Quebec players in the National Hockey League (NHL) are no longer as numerous as before, but there are still several dozen of them among professionals. Exactly 100 representatives of La Belle Province have worn an American League uniform this season.
Here are those who stood out the most in 2022-2023:
Jakob Pelletier
The 21-year-old left-winger made headlines recently when he made his first steps on the Bettman circuit with the Calgary Flames. The former first-round pick, however, had to wait a season and a half in the AHL, burning the development circuit in its path. In 33 games with the Wranglers, he had 36 points.
Anthony Richard
Montreal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes seems to have pulled off a masterstroke by bringing Richard to the Laval Rocket for a season. The native of Trois-Rivières is the second top scorer in the AHL with 22 successes. His performances also allowed him to make his first stay in the NHL since 2019.
Christian Wolanin
The son of former Quebec Nordiques Craig Wolanin did not play on the Bettman circuit this season, for the first time since his debut in 2018. The defender, however, took the opportunity to turn the American League upside down with 50 points in 45 games for the Abbotsford Canucks. Wolanin leads all the backs of the circuit in this chapter.
Alex Barre-Boulet
Who will one day give Barré-Boulet a real chance? The Syracuse Crunch captain has been in the AHL since 2018-19 and became the Tampa Bay Lightning farm club’s all-time leading scorer this year. The 25-year-old forward is still dominant with 54 points in 41 games.
Charles Hudon
After spending a season in Switzerland, Charles Hudon came back strong last season. Now with the Colorado Eagles, the Almatois continues to do what he does best: score goals. The former Habs shook the ropes 16 times in 35 games. He also played nine games with the Avalanche.
Laurent Dauphin
With the Canadian in 2021-2022, Dauphin has shown that he has what it takes to play at the highest level. At 27, the player from Repentigny still has many good years ahead of him and he is continuing his journey in the Arizona Coyotes organization. He’s already set a career high this season with 37 points in 40 games.
Daniel Mallard / QMI Agency
Zachary Fucale
Fucale is currently the best Quebec goalkeeper playing in the American League. The Lavallois must always wait behind Darcy Kuemper and Charlie Lindgren in the hierarchy of the Washington Capitals, but he gives himself good arguments for a recall to the Hershey Bears. With the top team in the Eastern Conference, he went 14-8-2 with a 2.58 goals-against average and .897 save percentage.
Honorable Mentions : Jérémie Poirier (Calgary Wranglers), Jean-Sébastien Dea (Tucson Roadrunners), Peter Abbandonato (Laval Rocket), William Dufour (Bridgeport Islanders), Benoît-Olivier Groulx (San Diego Gulls)