The WHL, OHL and QMJHL champions will join the host Kelowna Rockets in the Memorial Cup, May 22-31.

Twenty-three players picked in the first round of the past two NHL Drafts are in the playoffs, along with several top prospects for the next two drafts.

Here’s a look at matchups and storylines across the three leagues:

WHL

Eastern Conference first-round matchups
No. 1. Prince Albert Raiders vs. No. 8 Red Deer Rebels
No. 2 Medicine Hat Tigers vs. No. 7 Regina Pats
No. 3 Edmonton Oil Kings vs. No. 6 Saskatoon Blades
No. 4 Calgary Hitmen vs. No. 5 Brandon Wheat Kings

Western Conference first-round matchups
No. 1 Everett Silvertips vs. No. 8 Portland Winterhawks
No. 2 Penticton Vees vs. No. 7 Seattle Thunderbirds
No. 3 Prince George Cougars vs. No. 6 Spokane Chiefs
No. 4 Kelowna Rockets vs. No. 5 Kamloops Blazers

Tigers look to defend title

Despite losing their top four scorers from last year’s WHL championship and Memorial Cup runner-up team, including Gavin McKenna to Penn State, the Medicine Hat Tigers went right down to the wire with the Prince Albert Raiders in the race for first in the Eastern Conference. While Medicine Hat fell just short, GM/coach Willie Desjardins’ squad is in a good position to take a run at another championship.

Star defenceman Bryce Pickford, a Montreal Canadiens prospect, scored 45 goals for the Tigers, while 2026 NHL Draft-eligible twins Markus and Liam Ruck went 1-2 in WHL scoring.

The Tigers face the Regina Pats in an intriguing first-round matchup. Regina’s Maddox Schultz, allowed into the league a year early for half his team’s games under a new Western Canadian development model, put up a very impressive 29 points in 34 games for his hometown squad.

Silvertips in familiar spot

Just like last year, the Everett Silvertips finished the regular season with the best record in the WHL. Now, they get a chance to avenge last year’s second-round playoff loss against Portland as Everett opens the post-season against the Winterhawks.

Star defenceman Landon DuPont, in his second year after being given exceptional status in 2024, has been a huge force again (18 goals, 55 assists, plus-59 in 63 games) as he makes a bid to be the top pick in next year’s NHL Draft.

Up front, Carter Bear (Detroit Red Wings first-round pick), Julius Miettinen (Seattle Kraken second-round pick) and Matias Vanhanen lead the way for the CHL’s top-ranked team.

Memorial Cup hosts face tough test

The Rockets know they will play in the Memorial Cup as the host team, but Kelowna would rather not have a long break before competing for a national championship.

They meet a talented Kamloops Blazers squad in an all-B.C. Round 1 after the Rockets settled for fourth in the Western Conference.

The Blazers have two top-10 WHL scorers in 2026 draft-eligible Texan JP Hurlbert and Nathan Behm (Chicago Blackhawks).

Kelowna has one of the top NHL prospects outside the league in Tij Iginla (Utah Mammoth first-round pick), who scored 41 goals in 48 games.

Thunderbirds eye upset

The Seattle Thunderbirds look poised to be strong next season after a very busy trade deadline, but they’re no pushover this year.

Cameron Schmidt (Dallas Stars) was acquired from the Vancouver Giants at the trade deadline and helped push the Thunderbirds into the playoffs, finishing the season with a league-leading 51 goals.

The Thunderbirds also feature 2027 draft-eligible Brock England (51 points in 64 games as a rookie) and star defenceman Radim Mrtka (Buffalo Sabres first-round pick).

They figure to be a challenging foe for the West’s second-seeded Penticton Vees, who had one of the best expansion seasons in CHL history.

QMJHL

Eastern Conference first-round matchups
No. 1 Moncton Wildcats vs. No. 8 Saint John Sea Dogs
No. 2 Chicoutimi Sagueneens vs. No. 7 Halifax Mooseheads
No. 3 Newfoundland Regiment vs. No. 6 Cape Breton Eagles
No. 4 Charlottetown Islanders vs. No. 5 Quebec Remparts

Western Conference first-round matchups
No. 1 Rouyn-Noranda Huskies vs. No. 8 Gatineau Olympiques
No. 2 Blainville-Boisbriand Armada vs. No. 7 Victoriaville Tigres
No. 3 Drummondville Voltigeurs vs. No. 6 Val-d’Or Foreurs
No. 4 Shawinigan Cataractes vs. No. 5 Sherbrooke Phoenix

Wildcats aim for back-to-back crowns

Like the WHL, the QMJHL could see a repeat champ.

The Moncton Wildcats edged the Chicoutimi Sagueneens for top spot in the league, and have their best player back from last year’s squad in recently signed Utah Mammoth first-round pick Caleb Desnoyers.

The father-son, coaching-GM duo of Gardiner and Taylor MacDougall has built a powerhouse for the second year in a row after Gardiner’s longtime run at the University of New Brunswick.

Nine Americans are on the roster, including QMJHL top-scoring defenceman Tommy Bleyl and 43-goal man Niko Tournas.

An all-New Brunswick first-round matchup against Saint John will see towering 2027 NHL Draft top-pick hopeful Alexis Joseph of the Sea Dogs test himself against the league’s best team.

Sagueneens a scoring machine

Chicoutimi scored more goals than any team in the CHL this season, averaging five per game.

Anaheim Ducks prospect Maxim Masse led the Q with 104 points, while Nashville Predators pick Alex Huang was second among defencemen with 70 points.

The Sagueneens also allowed the fewest goals in the league, and have a top goaltender in Ottawa Senators prospect Lucas Beckman.

Armada look for consistency

The Blainville-Boisbriand Armada have one of the best Q teams on paper, but battled injuries all season and finished one point back of the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies for top spot in the Western Conference.

St. Louis Blues first-round pick Justin Carbonneau and Pittsburgh Penguins first-rounder Bill Zonnon could head to the AHL next year under an expected new rule for 19-year-olds, so it’s a win-now feel for the Armada.

On defence, 2026 draft-eligible Xavier Villenueve is one of the most exciting players in the CHL.

Dynamic duo in Charlottetown

When the Charlottetown Islanders got Ivan Ryabkin from the Carolina Hurricanes’ AHL affiliate at mid-season, coach/GM Jim Hulton’s team suddenly had one of the most dangerous players in the league.

The Russian had 42 points in 29 games for an Islanders squad that was very good down the stretch. He forms a top pairing with Ontario native Nathan Leek, who passed through OHL waivers after a cup of coffee with the Peterborough Petes and scored 47 goals for Charlottetown this season.

OHL

Eastern Conference first-round matchups
No. 1 Brantford Bulldogs vs. No. 8 Sudbury Wolves
No. 2 Barrie Colts vs. No. 7 Niagara IceDogs
No. 3 Ottawa 67’s vs. No. 6 Kingston Frontenacs
No. 4 Peterborough Petes vs. No. 5 North Bay Battalion

Western Conference first-round matchups
No. 1 Kitchener Rangers vs. No. 8 Saginaw Spirit
No. 2 Windsor Spitfires vs. No. 7 Guelph Storm
No. 3 Flint Firebirds vs. No. 6 Owen Sound Attack
No. 4 London Knights vs. No. 5 Soo Greyhounds

Can anyone stop Bulldogs, Rangers?

The loaded Brantford Bulldogs and Kitchener Rangers are favourites to make it out of their conferences and square off for the OHL title.

Both teams are in the double digits when it comes to NHL Draft picks.

The Zach Hyman-owned Bulldogs have been a juggernaut all season, led by OHL No. 3 scorer Jake O’Brien (Kraken first-round pick). The Rangers became the clear class of the Western Conference after acquiring Sam O’Reilly (Tampa Bay Lightning) and Jared Woolley (L.A. Kings) from the rival London Knights at the trade deadline.

The Rangers lost out to the Guelph Storm for hosting duties for next year’s Memorial Cup, so Kitchener decided to become all-out buyers this season.

Scouts will be watching the Kitchener-Saginaw first-round series closely. OHL scoring leader Nikita Klepov of the Spirit is a first-round candidate for this year’s NHL Draft, while Saginaw’s Damian Zhilkin is a top 2027 prospect.

Firebirds crave elusive playoff success

Like the Rangers, the Flint Firebirds were buyers at the trade deadline with the crowded Western Conference seemingly up for grabs.

But the Firebirds settled for a second-place finish in the West Division behind the Windsor Spitfires, whose win on the final day of the season pushed them ahead of Flint.

That means the Michigan team will be a No. 3 seed in the conference after acquiring Kevin He (Winnipeg Jets) and Jacob Battaglia (New York Rangers) to bolster their roster.

The Firebirds have won just two playoff series (both in 2022) since moving to Flint from Plymouth, Mich., in 2014.

Knights make surprising run to No. 4 seed

Despite selling assets at the deadline, the reigning Memorial Cup champion London Knights held off the buying Soo Greyhounds in the race for the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference.

While the two-time reigning OHL champs don’t have the same level of talent on their roster this season, Dale and Mark Hunter once again have produced a very respectable squad.

It would be unwise to count out any team run by the Hunters.

The Knights’ series against top 2026 NHL Draft prospect Chase Reid, Brady Martin (Nashville Predators first-round pick), star goalie Carter George (Kings) and the Greyhounds should be interesting.

Cameron’s charges impress

Ottawa 67’s veteran coach Dave Cameron took a lot of criticism last year after Team Canada bowed out in the world junior quarterfinals under his watch. Months later, Cameron’s 67’s missed the OHL playoffs.

But it’s been a nice bounce-back campaign for the former Ottawa Senators coach, who guided the 67’s to the third-best record in the league despite a roster that doesn’t have the same amount of star power as other top contenders.

It brings back memories from the early 2000s in Toronto when Cameron led the St. Michael’s Majors to four consecutive Eastern Conference finals.

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The list spans multiple eras, featuring Wayne Gretzky and Patrick Roy alongside Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid and Connor Bedard.

Thirty-one of the 50 players are in the Hockey Hall of Fame, while 34 of them have won at least one Stanley Cup. Twelve of the players were named CHL player of the year during their junior careers.

There are 11 players who are active in the NHL: Crosby, McDavid, John Tavares, Nathan MacKinnon, Corey Perry, Patrick Kane, Bedard, Drew Doughty, Steven Stamkos, Leon Draisaitl and Taylor Hall.

The list is unranked for now. The CHL opened a fan vote on its website Tuesday that runs through March 10. 

Fans are being asked to submit their Top 10 from the Top 50 list, which will help inform the league’s final ranking, set to be revealed later this spring.

