Finals versus the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. Indeed, the opening game of the series saw the Huskies relinquish home ice advantage from Chicoutimi with a 3-1 triumph. However, the Saguen\u00e9ens would remain unfazed, capturing four of the next five contests and advancing to the league Final for the first time since that previously noted 1997 campaign.<\/p>\n The Gilles-Courteau Trophy Final was a repeat of the clash for the Jean-Rougeau Trophy. The defending champion Wildcats drew first blood with a 5-2 victory in Game 1. The Sags answered back right away, erasing a 1-0 deficit in the second game to earn a 3-2 win. Game 3 in Chicoutimi was a roller coaster of unexpected events; holding a 4-2 lead midway through the third, Moncton found the back of the net twice, including once on a baffling dump-in attempt, to send the game to overtime. Despite two power play opportunities and a number of Grade \u2018A\u2019 chances for the Cats, Chicoutimi took a 2-1 series lead on a goal by Desruisseaux which was confirmed upon video review. Moncton would knot the series up again with a hard fought 4-3 victory in Game 4.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/25140138\/CHI_VermetteEmmanuel_20212022_Blanc-scaled.jpg\")
<\/a>Head Coach Yanick Jean has seen a fantastic progression in the guy who now wears the \u2018C\u2019 for this year\u2019s QMJHL champions. Part of the credit goes to both Vermette\u2019s willingness to be better and the past players who helped him reach the level he\u2019s now achieved.<\/p>\n<\/a>\u201cIt\u2019s really important for us to have not only good players here but great people, too,\u201d he explains. \u201cYanick makes sure that every player that comes through here is a good person before everything. This year, we brought in some guys that were captains or assistants on other teams and, of course, they were going to have to take a smaller role with us. But everybody was aware of that, and every guy that came through here was ready for it and ready to accept it. It made things really easy, having everybody on the same page. Everybody had the same goal, so it all fit together perfectly.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/a>\u201cFirst of all, it’s a dream come true,\u201d Vermette says without hesitation. \u201cIt’s something I’ve wanted to live ever since I was young. The first thing that came to my mind was my parents. They’ve done so much for me ever since I’ve been a kid, all the hours and the time they put in me. It’s something I can never pay them back for and that’s why I love them.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\n\u2014
\nThe Chicoutimi Saguen\u00e9ens (1-1) will enjoy a day off on Monday before facing the Kitchener Rangers (1-0) on Tuesday night.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>This season, the Saguen\u00e9ens made it apparent that this was their year. By the time the dust had settled on the trade period, the club had bolstered its lineup at all three positions. Lucas Beckman provided arguably the best goaltending depth in the league while Mavrick Lachance brought his puck skills and leadership to the fold. But it was on the blue line where the Sags went from great to outstanding. Tomas Lavoie, Jordan Tourigny and Alexis Bernier were dropped onto the big ice surface in Chicoutimi and simply shut things down. Just as important as any on-ice accomplishments, all of these skaters acquired mid-season had worn a letter with their previous clubs.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n