NHL | Ten Quebec hopefuls to follow

Year after year, nearly a dozen Quebec players make the jump to the National Hockey League. Who are most likely to play their first game in the big league this season?

Mavrik Bourque, C, Dallas Stars

In 2021-2022: Shawinigan Cataracts (QMJHL)

Mavrik Bourque is an offensive dynamo. Last season, he scored in all but one of his games. In series? He was even better, with 25 points in 16 games, which earned him the Guy-Lafleur trophy, awarded to the most valuable player in the QMJHL playoffs. He was also named to the Memorial Cup All-Star Team. The former captain of the Cataracts is ready for his big leap to the pros. “The goal is to play at the top,” he told my colleague Simon-Olivier Lorange at the beginning of September. “I want to force their hand. »

Xavier Bourgault, winger, Edmonton Oilers

In 2021-2022: Shawinigan Cataracts (QMJHL)

The Oilers are being stifled by the salary cap. They need beautiful, good and cheap hopefuls. Xavier Bourgault ticks all the boxes. Drafted in the first round in 2021, the star forward of the Shawinigan Cataractes is a spectacular player, under contract for less than $1 million. He was brilliant in the QMJHL playoffs (22 points in 16 games), then in the Memorial Cup tournament (7 points in 4 games). He’ll start the season in Bakersfield, AHL, but he’s in good shape to be among the first called up.

Jakob Pelletier, LW, Calgary Flames

In 2021-2022: Stockton Heat (AHL)

Disappointment in Calgary, where the Flames cut their first choice of 2019, Jakob Pelletier, on Sunday. The Quebec winger nevertheless met expectations last season. At just 20 years old, he was second in the AHL in game-winning goals (8), as well as second on the team in points (62 in 66 games). However, he did not manage to distinguish himself enough in camp to convince the management of the Flames to prefer him to guest players, like Sonny Milano and Michael Stone. Note: Quebec defender Jérémie Poirier, 20, survived the most recent cuts.

Samuel Poulin, RW, Pittsburgh Penguins

In 2021-2022: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL)

The 20 players drafted ahead of Samuel Poulin in the first round of 2019 have all reached the NHL. The Quebecer is eager to join them. After a long lethargy last winter – one point in two months – the Penguins prospect recovered and ended his season on a high note. In training camp, Poulin was recently promoted to the NHL squad, where he is vying for a spot on the fourth line. Another Quebec forward, Nathan Légaré, will start the season in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

William Dufour, RW, New York Islanders

In 2021-2022: Saint John Sea Dogs (QMJHL)

Three Quebec hopefuls (Samuel Bolduc, William Dufour and Arnaud Durandeau) are trying to stand out in the Islanders organization. Dufour could be the first to reach the NHL. The giant size winger has just won the Memorial Cup, the World Junior Championship and the title of Most Valuable Player to his team in the QMJHL. In camp, his inspired play earned him a good word from head coach Lane Lambert, and a tryout with NHL veterans Casey Cizikas and Matt Martin. Dufour will likely start the season at Bridgeport, but his name could end up at the top of the recall list.

Maxence Guénette, D, Ottawa Senators

In 2021-2022: Belleville Senators (AHL)

A great surprise. This seventh-round pick (2019) is rapidly progressing through the Senators hierarchy. So much so that head coach DJ Smith has just predicted a few games for him this season in the National League. Guénette, 21, is a responsible defender, capable of generating attack with precise passes.

Felix Robert, C, Tampa Bay Lightning

In 2021-2022: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL)

The small forward from the Eastern Townships has distinguished himself enough in the Penguins organization for Julien BriseBois to offer him a two-year entry contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning this summer. A well-deserved reward, for the one who led his club with a differential of + 19 last season. “The Penguins were also interested,” he explained to The gallery. “But I chose Tampa, because I feel like I have a better chance of going up with the Lightning, who have never been shy about trusting undrafted players,” like Tyler Johnson, Jonathan Marchessault, Yanni Gourde and Alex Barré-Boulet.

Alex Beaucage, RW, Colorado Avalanche

In 2021-2022: Colorado Eagles (AHL)

It’s more difficult to be established with the Avalanche – winner of the last Stanley Cup – than with the Coyotes. Alex Beaucage will therefore have to stand out in the American League to deserve a recall. It is within reach. He scored over 100 goals in the QMJHL. His attacking flair is above average. He hopes to regain his superb, after a season of only 40 games, cut short by a violent fall against the boards, during which he fractured two vertebrae.

Olivier Rodrigue, G, Edmonton Oilers

In 2021-2022: Bakersfield Condors (AHL)

Last season, 30 of the NHL’s 32 teams used at least three goaltenders. So if you are the number one goalie at the farm club, your chances of being called up during the winter are very good. This is the position Olivier Rodrigue is aiming for with the Oilers. His debut with the pros, in the midst of a pandemic, was chaotic. He wandered between the Oilers reserve squad, the American League, the ECHL and Austria. The 22-year-old is entering the final year of his three-year entry contract.

Vincent Desharnais, D, Edmonton Oilers

In 2021-2022: Bakersfield Condors (AHL)

A bold choice to end this list. Vincent Desharnais has an atypical career. This 26-year-old defenseman has not played in the Midget AAA or in the QMJHL. Instead, he went through preparatory schools, then through Providence University, where he had a defensive role (8 goals in 4 years). During the pandemic, he managed to make his place with the Oilers school club. Here he is at the gates of the NHL. His momentum was curtailed in the last few days by a hand injury, which required surgery, but the 6’6″, 215 lb colossus could see his perseverance pay off when he returns to play.