Top 50 CHL Players of the Last 50 Years
(listed alphabetically)
Bedard, Connor / Forward (WHL, Regina Pats – 2020-23) / (Chicago Blackhawks – 2023-Present)
Bergeron, Patrice / Forward (QMJHL, Acadie-Bathurst Titan – 2001-03) / (Boston Bruins – 2003-2023)
Bossy, Mike / Forward (QMJHL, Laval National – 1972-1977) / (New York Islanders – 1977-1987)
Bourque, Ray / Defenceman (QMJHL, Trois-Rivières Draveurs & Sorel/Verdun Blackhawks – 1976-79) / (Boston Bruins & Colorado Avalanche – 1979-2001)
Brodeur, Martin / Goaltender (QMJHL, St. Hyacinthe Laser – 1989-92) / (New Jersey Devils & St. Louis Blues – 1991-2015)
Carbonneau, Guy / Forward (QMJHL, Chicoutimi Saguenéens – 1976-80) / (Montréal Canadiens, St. Louis Blues & Dallas Stars – 1980-2000)
Coffey, Paul / Defenceman (OHL, Kingston Canadians, Soo Greyhounds & Kitchener Rangers) / (Edmonton Oilers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Los Angeles Kings, Detroit Red Wings, Hartford Whalers, Philadelphia Flyers, Chicago Blackhawks, Carolina Hurricanes & Boston Bruins – 1980-2001)
Crosby, Sidney / Forward (QMJHL, Rimouski Océanic – 2003-05) / (Pittsburgh Penguins – 2005-Present)
Doughty, Drew / Defenceman (OHL, Guelph Storm – 2005-08) / (Los Angeles Kings – 2008-Present)
Draisaitl, Leon / Forward (WHL, Prince Albert Raiders & Kelowna Rockets – 2012-15) / (Edmonton Oilers – 2015-Present)
Ferraro, Ray / Forward (WHL, Portland Winterhawks & Brandon Wheat Kings – 1982-84) / (Hartford Whalers, New York Islanders, Los Angeles Kings, Atlanta Thrashers, St. Louis Blues – 1984-2002)
Fleury, Marc-André / Goaltender (QMJHL, Cape Breton Screaming Eagles – 2000-04) / (Pittsburgh Penguins, Vegas Golden Knights, Chicago Blackhawks & Minnesota Wild – 2003-25)
Francis, Ron / Forward (OHL, Soo Greyhounds – 1980-82) / (Hartford Whalers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Carolina Hurricanes & Toronto Maple Leafs – 1981-2004)
Fuhr, Grant / Goaltender (WHL, Victoria Cougars – 1979-81) / (Edmonton Oilers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Buffalo Sabres, Los Angeles Kings, St. Louis Blues & Calgary Flames – 1981-2000)
Gilmour, Doug / Forward (OHL & QMJHL, Cornwall Royals – 1980-83) / (St. Louis Blues, Calgary Flames, Toronto Maple Leafs, New Jersey Devils, Chicago Blackhawks, Buffalo Sabres & Montreal Canadiens – 1983-2003)
Gretzky, Wayne / Forward (OHL, Peterborough Petes & Soo Greyhounds – 1977-78) / (Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, St. Louis Blues & New York Rangers – 1979-99)
Hall, Taylor / Forward (OHL, Windsor Spitfires – 2007-10) / (Edmonton Oilers, New Jersey Devils, Arizona Coyotes, Buffalo Sabres, Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks & Carolina Hurricanes – 2010-Present)
Hawerchuk, Dale / Forward (QMJHL – 1979-80, Cornwall Royals) / (Winnipeg Jets, Buffalo Sabres, St. Louis Blues & Philadelphia Flyers – 1981-97)
Iginla, Jarome / Forward (WHL, Kamloops Blazers – 1993-96) / (Calgary Flames, Pittsburgh Penguins, Boston Bruins, Colorado Avalanche & Los Angeles Kings – 1995-2017)
Kane, Patrick / Forward (OHL, London Knights – 2006-07) / (Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers & Detroit Red Wings – 2007-Present)
Lafontaine, Pat / Forward (QMJHL, Verdun Juniors – 1982-83) / (New York Islanders, Buffalo Sabres & New York Rangers – 1983-98)
Lecavalier, Vincent / Forward (QMJHL, Rimouski Océanic – 1996-98) / (Tampa Bay Lightning, Philadelphia Flyers & Los Angeles Kings – 1998-2016)
Lemieux, Mario / Forward (QMJHL, Laval Voisins – 1981-84) / (Pittsburgh Penguins – 1984-97 & 2000-06)
Lindros, Eric / Forward (OHL, Oshawa Generals – 1989-92) / (Philadelphia Flyers, New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs & Dallas Stars – 1992-2007)
Luongo, Roberto / Goaltender (QMJHL, Val-d’Or Foreurs & Acadie-Bathurst Titan – 1995-99) / (New York Islanders, Florida Panthers & Vancouver Canucks – 1999-2019)
MacInnis, Al / Defenceman (OHL, Kitchener Rangers – 1980-83) / (Calgary Flames & St. Louis Blues – 1981-2004)
MacKinnon, Nathan / Forward (QMJHL, Halifax Mooseheads – 2011-13) / (Colorado Avalanche – 2013-Present)
McDavid, Connor / Forward (OHL, Erie Otters – 2012-15) / (Edmonton Oilers – 2015-Present)
Modano, Mike / Forward (WHL, Prince Albert Raiders – 1986-89) / (Minnesota North Stars/Dallas Stars & Detroit Red Wings – 1988-2011)
Murphy, Larry / Defenceman (OHL, Peterborough Petes – 1978-80) / (Los Angeles Kings, Washington Capitals, Minnesota North Stars, Pittsburgh Penguins, Toronto Maple Leafs & Detroit Red Wings – 1980-2001)
Neely, Cam / Forward (WHL, Portland Winterhawks – 1982-84) / (Vancouver Canucks & Boston Bruins – 1983-96)
Niedermayer, Scott / Defenceman (WHL, Kamloops Blazers – 1989-92) / (New Jersey Devils & Anaheim Ducks – 1991-2010)
Perry, Corey / Forward (OHL, London Knights – 2001-05) / (Anaheim Ducks, Dallas Stars, Montreal Canadiens, Tampa Bay Lightning, Chicago Blackhawks, Edmonton Oilers & Los Angeles Kings – 2006-Present)
Price, Carey / Goaltender (WHL, Tri-City Americans – 2002-07) / (Montreal Canadiens – 2007-22)
Pronger, Chris – Defenceman (OHL, Peterborough Petes – 1991-93) / (Hartford Whalers, St. Louis Blues, Edmonton Oilers, Anaheim Ducks, & Philadelphia Flyers – 1993-2012)
Propp, Brian / Forward (WHL, Brandon Wheat Kings – 1976-79) / (Philadelphia Flyers, Boston Bruins, Minnesota North Stars & Hartford Whalers – 1979-94)
Recchi, Mark / Forward (WHL, New Westminster Bruins & Kamloops Blazers – 1984-88) / (Pittsburgh Penguins, Philadelphia Flyers, Montreal Canadiens, Carolina Hurricanes, Atlanta Thrashers, Tampa Bay Lightning & Boston Bruins – 1989-2011)
Richards, Brad / Forward (QMJHL, Rimouski Océanic – 1997-2000) / (Tampa Bay Lightning, Dallas Stars, New York Rangers, Chicago Blackhawks & Detroit Red Wings – 2000-16)
Robitaille, Luc / Forward (QMJHL, Hull Olympiques – 1983-86) / (Los Angeles Kings, Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Rangers & Detroit Red Wings – 1986-2006)
Roy, Patrick / Goaltender (QMJHL, Granby Bisons – 1982-85) / (Montreal Canadiens & Colorado Avalanche – 1984-2003)
Sakic, Joe / Forward (WHL, Lethbridge/Swift Current Broncos – 1985-88) / (Quebec Nordiques/Colorado Avalanche – 1988-2009)
Savard, Denis / Forward (QMJHL, Montreal Juniors – 1977-80) / (Chicago Blackhawks, Montreal Canadiens & Tampa Bay Lightning – 1980-97)
Shanahan, Brendan / Forward (OHL, London Knights – 1985-87) / (New Jersey Devils, St. Louis Blues, Hartford Whalers, Detroit Red Wings & New York Rangers – 1987-2009)
Smith, Bobby / Forward (OHL, Ottawa 67’s – 1975-78) / (Minnesota North Stars & Montreal Canadiens – 1978-93)
Stamkos, Steven / Forward (OHL, Sarnia Sting – 2006-08) / (Tampa Bay Lightning & Nashville Predators – 2008-Present)
Stevens, Scott / Defenceman (OHL, Kitchener Rangers – 1980-82) / (Washington Capitals, St. Louis Blues & New Jersey Devils – 1982-2004)
Tavares, John / Forward (OHL, Oshawa Generals & London Knights – 2005-09) / (New York Islanders & Toronto Maple Leafs – 2009-Present)
Thornton, Joe / Forward (OHL, Soo Greyhounds – 1995-97) / (Boston Bruins, San Jose Sharks, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Florida Panthers – 1997-2022)
Weber, Shea / Defenceman (WHL, Kelowna Rockets – 2001-05) / (Nashville Predators & Montreal Canadiens – 2005-21)
Yzerman, Steve / Forward (OHL, Peterborough Petes – 1981-83) / (Detroit Red Wings – 1983-2006)

A few inspiring minutes with Irving clarified things.

Nolan was a decorated coach in 2005, but hadn’t been behind the bench for the better part of a decade, following an ugly divorce with the Buffalo Sabres in 1997. One thing seemed clear to him in the aftermath of that split: Despite the fact he’d won NHL coach of the year honours and a Memorial Cup as bench boss of the Soo Greyhounds OHL squad that played close to his Garden River First Nation home, all doors were closed to Nolan.

“All of a sudden, boom! It’s like somebody turned the lights off,” Nolan says. “It was devastating. I took it very, very hard for a number of years. To the point where it almost ruined my marriage.” 

To his credit, Nolan worked to get to a better mental place and threw himself into meaningful pursuits with the Ted Nolan Foundation. With life on the upswing and some of his darkest days behind him, Nolan had some initial reservations about Irving’s offer to coach the Wildcats. “I was really happy again, content, then all of a sudden Mr. Irving gives me call,” he says.

Nolan understood that despite the fact he didn’t know Irving — a titan of Canadian business — connecting with a man of his stature in person was probably a good idea. Still, before leaving to meet Irving in Toronto, Nolan told his wife there was no way they were relocating to Moncton. 

“Fifteen minutes into the conversation, I excused myself from the room,” Nolan recalls. “I went down the hall, I called my wife and said, ‘We’re going to Moncton.’”

Irving’s passion for the game and community was infectious, and Nolan wanted in. Still, he hadn’t coached in eight seasons — hadn’t been a major junior coach for even longer — and did fear he’d have to shake some rust off. He prepared Irving for the fact it could take a month or so to get up to speed and the team’s record might suffer a bit out of the gate.

“I think we came out like 9-1or something like that,” Nolan says, remembering with delight how things wound up clicking right away. “The fans jumped on board right off the hop.”

Wildcat supporters certainly had a good team to cheer on. The club had earned a major recruiting win by convincing American defenceman Keith Yandle to come north instead of playing NCAA hockey. Moncton also had a young Maritimer on the roster in the form of Brad Marchand, who, in 2005-06, was ready to take a big step as a QMJHL sophomore.

“How he is in the NHL, that’s how he was in junior,” Nolan says of Marchand. “He’d be yapping at players on the other team and saying some crazy stuff and once in a while I’d have to rein him in a little bit. But I didn’t want to take his personality away because he was a dynamic player and a dynamic personality who loved to compete and win.”

Under Nolan, the Wildcats achieved a league-best 107 points, just one more than the powerhouse Quebec Remparts then coached by Patrick Roy. Roy might have been the only person in the QMJHL with a bigger profile than Nolan, so it was serious business when the two clubs met in the league final two years after Moncton had lost the showdown series to the Gatineau Olympiques. The Wildcats downed the Remparts in six games, becoming just the second team from the Maritimes to win the President’s Cup (now the Gilles-Courteau Trophy).

