Only seven points separate first and sixth places in the West, the tightest of the three divisions in the QMJHL. The Blainville-Boisbriand Armada lead with 38 points while defending league champions Val-d’Or Foreurs have 31 points. Each point is a chance to leap-frog a team in the standings and it’s why the Sherbrooke Phoenix, currently sitting second with 35 points, could be hurt the most by the World Junior Championship later this month.
The team’s led by two Swiss forwards, Tim Wieser and Kay Schweri, who were both invited to Switzerland’s training camp. Wieser is averaging almost a goal per game with 28 goals and 42 points in 29 games. Schweri has seven goals and 34 assists for 41 points and is second in rookie scoring.
The Halifax Mooseheads could find themselves in trouble. Goaltender Zach Fucale was one of two goalies named to Canada’s selection camp roster, guaranteeing his spot on the team. While the Mooseheads will be missing their main man between the pipes, they’ll also be without their top two players with Timo Meier receiving an invite to Switzerland’s camp and Nikolaj Ehlers with Denmark. Ehlers is the league’s hottest player, he has 16 goals and 47 points in 23 games and is rifding a 15-game point streak. Meier has 19 goals and 41 points in 31 games. The team will rely on rookie goalie Kevin Resop who only has one win in eight games. This will be a big challenge to the Mooseheads.
The Rimouski Océanic have big holes to fill with 6-foot-4, 215-lb. forward Frédérik Gauthier and 6-foot-7, 225-lb. defenceman Samuel Morin both receiving invites to Canada’s selection camp. But even if both players make Team Canada, the Océanic should be fine as they were without Gauthier and Morin for an extended period earlier this season and didn’t miss a beat, staying on top of the league.
Here’s the scoop on all the trades around the league and everything else you need to know about the Q:
Maritimes Divison
Saint John remain top dogs with three wins last week, including an overtime win against Val-d’Or on Sunday. NHL prospect Jakub Zboril scored the overtime winner, his seventh goal of the year. The 6-foot-2, 185-lb. defencemen had two goals and three assists on the week. The Green brothers stepped up their games while playing in front of family and friends in Halifax on Saturday. Blueliner Luke Green, the first overall pick the 2014 QMJHL draft, scored his second goal of the season while centre Matt Green picked up his third point of the season with an assist on the goal. The brothers grew up in Bedford, part of Halifax.
It was a busy week for the Moncton Wildcats as they made a pair of big trades. First, Vladimir Tkachev, 20, was traded to the Québec Remparts for 20-year-old Taylor Burke and a seventh- or eighth-round pick in 2015. Then, to make room for Taylor Burke, the Wildcats flipped overage captain Christophe Lalonde to the Shawinigan Cataractes for second- and third-round picks in the 2016 draft. Lalonde was leading the Wildcats in scoring before suffering an injury on Oct. 25 in what turned out to be his last game with the team.
Cameron Darcy, the Cape Breton Screaming Eagle’s leading scorer last season, is on his way off the island. The 20-year-old only had one goal through 19 games and is expected to be moved as soon as the Eagles can find a trading partner. Marcus Hinds, 20, was acquired from the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada in exchange for a fourth-round pick in 2014 and has replaced Darcy as an overager. Hinds had two goals and an assist in six games with the Armada. His ice time was limited thanks to the Armada’s four overagers (only three can play). The 6-foot-2, 188-lb. right winger scored a goal and added an assist in his Cape Breton debut, a 4-1 win over Val-d’Or.
Nikolaj Ehlers picked up three assists against Charlottetown and another assist against Saint John to extend his scoring streak to 15 games. In that time he’s scored 12 goals and 39 points. He also sported a pretty ugly Christmas sweater for an upcoming team promotion.
East Division
After acquiring Lalonde from Moncton, Shawinigan GM Martin Mondou said more trades are on the way, as the team will need to move another 20-year-old to get down to the limit of three. They currently have Lalonde, Sebastien Gauthier, Olivier Caouette and Marvin Cüpper on the roster.
