The Saguen\u00e9ens can nevertheless leave Kelowna with their heads held high. They defeated the host Kelowna Rockets and battled hard against the Kitchener Rangers and Everett, after ending a 32-year championship drought by defeating the Moncton Wildcats in the Gilles-Courteau Trophy Final.<\/p>\n
Several Saguen\u00e9ens players will be moving on next season, including the team\u2019s three overage players: Emmanuel Vermette, Jordan Tourigny, and Peteris Bulans.<\/p>\n
After a record streak of four consecutive Memorial Cup championships, the QMJHL has not captured the Canadian championship since 2023.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The 2025-26 season is over for the Chicoutimi Saguen\u00e9ens. Yanick Jean\u2019s squad was defeated 6-1 by the Everett Silvertips in the Memorial Cup semi-final on Friday night. After a cautious start in which both teams were feeling each other out and looking to avoid mistakes, the game suddenly produced three goals in a six-minute span.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":501,"featured_media":336194,"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":109,"filter":"raw","term_order":"225"},{"term_id":2144,"name":"Memorial Cup","slug":"memorial-cup-en","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2145,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":80,"filter":"raw","term_order":"928"}],"class_list":["post-336195","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\/29234655\/May29-EVT-CHI-0292-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\/336195","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=336195"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/336195\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/336194"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=336195"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=336195"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=336195"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":336189,"date":"2026-05-29T11:20:44","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T15:20:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/?p=336189"},"modified":"2026-05-29T11:27:35","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T15:27:35","slug":"catching-up-with-rene-corbet-35-years-after-his-memorial-cup-appearance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/video\/catching-up-with-rene-corbet-35-years-after-his-memorial-cup-appearance","title":{"rendered":"Catching up with Ren\u00e9 Corbet, 35 years after his Memorial Cup appearance"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/p>\n
A legendary player for the Drummondville Voltigeurs, <\/span>Ren\u00e9 Corbet attended the national championship this week to cheer on his son Nate, a member of the Kelowna Rockets.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A legendary player for the Drummondville Voltigeurs, Ren\u00e9 Corbet attended the national championship this week to cheer on his son Nate, a member of the Kelowna Rockets.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":336188,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"video","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1787],"tags":[{"term_id":9544,"name":"Ren\u00e9 Corbet","slug":"rene-corbet","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":9545,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1"},{"term_id":2144,"name":"Memorial Cup","slug":"memorial-cup-en","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2145,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":80,"filter":"raw","term_order":"928"},{"term_id":65,"name":"QMJHL Alumni","slug":"qmjhl-alumni","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1059,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":203,"filter":"raw","term_order":"2159"}],"class_list":["post-336189","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-video-en","tag-rene-corbet","tag-memorial-cup-en","tag-qmjhl-alumni","category-1787","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/29112022\/DRU_Laperriere_Corbet-jpg.jpg",844,475,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":{"video_id":"2627506","partner_id":"31038","player_id":"47926","width":"16","height":"9","360p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31038\/sd\/2627506.mp4","240p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31038\/ld\/2627506.mp4","480p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31038\/hsd\/2627506.mp4","1080p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31038\/fhd\/2627506.mp4","hls":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31038\/streaming\/2627506\/2627506.m3u8","webp":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31038\/webp\/2627506.webp"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/336189","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=336189"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/336189\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/336188"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=336189"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=336189"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=336189"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":336182,"date":"2026-05-28T10:49:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T14:49:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/?p=336182"},"modified":"2026-05-28T10:52:02","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T14:52:02","slug":"2026-memorial-cup-felix-bibeau-looking-for-second-national-championship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/video\/2026-memorial-cup-felix-bibeau-looking-for-second-national-championship","title":{"rendered":"2026 Memorial Cup | F\u00e9lix Bibeau looking for second national championship"},"content":{"rendered":" <\/p>\n After winning the 2019 Memorial Cup a<\/span>s a forward with the Huskies, it’s as the Saguen\u00e9ens’<\/span>\u00a0assistant coach that F\u00e9lix Bibeau is chasing his second national championship!<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" After winning the 2019 Memorial Cup as a forward with the Huskies, it’s as the Saguen\u00e9ens’\u00a0assistant coach that F\u00e9lix Bibeau is chasing his second national championship!