Of course, by virtue of being the host city, Moncton’s place in the 2006 Memorial Cup was assured even before it won the QMJHL playoffs. “Moncton is a great city to begin with,” Nolan says. “But having that many people coming into a wonderful city like that (for the tournament), seeing the hospitality of the Maritimers, it was fabulous.”

The home team did their part to keep the city rocking, making the final by virtue of defeating the WHL-champion Vancouver Giants 3-1 in the semifinal. That set up a rematch in the final with, who else, the Remparts. Unfortunately for Nolan and the Wildcats, Quebec — which beat Moncton in the round robin — got the better of them in the final contest, with two goals by tournament MVP Alexander Radulov propelling Roy’s team to a 6-2 victory and the title. 

As a Memorial Cup veteran — he went three straight years in the early 1990s as coach of the Greyhounds, plus his trip with Moncton — Nolan is well aware of the event’s capricious nature.

“I personally went four times and won it one time,” Nolan says. “The Memorial Cup is a very tricky cup to win because it’s one-game showdowns. But a league championship is different; (you’re playing) best of seven. So, when I look back and say, ‘would you rather win a league championship or a Memorial Cup?’ The Memorial Cup has more prestige, but the league championship (in a way) has a little bit more (credibility).”

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Casting back, one other consideration stands out to Nolan.

“If we had a 19-year-old Brad Marchand versus a 17-year-old Brad Marchand, we would have won for sure,” he says.

As it happens, neither Marchand nor Nolan were on the squad the following year. A trade landed Marchand in Val-d’Or and another unexpected call — this time from one of his closest allies in hockey — had Nolan headed back to the NHL after nearly a decade away from the world’s best league.

“I was crying when I told (Irving) the Islanders called and wanted me to go,” he says. “If it was just the Islanders calling, I’m not too sure I would have gone. But the man behind the call was Pat LaFontaine. The special relationship I had (by then) with Mr. Irving, I had (equally) with Pat LaFontaine.”

Nolan coached the Islanders for two seasons and, in quite a twist, found himself coaching in Buffalo again in 2013-14, when LaFontaine had moved on to work there. He also coached the Latvian men’s national team — guiding the squad at the 2014 Winter Olympics — while remaining an inspiration and champion for his First Nation community. It all culminated in Nolan receiving the Order of Sport from Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame this past fall. 

“If I didn’t go to Moncton, I would never have received the Order of Sport,” he says. “Because (going to) Moncton reinvigorated my career. It was all based on that 15-minute conversation I had with Mr. Iving to bring me back.”

He never could have imagined, in the moment, just how far back.

Even if Penn State forward Gavin McKenna, North Dakota defenceman Keaton Verhoeff and Swedish forward Ivar Stenberg are the top three picks in some order, there’s every chance about half of the first round will include players from Tuesday’s game in Calgary and Wednesday’s in Lethbridge, Alta.

The U.S. National Team Development Program’s under-18 team provides the opposition for a CHL squad made up of top prospects (from any country) for the 2026 NHL Draft.

It is the second year for the event. Last year’s two-game series in Ontario was a breakout for then-Erie Otters defenceman Matthew Schaefer, who went on to be picked first overall by the New York Islanders.

“We found in last year’s games in London and Oshawa, there was a really high compete level, players really cared, coaching staffs really cared and the calibre of play made for a really, really entertaining event,” CHL president Dan MacKenzie said in a recent interview. “We think that’s going to continue this year for fans. They’re going to get a chance to see likely more than half the first round playing in meaningful games against each other. It’s going to be a ton of fun.”

Windsor Spitfires forward Ethan Belchetz, who is listed in the top five of many mock drafts, sees the event as a great opportunity.

“It’s just kind of putting out your best hockey and showing everyone what you can produce,” he said. “You don’t want to get too wrapped up in the scouts and who’s in the building. All you want to do is have a great time with all your teammates. It’s a special event that you can’t take for granted.”

CHL team captain and Brantford Bulldogs forward Caleb Malhotra feels much the same way.

“This is where a lot of the A-rated players are congregated right now,” he said. “If I can prove myself with these guys, it’s bound to improve my stock … We’ll see what happens.”

SCOUT’S ANALYSIS

Here’s a look at some early-season observations I’ve made on players who will be competing in front of the NHL scouting community on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The players have been broken into two categories to match their NHL Central Scouting rating. ‘A’ prospects are first-round candidates, and ‘B’ prospects are second- and third-round candidates.

A-RATED PROSPECTS

Mathis Preston: 5-foot-11, 177 pounds, F, Spokane Chiefs, WHL

Preston is an intriguing prospect who can be deployed in a variety of roles. He plays the game with energy and tenacity. Preston tracks the play in all three zones, gets in shooting lanes defensively, and attacks with speed off the rush.

I’m curious to see how Preston impacts these games offensively. So far this season I’m projecting Preston as a potential second-line play driver or third-line, two-way energy provider. 

Xavier Villeneuve: 5-foot-11, 162 pounds, D, Blainville-Boisbriand Armada, QMJHL

Some members of the scouting community compare Villeneuve’s skill set to that of Montreal Canadiens dynamic defenceman Lane Hutson. Both players are undersized and have been blessed with elite offensive attributes. 

Villeneuve averages over 20 minutes per game in Blainville. Almost all of his ice time comes at even strength and when he is quarterbacking the power play. He’s a shifty playmaker who never shies away from attacking offensively. Through his first 23 games, he has produced five goals, 22 assists and he’s a very responsible plus-12. 

JP Hurlbert: 5-foot-11, 185 pounds, F, Kamloops Blazers, WHL

Hurlbert will be suiting up for Team CHL this week after making the move from the USNTDP to the CHL in the summer. He is a versatile player who can be trusted in a variety of situations. 

Last year at this time, Hurlbert was contributing secondary offence with the US program’s U17 team and ended the season with 19 goals and 18 assists. He’s turning heads with his output in Kamloops and displaying a much more aggressive approach overall. Hurlbert is a high-volume shooter who battles and drives to the net when he gets a lane. 

I’m monitoring Hurlbert’s skating. His mechanics are in place, but he has room to add more strength to his frame, which should lead to a more explosive stride. 

Ethan Belchetz: 6-foot-5, 228 pounds, LW, Windsor Spitfires, OHL 

The NHL game has never been played with more skill and speed than it is today. But recent draft cycles have been reintroducing a size element amongst the prospect pool and Belchetz fits the description. 

He is a strong skater who has shown the ability to separate in open ice and make plays moving off the flank in the offensive zone. He has the hockey sense and commitment to be deployed in all situations and is best described as a shooter more than a pure playmaker. Belchetz has contributed 16 goals and 12 assists so far this season. 

Here’s an example of what Belchetz can provide off the rush with his pace and finish:

B-RATED PROSPECTS

Mikey Berchild: 5-foot-9, 180 pounds, LW, USNTDP 

Berchild is a prospect I’m looking forward to watching closely in these games. What he lacks in height, he makes up for in strength and tenacity. 

I have yet to witness Berchild quit on a play, on or off the puck. He tracks the entire length of the ice, defends with an active stick, and has a high degree of “dart and dash” in transition offensively. A player like Berchild will benefit a great deal from these games if he leaves scouts with the impression he can contribute to team results in a variety of roles. 

Here’s an example of Berchild’s playmaking in the offensive zone:

Casey Mutryn, 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, RW, USNTDP

Not every prospect projects as a high-end offensive contributor at the NHL level. Some players have an attractive “floor” to go along with enough of a potential “ceiling” for skill that scouts identify as building blocks for their organization. 

Mutryn, in my opinion, projects as a bottom-six forward who could provide some secondary/depth offence. He’s capable with the puck, but what’s really appealing is his ability to push through checks to extend plays and generally take a power forward approach.

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Felix Plamondon, Vince Elie and Elias Schneider also scored for the Cataractes (8-5-1-2), who led 2-0 after the first period and 5-1 heading into the third.

Samuel Beauchemin, Nathan Langlois and William Vezina scored for the Huskies (11-4-2-1), who outshot the hosts 42-39.

The Huskies went 2-for-7 on the power play, while the Cataractes were 0-for-3 with the man advantage.

Elsewhere in the QMJHL on Saturday:

OLYMPIQUES 7, DRAKKAR 3

BAIE-COMEAU, Que. — Peter Legostaev had two goals and two assists, Justin Boisselle and Zakary Horvat-Edouard each scored twice, and the visiting Gatineau Olympiques torched the Baie-Comeau Drakkar 7-3.

Giovanni Collin also scored for the Olympiques (10-9-0-0), who led 5-0 after the first period and 7-2 heading into the third.

Alexis Michaud, Filip Vik and Mattias Gilbert scored for the Drakkar (2-12-2-2), who were outshot 42-22.

The Olympiques went 4-for-6 on the power play, while the Drakkar were 1-for-4.

OCEANIC 8, FOREURS 3

RIMOUSKI, Que. — Jack Martin had two goals and three assists, Liam Lefebvre and Logan Roop each scored twice, and the Rimouski Oceanic rolled over the visiting Val-d’Or Foreurs 8-3.

Mathys Dube and Lou Levesque also scored for the Oceanic (9-70-1), who led 3-0 after the first period and 6-1 heading into the third.

Etienne Maheu, Nathan Brisson and Anthony Pare scored for the Foreurs (7-8-2-2), who outshot the hosts 31-24.

The Oceanic went 0-for-3 on the power play, while the Foreurs were 0-for-6.

EAGLES 3, REGIMENT 1

ST. JOHN’S, Nfld. — Reece Peitzsche had a goal and assist as the visiting Cape Breton Eagles edged the Newfoundland Regiment 3-1.

Maxime Sauthier and Noah Jettelson also scored for the Eagles (6-7-1-3), who were outshot 46-26. Eagles netminder Connor Towle made 45 saves.

Liam Arsenault scored for the Regiment (9-8-1-0), who trailed 1-0 after the first period and 3-1 heading into the third.

The Eagles went 1-for-4 on the power play, while the Regiment were 0-for-6.

MOOSEHEADS 4, ISLANDERS 2

CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — Shawn Carrier and Caylen Blake each scored twice as the visiting Halifac Mooseheads overcame an early 2-0 deficit to defeat the Charlottetown Islanders 4-2.

Connor MacPherson chipped in with two assists for the Mooseheads (11-5-1-0), who were outshot 34-27.

Nathan Leek and Ross Campbell scored for the Islanders (11-5-1-3), who took a 2-0 lead into the third period.

The Mooseheads went 0-for-3 on the power play, while the Islanders were 0-for-1.

Mooseheads netminder Nicolas Gillham-Cirka stopped 32 of 34 shots, while Donald Hickey stopped 23 of 26 shots for the Islanders.

Matthew Virgilio, Simon Binkley, Kuzma Voronin and Gabe Smith also scored for the Wildcats (8-4-2-0), who led 3-0 after the first period and 5-1 heading into the third. Caleb Desnoyers also chipped in with two assists.

Torkel Jennersjo scored for the Armada (11-5-2-0), who were outshot 30-29 at Centre d’excellence Sports Rousseau.

The Wildcats went 1-for-4 on the power play, while the Armada were 0-for-4.

Elsewhere in the QMJHL on Thursday:

VOLTIGEURS 5 TIGRES 1

VICTORIAVILLE, Que. — Carter Fogarty and Yoan Tasse each had a goal and two assists as the visiting Drummondville Voltigeurs whipped the Victoriaville Tigers 5-1.

Jesse Allecia, Dylan Dumont and Louis-Felix Bourque also scored for the Voltigeurs (10-4-1-1). Owen Keefe chipped in with a pair of assists.

