Merry Christmas everyone! The QMJHL trading period is well underway and we’ve seen a number of teams tinker with their squads to gain the upper hand on their opponents heading in to the back half of the season. Some teams, on the other hand, have begun selling off assets in preparation for future seasons.
There is still plenty of time for teams to step to the plate and hit a home run in the 2017-2018 trading period, but here are a handful of teams who have made significant moves to solidify themselves as contenders this season:
Acadie–Bathurst Titan
In a stacked Maritime division, the Titan were saddled with great expectations. Led by Anaheim Ducks prospect Antoine Morand and defenceman Noah Dobson, the Titan have indeed emerged as a favourite on the East Coast.
After acquiring the big Russian centre German Rubtsov, Titan GM Sylvain Couturier still had another top-six forward on his wish list. Rumours had run rampant that Acadie-Bathurst would be heavily investing in Cape Breton Screaming Eagles forward Drake Batherson, however Couturier landed another forward instead.
Couturier ended up making my favourite trade of the period thus far, acquiring Mitchell Balmas from the Gatineau Olympiques in exchange for Dawson Theede and two first-round draft picks. Balmas has put up excellent goal totals thus far with Shaun Boudrias as his centreman; one can only imagine what he’ll do with a legit playmaker like Morand or Rubtsov.
Furthermore, Balmas is just 19, and all indications point to him returning for his overage season. Between he, Morand, and Dobson, the Titan should remain contenders next season.
Had the Titan set out to acquire Batherson instead, the price would have been much steeper for potentially less service time; the Ottawa Senators prospect is eligible to play with their AHL affiliate in Belleville next season, which at this rate seems like an inevitability.
The rumours surrounding the Titan haven’t stopped either, as many insiders have suggested the team is set to acquire defender Olivier Galipeau from the Chicoutimi Sagueneens. If that’s the case, the Titan will have to be considered the overall winners of the trading period.
Drummondville Voltigeurs
This may be a hot take, but if there’s an opening for an NHL front-office job (looking at you, Montreal!), can Dominique Ducharme garner serious consideration?
The Drummondville head coach and GM, and head coach of Team Canada’s World Junior team, has built a serious contender on the ice that’s hovering near the top of the standings without a household name.
That quickly changed prior to the deadline, as news broke that they acquired star centre Joe Veleno from the Saint John Sea Dogs.
The price was steep; three first-round picks and two second-round picks spread out until 2020. But it’s not like the team couldn’t afford it; the team still has first round picks in the next three drafts. Can you name any other team that could sacrifice five top picks and still be okay? I certainly can’t.
Veleno technically could only be in Drummondville just one more year after this; the 2018-2019 season will be his fourth in the league, and according to the NHL-CHL player agreement, a player with four years of CHL experience can play in the AHL in his 20 year-old season. Even still, alongside Nicolas Guay, Dawson Mercer, and Xavier Simoneau, the Voltigeurs will surely be top contenders the next two seasons alongside Acadie-Bathurst.
Rimouski Oceanic
The Oceanic began this season with cautious optimism. The team had just started a cornerstone centreman in the 2017 QMJHL draft in Alexis Lafreniere, and nabbed Russian import Dmitry Zavgorodniy in the CHL Import Draft. Flanked by a young core of forwards, the Oceanic had built a team that, while maybe good this season, would at least be a legit contender next season.
It’s safe to say that by the halfway point of the season, this young team has exceeded expectations, sitting at the top of the QMJHL standings.
Sensing the opportunity to seize the President’s Cup this season, Rimouski head coach and GM Serge Beausoleil opted to insulate his young core with some veteran experience, acquiring big 19 year-old defenceman Tyler Higgins and overage high-scoring winger Mathieu Nadeau from the Val d’Or Foreurs. I particularly like the Nadeau acquisition because it gives Lafreniere another weapon on Rimouski’s top line.
The back half of the season tells the true story of a team’s resilience, and whether or not they’ll be able to weather any form of incoming onslaught. A young, unproven Oceanic team may not have been able to do so. Bringing in a few players with considerable Q experience hopefully mitigates that risk.
The trading period is far from over and anything could happen. Other teams may step up and make moves to shore up their squads. One thing is for sure, the week after Christmas will be a very interesting one to watch in the QMJHL.
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