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":336181,"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":109,"filter":"raw","term_order":"225"},{"term_id":6477,"name":"F\u00e9lix Bibeau","slug":"felix-bibeau-en","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":6478,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":2,"filter":"raw","term_order":"539"},{"term_id":2144,"name":"Memorial Cup","slug":"memorial-cup-en","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2145,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":80,"filter":"raw","term_order":"928"},{"term_id":65,"name":"QMJHL Alumni","slug":"qmjhl-alumni","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1059,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":203,"filter":"raw","term_order":"2159"}],"class_list":["post-336182","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-video-en","tag-chicoutimi-sagueneens","tag-felix-bibeau-en","tag-memorial-cup-en","tag-qmjhl-alumni","category-1787","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/28104832\/Bibeau_20200104_RIMvsCHI-23.jpg",2048,1152,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":{"video_id":"2625127","partner_id":"31038","player_id":"47926","width":"16","height":"9","360p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31038\/sd\/2625127.mp4","240p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31038\/ld\/2625127.mp4","480p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31038\/hsd\/2625127.mp4","1080p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31038\/fhd\/2625127.mp4","hls":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31038\/streaming\/2625127\/2625127.m3u8","webp":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31038\/webp\/2625127.webp"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/336182","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=336182"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/336182\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/336181"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=336182"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=336182"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=336182"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":336170,"date":"2026-05-26T23:52:48","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T03:52:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/?p=336170"},"modified":"2026-05-27T00:02:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T04:02:11","slug":"memorial-cup-a-second-loss-for-the-sagueneens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/article\/memorial-cup-a-second-loss-for-the-sagueneens","title":{"rendered":"Memorial Cup: A second loss for the Saguen\u00e9ens"},"content":{"rendered":" The Chicoutimi Saguen\u00e9ens got off to a strong start, but ultimately fell 3-2 to the Kitchener Rangers on Tuesday at the Memorial Cup.<\/p>\n The Saguen\u00e9ens therefore conclude the preliminary round with a record of one win and two losses. They will now await the result of Wednesday\u2019s game between the Everett Silvertips (1-1) and the Kelowna Rockets (0-2) before learning their fate.<\/p>\n Two scenarios remain possible for the Sags: playing in the tiebreaker game on Thursday, or advancing directly to the semifinal on Friday.<\/p>\n As for the Rangers, they have already secured a spot in Sunday\u2019s final thanks to their perfect 3-0 record.<\/p>\n The Saguen\u00e9ens played an excellent first period, limiting the Ontario Hockey League champions to just five shots on Lucas Beckman.<\/p>\n However, Kitchener came out flying in the second period, scoring twice in 3:37. Luca Romano opened the scoring at 1:38, and two minutes later, Sam O\u2019Reilly pounced on a rebound from Jack Pridham to make it 2-0.<\/p>\n \u00c9mile Ricard cut the deficit in half at 8:38, with assists from Nathan Lecompte and Christophe Berthelot.<\/p>\n The O\u2019Reilly-Pridham duo struck again just 21 seconds into the third period. O\u2019Reilly fed Dylan Edwards, who found Pridham, whose slapshot sent the cap flying off Beckman\u2019s water bottle positioned behind the netminder.<\/p>\n Then, at 8:44, Jordan Tourigny received a five-minute major and was ejected from the game for kicking Christian Humphreys while the two were battling for the puck along the boards. The Rangers were unable to capitalize on the ensuing power play.<\/p>\n Mavrick Lachance brought the Sags within 3-2 with 3:54 remaining, but it was too little, too late.<\/p>\n More details on the game HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Chicoutimi Saguen\u00e9ens got off to a strong start, but ultimately fell 3-2 to the Kitchener Rangers on Tuesday at the Memorial Cup. The Saguen\u00e9ens therefore conclude the preliminary round with a record of one win and two losses. They will now await the result of Wednesday\u2019s game between the Everett Silvertips (1-1) and the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":501,"featured_media":336169,"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":109,"filter":"raw","term_order":"225"},{"term_id":2144,"name":"Memorial Cup","slug":"memorial-cup-en","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2145,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":80,"filter":"raw","term_order":"928"}],"class_list":["post-336170","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\/26223643\/May26-KIT-CHI-0339-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\/336170","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=336170"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/336170\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/336169"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=336170"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=336170"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=336170"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":336150,"date":"2026-05-26T13:39:47","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T17:39:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/?p=336150"},"modified":"2026-05-26T13:56:18","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T17:56:18","slug":"a-mammoth-season-tomas-lavoie-fills-out-key-role-on-q-champs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/article\/a-mammoth-season-tomas-lavoie-fills-out-key-role-on-q-champs","title":{"rendered":"A MAMMOTH SEASON \u2013 Tomas Lavoie fills out key role on Q champs"},"content":{"rendered":" <\/p>\n As a 16-year-old, Tomas Lavoie was considered by most the top prospect available at the 2022 QMJHL Entry Draft. The Chicoutimi Saguen\u00e9ens, holders of the third overall selection that year, naturally had a chat with the tall, rangy defenseman. It was the first time Lavoie spoke to the men who would eventually help lead him to a Gilles-Courteau Trophy.<\/p>\n \u201cI had a really good feeling about them when we met back then, and I really liked the vibe that they were giving me and the things they were saying,\u201d Lavoie said of a Saguen\u00e9ens organization that was building itself back into contention. \u201cTo be with them this year, it’s even more special. The main message from them when I had my first meeting after the trade was \u2018Are you ready for this adventure?\u2019. I came here to win and that’s what we accomplished. I\u2019m really proud of this group and I want to thank them for bringing me to this team.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEver since I was young, I’ve always been alongside older people. Even my friends are all older than me,\u201d he says when discussing the source of his personality. \u201cFrom my first year in this league, I was playing with a lot of older guys and against the best players on all teams every night. I think it built my character.