Alexis Bourque scored for the Tigres (6-8-2-0), who were outshot 41-22 and trailed 1-0 after the first period and 5-1 heading into the third.

The Tigres went 1-for-4 on the power play, while the Voltigeurs were 2-for-4.

OCEANIC 3 SEA DOGS 0

RIMOUSKI, Que. — Mathys Dube had a goal and assist, William Lacelle made 26 saves, and the Rimouski Oceanic blanked the visiting Saint John Sea Dogs 3-0.

Liam Lefebvre and Dovydas Jukna also scored for the Oceanic (8-7-0-1), who led 1-0 after the first period and 2-0 heading into the third.

The Sea Dogs (7-8-1-0), who went 0-for-3 on the power play, were outshot 28-26. The Oceanic were 0-for-4 on the power play.

Netminder Rafael Courchesne stopped 25 of 27 shots for the Sea Dogs.

While many hockey fans might be focusing on the Martone-versus-Gavin-McKenna angle, that storyline won’t be on the Philadelphia Flyers first-round pick’s mind during Friday and Saturday’s Big Ten games between the No. 1-ranked Spartans and No. 3 Nittany Lions in East Lansing, Mich.

“I’ve played with him at a couple events. He’s special,” the former Brampton Steelheads winger said in a telephone interview this week. “But for me, we don’t really trash talk or anything. I’m focused on what we’re doing here at Michigan State. I think we’ve just got to come out and play our game. I think if we do that, we’ve got a good chance at being successful.”

Make no mistake, though, weekends like this are what the six-foot-three Martone, 19, craved when he made the decision in July to play for Michigan State, weeks after being picked sixth overall by the Flyers in the NHL Draft.

Several weeks earlier, McKenna, 17, decided the NCAA also was best for him, leaving the Memorial Cup runner-up Medicine Hat Tigers to join Penn State as he bids to be picked first overall in next year’s NHL Draft.

Both players have lived up their billings. McKenna is tied for first among NCAA freshmen with 13 points (three goals, 10 assists) in 10 games, while Martone also is putting up very impressive numbers (three goals, six assists in six games).

With just-drafted players not eligible to play in the AHL until next season, Martone had to decide between going to camp with the Flyers and trying to make the NHL team — with the potential of being sent back to junior — or playing a year of U.S. college hockey.

“I sat down with my agents and the Flyers staff after development camp and tried to think what’s the best option for me to reach my full potential in five, 10 years when I’m in my prime,” he said. “At the end of the day, it was a really tough decision. Obviously, you want to go to an NHL training camp and put your best foot forward to make the NHL but also there’s different circumstances. You can go play college hockey (after a rule change this season opened the door for CHL players).

“When I sat down, I thought a year in the weight room and a year practising five days a week was going to be best for my development. I made the decision to come to Michigan State and it’s been amazing so far. I couldn’t have had a better time here.”

This is not a one-size-fits-all situation.

Of the 16 North Americans drafted in the top 20 picks of the first round this year, three remain in the NHL, eight are in the CHL and five are in the NCAA. Of the eight in the CHL, two got in NHL games before being returned to their junior teams — Braeden Cootes (Vancouver Canucks, Seattle Thunderbirds) and Brady Martin (Nashville Predators, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds).

The ability to focus on off-ice work in top-notch facilities — he said director of athletic performance Will Morlock was one of the biggest draws of Michigan State — was appealing to Martone. So too was the heavy practice schedule and the chance to play against older players as a developing power forward.

“I did explore some options but when I came to Michigan State for my visit, talking to coach (Adam) Nightingale, kind of the philosophy they have here, they’re really down-to-earth people,” Martone said. “I really respect everyone and just kind of the culture they have here. The big thing for me was nothing was going to be given to me. That’s something I really liked. … Nothing’s given to everyone. You’ve got to work for it.”

That has to be the case with a whopping 15 NHL Draft picks on the Spartans roster. Add in the atmosphere in rinks when playing power-conference behemoths like Penn State and Michigan — Martone often played in front of sparse crowds in Brampton — and you can see why Michigan State would be attractive.

“Just coming to the college atmosphere, the band playing, the student section, I wasn’t really used to that in junior hockey,” Martone said. “I was just kind of excited to step in right away and get used to the rowdy atmosphere and the college-hockey feel.”

Meanwhile, it’s expected Martone and McKenna will put on the same uniform again next month at the Canadian world junior training camp in Niagara Falls, Ont.

Both players were part of last year’s team in Ottawa that was eliminated in the quarterfinals for the second year in a row.

“Any time you put on the Canadian flag, you’re always expected to do the best and win a gold medal,” said Martone, who also got to play two games for Canada at the men’s world championship last spring. “Obviously to lose in the quarterfinals isn’t what we go for. … It was tough. There were some tears shed.

“But for me and everyone who was on that team who could get another shot at it, it’s a learning experience. We’re definitely going to have an attack mentality this year.”

Injury updates

Two top NCAA contenders got bad news this week.

Michigan, ranked No. 2, announced freshman defenceman and Calgary Flames prospect Henry Mews will miss the rest of the season with an injury after taking a knee-on-knee hit against Notre Dame last week.

Meanwhile, Penn State said third-year forward and Nashville Predators prospect Aiden Fink will be out for the foreseeable future with an upper-body injury. Fink was a Hobey Baker finalist last season.

Meanwhile, veteran OHL broadcaster Terry Doyle reported 2026 NHL Draft prospect Alessandro Di Iorio of the Sarnia Sting is close to returning from an elbow injury and making his season debut. The forward was picked to play in the CHL USA Prospects Challenge later this month.

Games to watch

Friday, Nov. 7: Denver Pioneers (4-3-1) at Western Michigan Broncos (5-3), 7 p.m. ET

The reigning national champion Broncos were trounced 5-1 at St. Cloud State on Saturday and are fourth in this week’s USCHO rankings heading into a two-game series vs. No. 9 Denver. San Jose Sharks prospect and Denver blue-liner Eric Pohlkamp (five goals, four assists in eight games) is fourth among NCAA defencemen in scoring.

Friday, Nov. 7: Brantford Bulldogs (13-0-2-1) at Oshawa Generals (5-12-0-0), 7:05 p.m. ET

It’s Maple Leafs first-round pick Ben Danford’s first game back in Oshawa, Ont. since he was traded to the powerhouse Bulldogs last week. The defenceman was captain of the two-time reigning Eastern Conference champion Generals, who are now in rebuild mode.

Saturday, Nov. 8: Halifax Mooseheads (10-5-1-0) at Charlottetown Islanders (11-4-1-3), 7 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. AT

The opener of a home-and-home series between two of the top teams in the QMJHL’s Eastern Conference. Charlottetown blue-liner Marcus Kearsey (seven goals, 11 assists in 17 games) is second in scoring among defencemen in the Q.

Saturday, Nov. 8: U17 World Challenge final at Truro, N.S., 7:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. AT

The final of an international tourney featuring two Canadian teams. Saint John Sea Dogs star Alexis Joseph had three goals and an assist for Canada Red in its opener, while Regina Pats Western Canadian Developmental Model rookies Liam Pue (two goals, three assists) and Maddox Schultz (three goals) led Canada White to victory in its first game.

Tuesday, Nov. 11: Prince Albert Raiders (10-0-3-0) at Everett Silvertips (13-1-1-0), 10:05 p.m. ET / 7:05 p.m. PT

Two of the top teams in the WHL square off. The Silvertips haven’t missed a beat despite star defenceman Landon DuPont being out of the lineup since Oct. 19 because of injury.

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Xavier Lebel, Maddox Dagenais, Charles-Antoine Dubé and Mathias Loiselle provided the rest of the offence for Quebec City (7-9-1). Patrick Deniger made 28 saves.

Maxime Coursol, Jordan Labelle, Philippe Veilleux and Mathias Bourque scored for Val-d’Or (7-7-1-2). Émile Beaunoyer stopped 20 shots.

After opening the game with a 2-0 lead, the Remparts found themselves down 4-3 following Bourque’s goal at 3:22 of the third period. Loiselle tied the game with a short-handed goal at 8:14 before Straka sealed the victory on the power play. 

—

SAGUENEENS 6 DRAKKAR 0

BAIE-COMEAU, Que. — Maxim Massé had two goals and two assists, Thomas Desruisseaux added one goal and three helpers and the Chicoutimi Sagueneens crushed the Baie-Comeau Drakkar 6-0.

Maxim Schäfer, Gryphon Watson-Bucci and Anton Linde also scored for Chicoutimi (10-2-1-2), while Raphael Précourt earned a 22-save shutout.

Lucas Beckman stopped 27 out of 33 shots he faced for Baie-Comeau (2-11-2-2).

Louis-Etienne Halley and Peter Legostaev also scored for the Olympiques (9-8-0-0), who led 1-0 after the first period and 3-2 heading into the third at Centre Slush Puppie.

Enzo Lottin and Alexey Vlasov scored for the Tigres (6-7-2-0), who were outshot 42-26.

The Olympiques went 3-for-5 on the power play, while the Tigres were 0-for-3 with the man advantage.

Netminder Gabriel D’Aigle stopped 39 of 42 shots for the Tigres, while Danai Shaiikov stopped 24 of 26 shots for the Olympiques.

Elsewhere in the QMJHL on Sunday:

OCEANIC 3, REMPARTS 2

QUEBEC CITY, Que. — Evan Depatie’s power-play goal at 5:59 of the third period snapped a 2-2 tie and lifted the visiting Rimouski Oceanic to a 3-2 win over the Quebec Remparts.

Jack Martin and Luke Patterson also scored for the Oceanic (7-7-0-1), who were tied 2-2 heading into the third period.

Xavier Lebel and Nathan Quinn scored for the Remparts (6-9-1-0), who outshot the visitors 47-27, but netminder William Lacelle stopped 45 shots for the Oceanic. Remparts’ netminder Louis-Antoine stopped 24 of 27 shots.

The Oceanic went 1-for-2 on the power play, while the Remparts were 0-for-2.

WILDCATS 4, SEA DOGS 2

SAINT JOHN, N.B. — Gabe Smith and Teddy Mutryn each had a goal and assist and the visiting Moncton Wildcats knocked off the Saint John Sea Dogs 4-2.

Alex Mercier and Niko Tournas also scored for the visitors in the battle between Cats and Dogs.

Olivier Grouxl and Max Vilen scored for the Sea Dogs (7-7-1-0), who were tied 1-1 after the first period, but trailed 2-1 heading into the third.

The Sea Dogs, who outshot the visitors 28-25, went 0-for-2 on the power play. The Wildcats (7-4-2-0) were 0-for-1 with the man advantage.

FOREURS 3, ISLANDERS 2

VAL-D’OR, Que. — Philippe Veilleux scored at 13:54 of the third period to snap a 2-2 tie and lift the Val-d’Or Foreurs to a 3-2 victory over the visiting Charlottetown Islanders.

Samuel Fiala and Alexis Fortin also scored for the Foreurs (7-6-1-2), while Jeremy Leroux and Louis-Charles Plourde each had two assists.

Marcus Kearsey and Anthony Flanagan scored for the Islanders (11-4-1-3), who outshot the hosts 28-24.

The teams were tied 1-1 after the first period and the Foreurs took a 2-1 lead into the third. The Foreurs went 0-for-2 on the power play, while the Islanders were 0-for-4.

PHOENIX 4, DRAKKAR 3

BAIE-COMEAU, Que. — Mavrick Lachance, Thomas Rousseau, Louis-Alex Tremblay and Robin Benoit each had a goal and assist as the visiting Sherbrooke Phoenix edged the Baie-Comeau Drakkar 4-3.