It’s no surprise to see the Memorial Cup host Québec Remparts making moves. Tkachev made headlines in the off-season after signing a three-year, entry-level contract with the Edmonton Oilers that was later ruled ineligible by the NHL because he played two games in the KHL last season. The 5-foot-9, 144-lb. forward is eligible for the NHL draft in June and is expected to go in the second or third round. Tkachev will make his Remparts debut Wednesday against the Wildcats, his old team, on a line with Adam Erne and Kurt Etchegary according to Carl Tardiff of Le Soleil. Tkachev missed the Super Series because of an injury and hasn’t played in almost a month.
The Remparts and Drummondville Voltigeurs swapped 20-year-olds. Right winger Jérome Verrier went to the Remparts while Adam Chapman and a 2017 first-round pick went to the Voltigeurs. Verrier had three goals and five points in nine games for Drummondville while Chapman had 5-4-9 through 12 games for Québec. Chapman scored in his first game wearing the Voltigeurs uniform.
It’s been a forgettable season for the Chicoutimi Saguenéens so far in 2014. More bad luck found the team this week when it was announced defencemen Nikita Lyamkin will miss the rest of the season with an Achilles tendon injury. The 6-foot-4, 176-lb. Russian was a first-round pick in the import draft by the Sags last year. Through 27 games he had two goals and four assists.
Goaltender Storm Phaneuf of the Saguenéens was handed a nine game suspension last week for kicking Drummondville’s Dylan Montcalm in the chest after Montcalm was pushed into his crease in a game on November 30. Phaneuf is eligible to return early in 2015.
It’s worth noting the Saguenéens have won four games in a row since head coach Patrice Bosch and GM Marc Fortier were fired on Nov. 30.
West Division
The Drummondville Voltigeurs are building for the future, moving out veterans in favour of youth and high draft picks. Defenceman Charles-David Beaudoin, the team’s captain, was traded to the Rimouski Océanic for a 2015 first-round pick, 2016 second-rounder and defenceman Jarrod Shipley. Drummondville also acquired a 2017 first-round pick and Adam Chapman from the Québec Remparts in exchange for Jérome Verrier and 18-year-old forward Antoine Dufort-Plante from division rival Blainville-Boisbriand Armada for a seventh-round pick in 2015. Dufort-Planet only appeared in four games for the Armada, picking up one assist.
Three Stars
Dylan Labbé, D, Shawinigan Cataractes In three games last week, Labbé scored five goals and added two assists. His biggest goal came against Shawinigan in overtime of a 5-4 win. The five-goal outburst brings Labbé’s season total to nine. The 6-foot-2, 186-lb. blueliner was a fourth-round pick by the Minnesota Wild in 2013.
Joey Ratelle, LW, Drummondville Voltigeurs The Voltigeurs received a jolt of energy from Joey Ratelle’s four goals and six points in two games. The team picked up four points against division rivals in the ultra-tight West Division with a 6-2 win over Sherbrooke and a 5-4 win over Blainville-Boisbriand. Ratelle now has 22 goals and 30 points through 31 games.
Sébastien Auger, G, Saint John Sea Dogs Picked up wins in both games he played. Against Rouyn-Noranda, he turned away 25 of 26 shots in a 5-1 win. The next night, he stopped 37 of 38 against Halifax. Auger now leads the league in both GAA (2.50) and save percentage (.919).
2015 NHL Draft Watch
Three players from the QMJHL jumped into International Scouting Services’ top 30 for December. Saint John Sea Dogs defencemen Jakub Zboril (27) and Thomas Chabot (30) and Baie-Comeau Drakkar blueliner Nicolas Meloche (28) join November top-30 players Daniel Sprong (19) of the Charlottetown Islanders and Evgeny Svechnikov (20) of the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles.
Nicolas Roy of the Chicoutimi Saguenéens continues to fall in the rankings, dipping from 16 in October to 23 in November to out of the top 30 in December. Keep an eye on Roy to see how he responds to coaching changes on his team. Roy has a goal and two assists in three games to start December.
Jérémy Roy, no relation to Nicolas, of the Sherbrooke Phoenix has also fallen out of the rankings after being ranked 23 in October and 27 in November. The 6-foot, 182-lb. defenceman still had a productive November, scoring one goal and adding eight assists. His goal scoring has dipped this season as he only has three goals through 26 games. In his rookie campaign last year, the fourth overall pick of the 2014 QMJHL draft had 14 goals through 64 games.