\u201d<\/p>\n Yanick Jean saw much the same as everyone else in the guy who was wearing the \u2018C\u2019 in the Cape before he found himself a member of the powerhouse that Chicoutimi built.<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t just his personal character that made Lavoie a natural fit in the Saguen\u00e9ens\u2019 dressing room. There was also an air of familiarity. Cape Breton teammates Thomas Desruisseaux, \u00c9mile Ricard and Alexis Toussaint are also part of this ride with Lavoie.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter that it was about building connections with everybody else,\u201d Lavoie goes on to explain. \u201cWe just built our chemistry more and more and, by the time we finished the regular season, the whole team was almost like brothers.\u201d<\/p>\n That quick bond paved the way to a 16-4 playoff run and a first \u2018Q\u2019 title in Chicoutimi since 1994. Lavoie\u2019s 13 points, two game-winning goals and shutdown role were keys to victory. An added dimension in the Final against the Moncton Wildcats was taking on two of his fellow Utah prospects in Caleb Desnoyers and eventual playoff MVP Gabe Smith.<\/p>\n Lavoie\u2019s a fantastic judge of the opposition. But what does he think put his team over the top?<\/p>\n \u201cI think firstly, our depth made a big difference,\u201d he explains. \u201cWe played our four lines during the playoffs. Also, the trades that Yanick made at the Christmas break. He brought in not only some unreal players but unreal humans too. I think that was what won us that cup.\u201d<\/p>\n Because humility is a key part of maturity, Lavoie won\u2019t necessarily admit it but everyone who has watched him over the past four seasons knows \u2013 he\u2019s also talking about himself.<\/p>\n As a 16-year-old, Tomas Lavoie was considered by most the top prospect available at the 2022 QMJHL Entry Draft. The Chicoutimi Saguen\u00e9ens, holders of the third overall selection that year, naturally had a chat with the tall, rangy defenseman. It was the first time Lavoie spoke to the men who would eventually help lead…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":478,"featured_media":336151,"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":109,"filter":"raw","term_order":"225"},{"term_id":3725,"name":"Tomas Lavoie","slug":"tomas-lavoie-en","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":3726,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":10,"filter":"raw","term_order":"811"},{"term_id":2144,"name":"Memorial Cup","slug":"memorial-cup-en","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2145,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":80,"filter":"raw","term_order":"928"}],"class_list":["post-336150","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article-en","tag-chicoutimi-sagueneens","tag-tomas-lavoie-en","tag-memorial-cup-en","category-1786","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/26133929\/Sags-Tomas-Lavoie-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\/336150","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=336150"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/336150\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/336151"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=336150"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=336150"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=336150"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":336139,"date":"2026-05-25T13:49:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-25T17:49:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/?p=336139"},"modified":"2026-05-25T14:08:06","modified_gmt":"2026-05-25T18:08:06","slug":"from-first-piece-to-last-lap-emmanuel-vermettes-long-road-to-victory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/article\/from-first-piece-to-last-lap-emmanuel-vermettes-long-road-to-victory","title":{"rendered":"FROM FIRST PIECE TO LAST LAP \u2013 Emmanuel Vermette\u2019s long road to victory"},"content":{"rendered":" <\/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 \u2013 second round, 35th<\/sup> overall \u2013 on a kid who, like the rest of that year\u2019s class of prospects, barely saw the ice over the previous year.<\/p>\n 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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/26135029\/May24-CHI-KEL-0091-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/a>Lavoie would in fact be selected first overall shortly after that interview in 2022, by the Cape Breton Eagles. Between that day and now, he has added the word \u201chulking\u201d to his 6\u20194\u201d and 230-pound physique, earned selection by the Utah Mammoth at the 2024 NHL Entry Draft and even, with the Eagles, managed to eliminate the Sags in the postseason two years ago. He also learned quickly \u2013 and sometimes through the hard lessons a 16-year-old blueliner typically faces \u2013 how to handle the rigours of junior hockey with his trademark maturity.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/26135118\/CAP_LavoieTomas_20252026-3-1024x766.jpg\")
<\/a>\u201cWhen he\u2019s on his game, he\u2019s a man among boys, the Sags bench boss explains. \u201cHe\u2019s incredibly tough to play against and not only is he a great player, he\u2019s a great person. He has so much maturity.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/26135436\/26050-3174-825x1024.jpg\")
<\/a>\u201cIt was special, from the first game to the last game,\u201d Lavoie says regarding this meeting of the Mammoths. \u201cBut the thing for me was that we\u2019re friends before that series even if you aren\u2019t my friend during it. Still, we’re friends afterwards, no matter what happened. For Utah, I think it was special to see three prospects featured in that series.\u00a0 Desi’s been unreal the whole season, came back from a big injury last year, and Smitty, he has all my respect. He deserved that MVP trophy. He did everything for that team.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/26134918\/VE260517r-248-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"![\"\"](\"https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/25140138\/CHI_VermetteEmmanuel_20212022_Blanc-768x1024.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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/25140251\/20260331_HALvsCHI_Beckman_Vermette-Trevor-MacMillan-1-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/18100417\/VE260517-10641-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/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
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/25140447\/Vermette-Emmanuel-reax-20260116CHIvsCHAMikeBernard-49-Mike-Bernard-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"