The Drakkar scored the first two goals of the game, then surrendered four straight to the Phoenix (9-5-1-0), before scoring their third with 10 seconds left in the game.

Gleb Semenov, Joseph Cadorin and Shawn Pearson scored for the Drakkar (2-10-2-2), who led 2-1 after the first period, but were tied 2-2 heading into the third. The hosts outshot the Phoenix 29-23.

The Phoenix went 2-for-4 on the power play, while the Drakkar went 0-for-1.

CATARACTES 6, REGIMENT 5 (OT)

ST. JOHN’s, Nfld. — Elias Schneider’s second goal of the game, scored at 1:14 of overtime, lifted the Shawinigan Cataractes to a 6-5 win over the Newfoundland Regiment.

Jiri Klima also scored twice for the Cataractes (7-4-1-2), while Vince Elie and Cole Chandler netted singles. Felix Plamondon, Felix Lacerte and COle each chipped in with two assists.

Justin Larose scored twice for the Regiment (9-6-1-0), who were outshot 33-29. Will Reynolds, Maddex Marmulak and Liam Arsenault also scored for the Regiment, who went 1-for-4 on the power play. The Cataractes were 2-for-4 with the man advantage.

The Cataractes led 4-1 after the first period and took a 5-3 lead into the third.

Nathan Langlois, Samuel Theault and Charles Laforest also scored for the Huskies (9-3-2-1), who outshot the visitors 39-30. Samuel Beauchemin chipped in with three assists, while Alex Lemire had a pair of helpers.

Jasu Mensonen, Oleg Kulebiakin, Connor MacPherson and Quinn Kennedy scored for the Mooseheads (10-4-1-0), who led 3-1 after the first period and took a 3-2 lead into the third. Daniel Walters had two assists.

The Huskies went 3-for-6 on the power play, while the Mooseheads were 1-for-3.

Elsewhere in the QMJHL on Friday:

VOLTIGEURS 2, SAGUENEENS 1 (OT)

CHICOUTIMI, Que. — Xavier Cormier scored at 2:41 of overtime to lift the visiting Drummondville Voltigeurs to a 2-1 win over the Chicoutimi Sagueneens.

William Dumont also scored for the Voltigeurs (8-4-1-1), who outshot the hosts 36-20.

Maxim Schafer scored for the Sagueneens (8-2-1-2), who went 1-for-2 on the power play. The Volts were 0-for-4 with the man advantage.

The Voltigeurs led 1-0 after the first period and the teams were tied 1-1 after 40 minutes.

Netminder Raphael Precourt stopped 34 of 36 shots for the Sagueneens.

Jan Larys stopped 19 of 20 for the Voltigeurs.

ARMADA 4, TIGRES 1

VICTORIAVILLE, Que. — Justin Carbonneau scored twice to lead the visiting Blainville-Boisbriand Armada to a 4-1 win over the Victoriaville Tigres.

Matt Gosselin and Bo Damphousse also scored for the Armada (10-4-2-0), who led 3-0 after the first period 4-0 heading into the third.

Deryk Lemaire scored for the Tigres (6-6-2-0) with 3:01 left in the third period.

The Armada, who went 0-for-5 on the power play, outshot the Tigres 39-33. The hosts were 1-for-7 with the man advantage.

REMPARTS 6, OCEANIC 1

RIMOUSKI, Que — Mathias Loiselle, Nathan Quinn and Mavrick Rousseau-Hamel each had a goal and assist as the visiting Quebec Remparts rolled past the Rimouski Oceanic 6-1.

Maddox Dagenais, Charlie Morrison and Cal Uens also scored for the Remparts (6-8-1-0), who scored four times after a scoreless first period. Xavier Lebel and Nikita Ovcharov each chipped in with two assists.

Oliver Czaja scored for the Oceanic (6-7-0-1), who outshot the visitors 29-28.

The Remparts went 2-for-4 on the power play, while the Oceanic were 0-for-4.

Angelo Fullerton, Cameron Chartrand, Elliot Dubé and Dylan Rozzi also scored for Saint John (7-6-1). 

Starter Rafael Courchesne stopped three of the five shots he faced in the first 6:16 of the game. Justin Robinson turned away 23 of 25 shots the rest of the way in the win.

Adam Klaus, with two goals, Rory Pilling and Jacob De Ladurantaye replied for Cape Breton (4-7-1-3), which lost its fifth straight. Felix Hamel made 27 saves.

Down 3-2 after the first period and tied 3-3 after two, the Sea Dogs got goals from Beaulieu and Rozzi to take their first lead of the game halfway through the third period. After De Ladurantaye made it a one-goal game at 13:01, Beaulieu scored an empty-netter with 1:15 left to seal it.

—

PHOENIX 6 ISLANDERS 2

SHERBROOKE, Que. — Florent Houle scored twice as the Sherbrooke Phoenix used a four-goal first period to fuel a 6-2 win over the Charlottetown Islanders.

Mavrick Lachance, Cameron Haye, Jayden Plouffe and Martins Klaucans provided the rest of the offence for Sherbrooke (8-4-1), which held a 4-1 edge after 20 minutes.

Tyler Peddle and Ross Campbell replied for Charlottetown (11-3-1-2).

Campbell’s winner capped a run of three unanswered goals that saw Charlottetown (11-2-1-2) come back from down 3-1.

Anthony Flanagan, Jude Herron and CJ Watroba also scored for the Islanders.

Alexey Vlasov, with two goals, and Egor Shilov scored for Victoriaville (6-5-2).

MOOSEHEADS 7 ARMADA 5

BOISBRIAND, Que. — Oleg Kulebiakin and Quinn Kennedy each scored twice as the Halifax Mooseheads outlasted the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada 7-5.

Entering the third period tied at 3-3, the Mooseheads jumped out to a 6-3 edge before settling for outscoring the hosts 4-2 in the final frame.

Halifax (10-4-0) went 3 for 7 on the power play, while Blainville-Broisbriand (9-4-2) went 0 for 5.

SEA DOGS 4 EAGLES 0

SYDNEY, N.S. — Everett Baldwin scored two goals and Rafael Courchesne earned a 26-save shutout as the Saint John Sea Dogs topped the Cape Breton Eagles 4-0.

Zachary Morin and Matthew Krayer also scored for Saint John (6-6-1). 

Felix Hamel stopped 25 shots for Cape Breton (4-6-1-3).

Quinn Kennedy, Amelio Santini, Shawn Carrier and Liam Kilfoil (empty-netter) also scored for the Mooseheads (9-4-0-0), who trailed 2-0 after the first period, but led 4-2 heading into the third at the Avenir Centre.

Matthew Virgilio and Preston Lounsbury scored for the Wildcats (6-4-2-0), who outshot the visitors 39-31. Kuzma Voronin chipped in with two assists.

The Mooseheads went 1-for-6 on the power play, while the Wildcats were 0-for-5.

Wildcats netminder Rudy Guimond made 26 saves.

Elsewhere in the QMJHL on Sunday:

ISLANDERS 3, EAGLES 2 (SO)

CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — Matthew Butler scored the only goal of a three-round shootout to lift the Charlottetown Islanders to a 3-2 victory over the visiting Cape Breton Eagles.

CJ Watroba and Nathan Leek scored regulation time goals for the Islanders (10-2-1-2), who went 1-for-3 on the power play.

Jacob Hartlin and Romain Litalien scored for the Eagles (4-5-1-3), who forced overtime with a goal at 16:30 of the third period.

Both teams had 31 shots on goal. The Eagles were 0-for-2 on the power play.

TIGRES 4, SAGUENEENS 3 (SO)

VICTORIAVILLE, Que. — Alexis Bourque scored the only goal of a five-round shootout to lift the Victoriaville Tigres to a 4-3 win over the visiting Chicoutimi Sagueneens.

Olivier Laverdiere, Alexey Vlasov and Deryk Lemaire scored in regulation time for the Tigres (6-5-1-0), who outshot the visitors 27-26.

Emile Ricard, Emile Guite and Alexandre Desmarais scored for the Sagueneens (8-2-0-2), who led 2-1 after the first period and 3-2 heading into the third. Xavier Daigle chipped in with three assists.

The Tigres went 0-for-2 on the power play, while the Sagueneens were 1-for-2.

Justin Larose, Dominic Pilote and Max Dinneen (empty-netter) also scored for the Regiment (7-6-0-0), who led 1-0 after the first period and 2-1 heading into the third at Mary Brown’s Centre. William Reynolds chipped in with two assists. The Regiment went 0-for-3 on the power play.

Max Vilen, Dylan Rozzi and Alexis Joseph scored for the Sea Dogs (5-5-1-0), who were 1-for-5 with the man advantage.

Regiment netminder Antoine Proulx stopped 29 of 32 shots, while Justin Robinson stopped 27 of 32 for the Sea Dogs.

WILDCATS 4, ISLANDERS 2

CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — Preston Lounsbury and Niko Tournas each had a goal and assist as the visiting Moncton Wildcats defeated the Charlottetown Islanders 4-2.

Gabe Smith and Alex Mercier also scored for the Wildcats (6-3-2-0), who were outshot 32-27. Tommy Bleyl chipped in with two assists.

Marcus Kearsey and Jude Herron scored for the Islanders (9-2-1-2), who were tied 1-1 after the first period, but trailed 3-1 heading into the third.

The Wildcats went 2-for-4 on the power play, while the Islanders were 0-for-4.

Wildcats netminder Rudy Guimond stopped 30 of 32 shots, while Donald Hickey stopped 23 of 26 shots for the Islanders.

In other games: The Quebec Remparts beat the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada 3-2, the Gatineau Olympiques edged the Val-d’Or Foreurs 4-3 in a shootout, the Shawinigan Cataractes beat the Sherbrooke Phoenix 7-4, the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies lost 5-3 to the Drummondville Voltigeurs, and the Baie-Comeau Drakkar beat the Rimouski Oceanic 5-2.

William Vezina and Eliot Ogonowski also scored for the Huskies (7-2-2-1), who trailed 2-0 early in the second period. Thomas Verdon chipped in with two assists.

Zachary Roussy and Alex Dagenais scored for the Olympiques (7-6-0-0), who were outshot 31-20.

The Huskies, who went 1-for-4 on the power play, trailed 1-0 after the first period, but were tied 2-2 heading into the third.

Elsewhere in the QMJHL on Sunday:

ARMADA 8, CATARACTES 5

SHAWINIGAN, Que. — Vincent Desjardins scored twice and added three assists as the visiting Blainville-Boisbriand Armada defeated the Shawinigan Cataractes 8-5.

Justin Carbonneau scored twice for the Armada (9-1-2-0), while Alexandre Carbonneau, Mateo Nobert, Olivier Lemieux and Rafael Cloutier netted singles. Xavier Villeneuve chipped in with three assists. 

The Armada were outshot 36-25.

Felix Lacerte scored twice for the Cataractes (4-3-1-2), who trailed 4-2 after the first period, but were tied 4-4 heading into the third. Jordan Tourigny, Brogan McNeil and Jordan Forget also scored for the Cataractes. Raoul Boilard had two assists.

The Armada went 2-for-5 on the power play, while the Cataractes were 3-for-6.

VOLTIGEURS 4, EAGLES 1

DRUMMONDVILLE, Que. — Renaud Poulin scored twice, Matteo Rotondi and Trent Gates each had two assists, and the Drummondville Voltigeurs knocked off the visiting Cape Breton Eagles 4-1.

Jesse Allecia and Yoan Tasse also scored for the Voltigeurs (5-4-1-1), who led 1-0 after the first period and 4-1 heading into the third.

Eliot Litalien scored for the Eagles (4-4-1-2), who were outshot 35-26.

The Eagles were 0-for-1 on the power play, while the Volts went 0-for-2.

Emile Guite, Emmanuel Vermette, Alexandre Desmarais and Maxim Schafer also scored for the Sagueneens (7-2-0-1), who outshot the Remparts 39-30.

Cal Uens scored twice for the Remparts (4-7-1-0) and Nathan Quinn had two assists.

The Sagueneens went 3-for-9 on the power play, while the Remparts were 1-for-4.

Elsewhere in the QMJHL on Saturday:

HUSKIES 3 ARMADA 1

BOISBRIAND, Que. — Thomas Verdon had a goal and assist and the visiting Rouyn-Noranda Huskies defeated the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada 3-1.

Jayden Pominville and Benjamin Brunelle also scored for the Huskies (6-2-2-1), who outshot the hosts 28-22.

Torkel Jennersjo scored for the Armada (8-1-2-0), who trailed 2-0 after the first period and 3-1 heading into the third.

OCEANIC 2 PHOENIX 1 (OT)

RIMOUSKI, Que. — Liam Lefebvre scored 20 seconds into overtime to lift the Rimouski Oceanic to a 2-1 win over the visiting Sherbrooke Phoenix.

Samuel Thibault scored in regulation for the Oceanic (6-4-0-1), who were outshot 42-37.

Eloi Bourdeau scored for the Phoenix (6-3-1-0), who went 0-for-1 on the power play. The Oceanic were 0-for-4 with the man advantage.

REGIMENT 4 MOOSEHEADS 2

HALIFAX, N.S. — Liam Arsenault’s goal at 15:56 of the second period snapped a 2-2 tie and lifted the visiting Newfoundland Regiment to a 4-2 victory over the Halifax Mooseheads.

Benjamin Veitch, Louis-Francois Belanger and Blake Pilgrim-Edwards (empty-netter) also scored for the Regiment (6-6-0-0), who outshot the hosts 34-21.

Caylen Blake and Oleg Kulebiakin scored for the Mooseheads (7-4-0-0), who trailed 2-1 after the first period and 3-2 heading into the third.

FOREURS 7 SEA DOGS 3

SAINT JOHN, N.B. — Maxime Coursol scored three goals and Samuel Fiala netted a pair as the visiting Val-d’Or Foreurs beat the Saint John Sea Dogs 7-3.

Mavrik Duhaime and Philippe Veilleux also scored for the Foreurs (5-5-1-1), who were tied 3-3 after the first period but led 6-3 heading into the third.

Dylan Rozzi, Olivier Groulx and Angelo Fullerton scored for the Sea Dogs (5-4-1-0), who outshot the visitors 37-26.

Alexis Bourque scored twice for the Tigres (5-5-0-0), while Thomas Paquet had a goal and two assists and Shilov added an empty-net goal with 16 seconds left in the game at the Avenir Centre.

Niko Tournas scored twice for the Wildcats (5-3-2-0), while Simon Binkley netted a single.

The Tigers led 1-0 after the first period and 3-2 heading into the third.

The Wildcats outshot the Tigres 48-23 but couldn’t solve netminder Anthony Catanzariti, who stopped 45 of 48 shots.

The Tigres went 3-for-4 on the power play, while the Wildcats were 0-for-4.

Elsewhere in the QMJHL on Friday:

FOREURS 5 ISLANDERS 4 (SO)

CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — Evan Sercerchi scored in the seventh round of a shootout to lift the visiting Val-d’Or Foreurs to a 5-4 win over the Charlottetown Islanders.

Maxime Coursol, Mathias Bourque, Hemrick Carbonneau and Benjamin Olivier scored in regulation time for the Foreurs (4-5-1-1). Eduard Bondar chipped in with two assists.

William Shields scored three times for the Islanders (9-1-1-2), while Antoine Provencher netted a single. Matthew Butler chipped in with two assists.

The Foreurs led 2-1 after the first period and 3-2 after the second.

The Foreurs outshot the Islanders 35-22.

Foreurs’ goalie Emile Beaunoyer stopped 18 of 22 shots, while Islanders netminder Donald Hickey stopped 31 of 35 shots.

OCEANIC 5 PHOENIX 2

RIMOUSKI, Que. — Evan Depatie had two goals and an assist as the Rimouski Oceanic beat the visiting Sherbrooke Phoenix 5-2.

Liam Lefebvre and Mathys Dube had a goal and two assists each for the Oceanic (5-4-0-1), while Jack Martin netted a single.

Florent Houle and Mavrick Lachance scored for the Phoenix (6-3-0-0), who were outshot 34-31.

The teams were tied 1-1 after the first period and the Oceanic led 3-1 heading into the third.

MOOSEHEADS 3 REGIMENT 0

HALIFAX, N.S. — Nicolas Gillham-Cirka stopped 32 shots to earn the shutout as the Halifax Mooseheads blanked the Newfoundland Regiment 3-0.

Daniel Walters, Caylen Blake and Antoine Fontaine scored for the Mooseheads (7-3-0-0).

Goaltender Antoine Proulx stopped 28 of 30 shots for the Regiment (5-6-0-0-).

SAGUENEENS 3 REMPARTS 0

CHICOUTIMI, Que. — Raphael Précourt stopped 19 shots to earn the shutout and lead the Chicoutimi Sagueneens to a 3-0 win over the visiting Quebec Remparts.

Emile Guite, Christophe Berthelot and Alonso Gosselin scored for the Sagueneens (6-2-0-1).

Goaltender Benjamin Lelievre stopped 28 of 31 shots for the Remparts (4-6-1-0).

EAGLES 4 DRAKKAR 3 (SO)

BAIE-COMEAU, Que. — The visiting Cape Breton Eagles defeated the Baie-Comeau Drakkar 4-3 via the shootout.

Samuel Rocca, Maxime Sauthier and Lucas Romeo all scored once the Eagles (4-3-1-2) in regulation time.

Eagles netminder Connor Towle stopped 24 of 27 shots.

Alexis Mathieu, Kyle Powers and Drew Allison scored for the winless Drakkar (0-8-2-2).

Drakkar netminder Lucas Beckman kicked out 40 of 43 shots.

OLYMPIQUES 3 CATARACTES 2 (SO)

GATINEAU, Que. — Simon-Xavier Cyr scored the winning goal in the fourth round of a shootout as the Gatineau Olympiques edged the visiting Shawinigan Cataractes 3-2.

Gabriel Seguin and Alex Dagenais scored in regulation for the Olympiques (7-5-0-0), who were outshot 29-28.

Mathieu Plante and Jacob Lachance scored for the Cataractes (4-2-1-2).

ARMADA 8 VOLTIGEURS 3

BOISBRIAND, Que. — Justin Carbonneau scored three times, Xavier Villeneuve had a goal and three assists, and the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada shelled the visiting Drummondville Voltigeurs 8-2.

Olivier Filaj, Mateo Nobert, Olivier Lemieux and Zackary Plamondon also scored for the Armada (8-0-2-0).

William Dumont and Dylan Dumont scored for the Voltigeurs (4-4-1-1), who were outshot 41-37.

Antoine Provencher, Nolan Duskocy, CJ Watroba and Anthony Flanagan also scored for Charlottetown (9-1-1-1). Donald Hickey made 18 saves.

Enzo Lottin, with two goals, Brady Flynn and Alexey Vlasov responded for Victoriaville (4-5-0). Gabriel D’Aigle stopped 43 shots.

Walsh’s goal capped a run of three straight goals by the Islanders to take a 5-3 lead.

Lottin scored his second of the game with 4:48 left in the contest to make it a one-goal game.

EAGLES 3 DRAKKAR 2

BAIE-COMEAU, Que. – Reece Peitzsche scored the game-tying and winning goals in the second period as the Cape Breton Eagles defeated the Baie-Comeau Drakkar 3-2.

Tomas Lavoie tied the game at 1-1 for Cape Breton (2-3-1-2) on the power play at 15:34 of the first period. Félix Hamel made 27 saves.

Alexis Mathieu and Zachary Hachey scored for Baie-Comeau (0-7-2-1). Lucas Beckman stopped 38 shots.

Niko Tournas, Teddy Mutryn and Adam Fortier-Gendron provided the rest of the offence for Moncton (5-2-2). Jacoby Weiner made 15 saves.

Jordan Labelle and Samuel Fiala replied with power-play goals for Val-d’Or (3-5-1-1). Émile Beaunoyer gave up six goals on 18 shots before exiting the game in the second period, with Vincent Moreau stopping 19-of-20 shots in relief. 

Labelle and Fiala’s goals cut the deficit to 6-2 before Binkley scored his sixth of the season at 5:03 of the third period.

MOOSEHEADS 4, TIGRES 2

HALIFAX — Owen Bresson made 29 saves, Liam Kilfoil had a goal and an assist and the Halifax Mooseheads topped the Victoriaville Tigres 4-2.

Caylen Blake, Oleg Kulebiakin and Shawn Carrier also scored for Halifax (6-3-0).

Egor Shilov and Alexey Vlasov replied for Victoriaville (4-4-0). Gabriel D’Aigle stopped 29 shots.

From the Maple Leafs to the IceCaps to the Growlers, Stanford has worked for nearly every major club to call Canada’s easternmost province home — and eventually pack up shop — since the 1990s.

But the momentum behind the Regiment, a new team with more than 2,400 season tickets sold in its first Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League season, reminds the longtime executive of Newfoundland’s best hockey days.

“This one has a special feel to it,” said Stanford, the Regiment’s president. “The only thing I can compare it to is the St. John’s IceCaps. We were sold out for three-and-a-half years, and we’re not there with the Regiment, but the support the community has shown is certainly at that level.

“I think it’s here to stay.”

It’s the province’s second foray into the QMJHL. The St. John’s Fog Devils, an expansion franchise, lasted three seasons from 2005 to 2008 due to heavy financial losses stemming from travel costs and what then-commissioner Gilles Courteau called the worst arena deal in the league.

This time, current commissioner Mario Cecchini says the Regiment are better positioned to succeed.

“We didn’t have basically the right ownership and we didn’t have a good deal with the building. It was not a good lease,” Cecchini said of the Fog Devils. “I don’t think we can have a better ownership local group than we have there, and then the lease with the city and the building … it’s a fair deal.”

Local business group SPS Entertainment purchased the Acadie-Bathurst Titan last December and relocated the franchise to St. John’s this season in an effort led by Stanford, who did not work for the Fog Devils.

The Regiment — named after the Royal Newfoundland Regiment — opened with three straight sellouts at the 6,000-seat Mary Brown’s Centre, including an electric 7-5 win Sept. 18 over the defending-champion Moncton Wildcats on opening night.

For Benjamin Veitch and Quinn Norman, two 15-year-olds from St. John’s and the club’s first two draft picks, stepping onto the ice before a raucous local crowd was a moment they’ll never forget.

“Took me back to when I used to watch all the IceCaps and Growlers,” Norman said. “I was in the stands one time in my life, but now I’m that person playing on Mary Brown’s Centre.”

“It was unreal,” Veitch added. “Just seeing the community come out as one and just pack all the seats in this rink and just such a cool environment.”

Now that he’s in the city’s hockey spotlight, Veitch said fans sometimes stop him to ask for pictures.

“That’s just so cool, and it just shows the level of how much the fans care,” he said. “It’s such a hockey town in St. John’s, and I think there should always be a team here.”

Stanford said fans have always supported teams despite the long line of previous departures. He noted the province’s rich hockey history, with spectators filling buildings for interprovincial games from St. John’s to Corner Brook long before professional teams arrived.

“Hockey has been part of our tradition here,” Stanford said. “It has been a part of history and it will continue to be in the future.”

The St. John’s Maple Leafs of the American Hockey League left for Toronto in 2005 as part of an NHL-wide trend of moving farm teams closer to parent cities. The IceCaps came in 2011 as Winnipeg’s affiliate but left two years after the Jets — initially in the East — moved to the Western Conference. Montreal’s IceCaps were always a two-season stopgap before the Canadiens moved their minor-league team to Laval, Que.

Meanwhile, Stanford said the Newfoundland Growlers, who were expelled from the ECHL late in the 2023-24 season, never recovered financially from the COVID-19 pandemic.

But geography remains a challenge. St. John’s is a flight away from every QMJHL market and sits more than 500 kilometres from its closest rival, the Cape Breton Eagles.

“The biggest line item on your expense side of your budget is travel,” Stanford said. “For all of the teams here, that has been one of the biggest obstacles.”

The Regiment cover airfare for all visiting teams, a travel subsidy that all Newfoundland teams have had to provide. To limit costs, the team hosts opponents on back-to-back nights throughout the season, which Stanford said can be difficult to sell.

Cecchini said the Regiment face “a little” more pressure than other teams to fill their larger arena, but that the ownership group presented a solid financial plan.

“They did the calculations,” he said. “Nobody took that lightly, and I know that these people can count, so we are satisfied with what they did and how they arranged it.”

Based on the early excitement he’s seen, Regiment coach and general manager Gordie Dwyer — who moved with the franchise from Bathurst, N.B. — believes in the team’s long-term future.

“I definitely feel the appetite for hockey here is electric,” he said. “From the community, there’s a real sense of excitement, and there’s a real buzz around the hockey team and in the community.”

Jacob Lachance and Félix Lacerte also scored for the Cataractes (4-2-1-1), who were outshot 27-21.

Benjamin Olivier and Philippe Veilleux scored for the Foreurs (3-4-1-1) who trailed 1-0 after the first period and 2-1 heading into the third. Maxime Coursol chipped in with two assists for the Foreurs.

Cataractes netminder Mathys Fernandez stopped 25 of 27 shots, while Vincent Moreau stopped 18 of 21 shots for the Foreurs.

Elsewhere in the QMJHL on Monday:

Phoenix 4, Armada 3 (OT)

Florent Houle’s second goal of the game, scored at 4:45 of overtime, lifted the visiting Sherbrooke Phoenix to a 4-3 win over the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada.

Louis-Alex Tremblay and Robin Benoit also scored for the Phoenix (6-2-0-0). Chad Bellemare and Ilya Kolmakov each chipped in with two assists.

Vincent Collard, Justin Carbonneau and Mateo Nobert scored for the Armada (7-0-2-0). Rafael Cloutier chipped in with two assists.

Phoenix netminder Kyan Labbé stopped 28 of 31 shots, while Arseni Radkov kicked out 28 of 32 shots for the Armada.

Voltigeurs 3, Drakkar 2 (OT)

Maxime Lafond scored 1:16 into overtime to lift the Drummondville Voltigeurs to a 3-2 win over the visiting Baie-Comeau Drakkar.

Dylan Dumont and Owen Keefe also scored for the Voltigeurs (4-3-1-1).

Kyle Powers and Declan Wotton scored for the Drakkar (0-7-2-1), who trailed 1-0 after the first period and 2-0 after the second.

Voltigeurs netminder Jan Larys stopped 26 of 28 shots, while Justin Giguère stopped 35 of 38 shots for the Drakkar.

Sea Dogs 3, Huskies 1

Dylan Rozzi had a goal and assist as the Saint John Sea Dogs defeated the visiting Rouyn-Noranda Huskies 3-1.

Matthew Krayer and William Yared also scored for the Sea Dogs (5-3-1-0), who were outshot 37-18. Netminder Justin Robinson stopped 36 of 37 shots to register the victory.

William Vezina scored for the Huskies (5-2-2-1).

Huskies netminder Samuel Meloche stopped 15 of 18 shots.

Olympiques 4, Remparts 1

Giovanni Collin scored twice as the Gatineau Olympiques beat the visiting Québec Remparts 4-1.

Finn Barton and Nicholas Petrut also scored for the Olympiques (6-5-0-0), who were outshot 35-30.

Olympiques goaltender Danai Shaiikov stopped 34 of 35 shots.

Maddox Dagenais scored for the Remparts (4-5-1-0).

Regiment 6, Islanders 5 (OT)

Justin Larose scored at 2:25 of overtime to lift the visiting Newfoundland Regiment to a 6-5 win over the Charlottetown Islanders.

Marek Danicek scored three goals and added an assist for the Regiment (5-5-0-0), while Liam Arsenault, Dawson Sharkey and Justin Larose netted one goal each.

Regiment netminder Chase Anderson stopped 20 of 25 shots.

William Shields scored three goals and added an assist for the Islanders (8-1-1-1), while Ross Campbell and Tyler Peddle added one goal each.

Islanders goaltender Vincent Gladu stopped 34 of 40 shots.

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Robin Benoit, Mavrick Lachance and Sydney Gagnon also scored for the Phoenix (4-3-0-0), who blew a 3-1 lead before winning it in OT. Thomas Rousseau chipped in with two assists and Justin Brisebois made 15 saves.

The Phoenix outshot the Drakkar 42-18, but trailed 1-0 after the first period. The hosts took a 3-2 lead into the third.

Alexis Michaud scored twice for the winless Drakkar (0-7-1-1), while Kyle Powers netted a single. Lucas Beckman stopped 38 of 42 shots.

Both teams were 0-for-4 on the power play.

Elsewhere in the QMJHL on Sunday:

—

ISLANDERS 3 REGIMENT 0

CHARLOTTETOWN — Nolan Duskocy had a goal and assist, Donald Hickey made 34 saves, and the Charlottetown Islanders blanked the visiting Newfoundland Regiment 3-0.

William Shields and Juraj Jonas Durco also scored for the Islanders (8-1-0-1), who took a 2-0 lead into the third after a scoreless first period.

Antoine Proulx stopped 26 of 29 shots for the Regiment (4-5-0-0), who were 0-for-3 on the power play.

The Islanders went 1-for-3 with the man advantage.

—

FOREURS 5 OLYMPIQUES 0

GATINEAU, Que. — Maxime Coursol, Samuel Fiala, Alix Durocher and Nathan Brisson each had a goal and assist, Emile Beaunoyer made 40 saves, and the visiting Val-d’Or Foreurs torched the Gatineau Olympiques 5-0.

Jeremy Leroux also scored for the Foreurs (3-4-0-1), who were outshot 40-30.

Danai Shaiikov stopped 25 of 29 shots for the Olympiques (5-5-0-0), who trailed 2-0 after the first period and 3-0 heading into the third.

The Foreurs went 3-for-9 on the power play, while the Olympiques were 0-for-3.

Alexey Vlasov scored two power-play goals for the Tigres (4-3-0-0), while Korney Korneyev netted a single, also with the man advantage. Egor Shilov scored into an empty net and added four assists, while Matheo Lepage chipped in with a pair of helpers.

Maddox Dagenais had a goal and assist for the Remparts (4-4-1-0), while Alex Desruisseaux and Eliott Simard netted singles. The Remparts took a 2-1 lead into the third period.

The Tigres, who went 4-for-9 on the power play, were outshot 39-28.

Goaltender Gabriel D’Aigle stopped 36 of 39 shots for the Tigres.

Netminder Louis-Antoine Denault stopped 23 of 27 shots for the Remparts

Elsewhere in the QMJHL on Saturday:

EAGLES 3, HUSKIES 2 (SO)

SYDNEY, N.S. — Reece Peitzsche and Romain Litalien each scored in the shootout to lift the Cape Breton Eagles to a 3-2 win over the visiting Rouyn-Noranda Huskies.

Noah Jettelson and Jacob De Ladurantaye scored in regulation time for the Eagles (2-3-1-2), who were outshot 36-20.

William Vezina and Samuel Beauchemin scored for the Huskies (5-1-2-1), who trailed 2-1 heading into the third period.

The Eagles were 0-for-2 on the power play, while the Huskies went 1-for-3.

Eagles netminder Felix Hamel stopped 34 of 36 shots, while Alexandre Raymond stopped 18 of 20 for the Huskies.

WILDCATS 5, MOOSEHEADS 4

HALIFAX, N.S. — Alex Mercier had a goal and two assists as the visiting Moncton Wildcats edged the Halifax Mooseheads 5-4.

Kuzma Voronin, Grayden Robertson-Palmer, Niko Tournas and Simon Binkley also scored for the Wildcats (4-2-2-0), who led 2-1 after the first period and 3-2 heading into the third. Aiden Diamond chipped in with two assists.

Amelio Santini, Oleg Kulebyakin, Daniel Walters and Liam Kilfoil scored for the Mooseheads (5-3-0-0), who were outshot 31-20. Eddy Doyle chipped in with two assists.

The Wildcats went 1-for-3 on the power play while the Mooseheads were 0-for-2.

OCEANIC 3, SEA DOGS 2

SAINT JOHN, N.B. — The visiting Rimouski Oceanic spotted the Saint John Sea Dogs and early two-goal lead and then stormed back to record a 3-2 victory.

Lou Levesque, Liam Lefebvre and Alex Masse scored for the Oceanic (4-4-0-1), who were outshot 36-25.

Egan Beveridge and Angelo Fullerton scored for the Sea Dogs (4-3-1-0), who led 2-0 after the first period but trailed 3-2 heading into the third. Olivier Groulx chipped in with two assists.

The Sea Dogs went 0-for-6 on the power play while the Oceanic went 0-for-2.

Mael Lavigne scored twice, Xavier Villeneuve had four assists and Arseni Radkov made 31 saves for the Armada, who led 2-1 after the first period and 3-1 heading into the third at the Mary Brown’s Centre.

Vincent Collard, Justin Carbonneau and Mateo Nobert also scored for the Armada (7-0-1-0), whose only setback so far is a 2-1 overtime loss to the Gatineau Olympiques on Oct. 5.

Louis-Francois Belanger and Marek Danicek each had a power-play goal and assist for the Regiment (4-4-0-0). Both teams had 33 shots on goal.

The Armada went 2-for-3 on the power play, while the Regiment were 2-for-4 with the man advantage.

Elsewhere in the QMJHL on Friday:

ISLANDERS 4, SEA DOGS 3 (OT)

CHARLOTTETOWN — Nathan Leek scored 1:40 into overtime to lift the Charlottetown Islanders to a 4-3 win over the visiting Saint John Sea Dogs.

Ross Campbell, Matthew Butler and Jabez Seymour also scored for the Islanders (7-1-0-1), who are listed 10th in this week’s Canadian Hockey League overall rankings. The hosts outshot the visitors 39-28, including 2-0 in overtime.

Alexander Donovan, William Yared and Zachary Morin scored for the Sea Dogs (4-2-1-0), who led 1-0 after the first period but trailed 2-1 heading into the third.

Justin Robinson stopped 35 of 39 shots in the Sea Dogs’ net, while Donald Hickey stopped 25 of 28 shots for the Islanders.

The Sea Dogs went 2-for-4 on the power play, while the Islanders were 0-for-1.

HUSKIES 4, EAGLES 1

SYDNEY, N.S. — Nathan Langlois scored twice, including a short-handed goal in the third period, and the visiting Rouyn-Noranda Huskies rolled over the Cape Breton Eagles 3-1.

Eliot Ogonowski and William Vezina also scored for the Huskies (5-1-2-0), who were tied 1-1 after the first period and led 2-1 heading into the third. Thomas Verdon chipped in with two assists.

Maxime Sauthier scored for the Eagles (1-3-1-2), who were outshot 30-24.

Both teams were 0-for-3 on the power play.

WILDCATS 2, OCEANIC 1

MONCTON — Simon Binkley scored twice and Alex Mercier had two assists as the Moncton Wildcats edged the visiting Rimouski Oceanic 2-1.

Netminder Rudy Guimond stopped 25 of 26 shots for the Wildcats (3-2-2-0), who were tied 1-1 after the first period and led 2-1 heading into the third.

Nathys Dube scored for the Oceanic (3-4-0-1), who were outshot 42-26. Mathis Langevin made 40 saves for the visitors.

The Wildcats went 1-for-3 on the power play, while the Oceanic were 0-for-2.

FOREURS 4, VOLTIGEURS 0

VAL-D’OR, Que. — Samuel Fiala, Nathan Brisson and Alix Durocher each had a goal and assist and Emile Beaunoyer made 34 saves as the Val-d’Or Foreurs zapped the visiting Drummoundville Voltigeurs 4-0.

Maxime Coursol also scored for the Foreurs (2-4-0-1), who led 2-0 heading into the third period after a scoreless first.

Dayton Kitchener stopped 35 of 39 shots for the Voltigeurs (3-3-1-1).

The Foreurs went 1-for-3 on the power play, while the Voltigeurs were 0-for-2.

SAGUENEENS 3, DRAKKAR 0

BAIE-COMEAU, Que. — Emmanuel Vermette had an empty-net goal and assist, Raphael Precourt had 23 saves, and the visiting Chicoutimi Sagueneens defeated the Baie-Comeau Drakkar 3-0.

Maxim Masse and Philippe Cote also scored for the Sagueneens (5-2-0-1), who led 1-0 after the first period. The second period was scoreless.

Lucas Beckman stopped 30 of 32 shots for the winless Drakkar (0-7-0-1), who were 0-for-3 on the power play. The Sagueneens went 0-for-2 with the man advantage.

CATARACTES 7, OLYMPIQUES 3

SHAWINIGAN, Que. — Raoul Boilard and Felix Lacerte each had two goals and an assist as the Shawinigan Cataractes defeated the visiting Gatineau Olympiques 7-3.

Noah McKinnon, Chad Lygitsakos and Elias Schneider also scored for the Cataractes (3-2-1-1). Jiri Klima, Julien Lanthier and Schneider each chipped in with two assists.

Giovanni Collin, Simon-Xavier Cyr and Charles Desmet scored for the Olympiques (5-4-0-0), who were outshot 27-23.

The Cataractes went 1-for-2 on the power play, while the Olympiques were 0-for-2.

PHOENIX 4, REMPARTS 3 (OT)

QUEBEC CITY — Louis-Alex Tremblay scored at 3:50 of overtime to lift the visiting Sherbrooke Phoenix to a 4-3 win over the Quebec Remparts.

Robin Benoit, Thomas Rousseau and Florent Houle also scored for the Phoenix (4-2-0-0), who were outshot 37-32.

Ryan Howard, Alexandre Taillefer and Nathan Quinn scored for the Remparts (4-3-1-0), who were 0-for-3 on the power play, while the Phoenix went 2-for-3.

Villeneuve’s dad, Alexandre, put his son in figure-skating lessons at age four to help him learn to skate, but Xavier had other ideas.

“I was on the ice and I was crying and screaming. I really didn’t love it,” Villeneuve said with a laugh over the phone this week.

“He was playing (hockey) in the beer league next to us (at the same time). After his game, we always had the ice for an hour. It was free hockey, you could just shoot pucks. As soon as he put a stick in my hand, I started to love it. He couldn’t get me off the ice.”

Young Xavier clearly was on to something.

Fourteen years later, Villeneuve, 18, has developed into one of the most intriguing prospects for next year’s NHL Draft. He isn’t physically imposing at a slender five-foot-11 and 157 pounds, but you won’t find many teenage defencemen with better stick or skating skills.

The dynamic Blainville-Boisbriand Armada blue-liner certainly has similarities to reigning Calder Trophy winner Lane Hutson of the Montreal Canadiens (five-foot-nine, 162 pounds). Villeneuve embraces the natural link to an NHL defenceman playing less than 40 km away from the home of the CHL’s top-ranked Armada.

“To be compared to a great player like that is motivation to me,” Villeneuve said. “… Without being too cocky, I want to be in the NHL and want to be that type of player, too.”

Added Armada general manager Olivier Picard: “The way he moves with the puck, the way he sells one play and makes another one, he has some similarities with Lane Hutson. His compete level is pretty much the same …The way he moves on the blue line, fake, fake, fake, then bring it to the net, there’s a lot of similarities with what Lane’s doing.”

While Villeneuve knows his offensive game is his strength, he is fully aware one-dimensional players tend not to excel in the pro ranks.

Working on his defence has been a priority.

“I made the acquisition of some players like (Mael) Lavigne who’s six-foot-four, and he wants to go against one of those guys (in practice) because he knows at the next level, there’s not going to be five-foot-seven players he’s going against,” Picard said. “He’s trying to go against bigger guys and practice and find ways to still manage to defend even if they are stronger, taller or have a bigger reach than him. He’s doing what he has to do to make sure he can have success at the next level.”

The early results are promising. Just the third player to win the QMJHL’s top defenceman award at age-17 last season, Villeneuve already is a plus-10 through six games this year after being a plus-14 for all of 2024-25.

“The big question mark for people with my size is obviously can he defend because my stick is smaller, I’m not as strong physically,” said Villeneuve, one of the first three players picked for the 2025 CHL USA Prospects Challenge next month in Calgary and Lethbridge, Alta. “But to be the style of player I want to be, you can’t be six-four or six-three. It’s (about) being agile and moving quick. I’m not too worried about (his size). I’ve got other big strengths I can bring to the game.”

Villeneuve, whose older brother Charles-Olivier played 121 games in the QMJHL from 2021-24, may have had his best game of the season last week against previously unbeaten Charlottetown.

His first goal of the season was an absolute beauty, as he took a pass at the point, eluded two defenders and then went backhand to finish.

He added two assists, including another play for the highlight reels.

“It’s funny, in practice I love to practice moves and stuff,” he said. “So that game, I had a nice goal, I would have never thought about doing it. It was just kind of a read-and-react thing.”

“Even our players on the bench, they’re not surprised but (they’re still kind of) stunned every time,” Picard said. “They’re looking at each other like ‘holy (expletive). Even in practice.” 

Playing on a team with NHL first-rounders Bill Zonnon (Pittsburgh Penguins) and Justin Carbonneau (St. Louis Blues), Villeneuve feels his squad has what it takes to make a run for the Memorial Cup.

If that happens, it will only help him with his individual goals.

“I want to be a first-round pick. That’s always been a dream of mine,” he said. “To get there, every day I want to prove to everyone I’m not just good defensively, I can be great.”

Canadian conundrum

On one hand, Hockey Canada will be happy to see a healthy chunk of Canadian teenagers making opening-night NHL rosters.

On the other, it could hurt Canada’s roster at the world junior championship if some of these players stick in the NHL.

The national program will be watching closely as guys like Michael Misa (San Jose Sharks), Matthew Schaefer (New York Islanders), Zayne Parekh (Calgary Flames), Sam Dickinson (San Jose Sharks), Berkly Catton (Seattle Kraken), Brady Martin (Nashville Predators), Braeden Cootes (Vancouver Canucks), Beckett Sennecke (Anaheim Ducks), Harrison Brunicke (Pittsburgh Penguins), Benjamin Kindel (Pittsburgh Penguins) and Jett Luchanko (Philadelphia Flyers) attempt to stay in the NHL. If they play more than nine games, the first year of their entry-level contract kicks in.

Several of these players figure to be returned to their CHL teams in the next few weeks. They also could be loaned to the Canadian junior team in December before ending up back with their junior club teams.

Canada is desperate to get back on the podium in Minnesota after being eliminated in the quarterfinals the last two years.

Calgary calling

Could Flames prospect Theo Stockselius come to Calgary to play junior hockey?

It’s possible after the Hitmen acquired the Swedish forward’s CHL rights in a trade with the Seattle Thunderbirds last week.

The second-round 2025 pick currently is playing at home with Djurgardens. But the Hitmen traded a fourth-round pick and three conditional picks, including a first-rounder, to get him, so Calgary clearly is going to make a strong pitch. The Hitmen and Flames both are owned by the Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation.

Surprise stories

The QMJHL’s Charlottetown Islanders and WHL’s Penticton Vees are two teams to watch after impressive starts.

The Islanders, off to a 6-1-0-1 start while playing just one game (their season opener) at home, made their intentions to contend clear with a significant QMJHL deal this week.

The Islanders acquired overage defenceman Dylan MacKinnon from the Moncton Wildcats for three draft picks.

The Wildcats had a surplus of overagers, and decided to part ways with a steady defensive blue-liner from last year’s league championship club.

The expansion Vees (4-2-0-1), meanwhile, swept a three-in-three trip to the U.S. last weekend with wins over the Portland Winterhawks, the Thunderbirds and Wenatchee Wild. Penticton has jumped up to the WHL this season after being a longtime BCHL franchise. Fred Harbinson, a fixture behind the bench., has continued to coach the team in a new league.

New York Islanders prospect Jacob Kvasnicka leads the Vees with 10 points in seven games. His WHL rights were acquired by Penticton in an off-season trade with Wenatchee.

Games to watch

Thursday, Oct. 9: Blainville Boisbriand Armada (5-0-1-0) at Newfoundland Regiment (4-2-0-0), 5:30 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. NDT

The CHL’s top-ranked team pays its first visit to a market bubbling with enthusiasm over the return of major-junior hockey. The Armada franchise started as the St. John’s Fog Devils in 2005 before moving to Verdun, Que., and then its current home.

Friday, Oct. 10: Kamloops Blazers (3-2-0-0) at Prince Albert Raiders (5-0-1-0), 9 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. ST

Two first-round prospects for next year’s NHL Draft clash square off. Blazers forward JP Hurlbert entered the week leading the WHL in scoring, while Raiders defenceman Daxon Rudolph has six points in five games.

Friday, Oct. 10: Michigan Wolverines (2-0) at Providence Friars (0-0), 7 p.m. ET

The Wolverines, who heavily recruited CHL players after the rule change late last year, outscored Mercyhurst 18-1 in their season-opening, two-game set last weekend. Montreal Canadiens first-round pick Michael Hage was the top NCAA scorer in the first weekend of play, registering seven points (two goals, five assists) for Michigan. Providence features Anaheim Ducks first-round pick Roger McQueen.

Tuesday, Oct. 14: Guelph Storm (3-2-1-0) at Kitchener Rangers (4-2-0-0), 7 p.m. ET

First meeting of the year between regional rivals battling it out to host the 2027 Memorial Cup. The CHL is expected to pick its ’27 host team by the end of 2025.

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