QMJHL Playoffs Are Here! What To Expect From Each Maritime Club

 

Photo: QMJHL

Moncton NB: The QMJHL Playoffs are finally here, and this year's showcase features 5 out of 6 Maritime teams. Let's evaluate each Maritime team's expectations going into Round 1.

Moncton Wildcats: This year has been historic to say the least for the Cats, as they have pretty well beaten all of the franchise's single-season records. The team finished with a 53-9-2 record, which topped the record for most wins in a season, previously held by the 2005-2006 team with 52 wins. This team also holds records for fewest regulation losses in a season (9), most points in a season (108), highest points percentage in a season (0.884%), and finally fewest goals against in a season (144). The key to the success seems to be newly hired head coach Gardiner MacDougall, who is one of New Brunswick's most successful coaches of all time, winning 9 USports championships with UNB, as well as winning the 2022 Memorial Cup with the Saint John Sea Dogs. The Cats enter the playoffs with an impressive 15-game winning streak. They will be facing off against the 8th seed Quebec Remparts. They've faced off twice this year, the first was on November 20th, and it was a 7-4 victory for the Cats. The second game was on January 18th, and it was a feisty 3-2 victory for the Cats once again. All eyes are on top 2025 NHL Draft Prospect, Caleb Desnoyers, who finished his impressive sophomore season with 84 points in 56 games. Defensive talent is not lacking on this team, as half of their core is NHL-drafted. Their goaltending is also as impressive, as both Rudy Guimond and Mathis Rousseau have been playing excellent hockey as of late. Guimond does not lose. No, literally. He finished the season with a 16-0-0 record with a 0.94 SV%. My prediction for this series is a 4-0 sweep by the Cats.

Cape Breton Eagles: The Eagles have had some strong moments this season, but have had some hiccups along the way. They finished the season with a 34-23-7 record. They are led by PEI native Cam Squires who finished the regular season with 75 points in 58 games. Jacob Newcombe wasn't far behind as he put up 73 points in 63 games. In net, Jakub Milota has had a solid season, putting up a 0.903sv% in 38 games played. Alexis Cournoyer has also been very good, putting up a 0.942 SV% in 21 games. They come into the playoffs as the 5th seed in the Eastern Conference, which gives us a rematch from last year's semifinals against the Baie-Comeau Drakkar, who are the 4th seed in the East. The Drakkar come into the playoffs with some serious injuries which might be a key to disaster for the squad. I am predicting the Cape Breton Eagles to take this series in Game 7.

Acadie-Bathurst Titan: No matter how the playoffs go for the Titan, it is going to be a memorable run for certain. This is the last time we will see QMJHL hockey in the Bathurst region as they are relocating to St. John's Newfoundland next season. The Titan finished their regular season with a 33-28-3 record. Colby Huggan led the team for points in the regular season, putting up 55 in 63 games. Joshua Flemming will take the net for the Titan, as he has done for pretty much the entire regular season, with a 0.908 SV% in 53 games played. This team has had an interesting trend of scoring goals in the last 5 seconds of the third period to send the game into overtime, which has been pretty magical to watch. As amazing as it would be for that magic to continue for hockey fans in Bathurst, it's going to be extremely tough for them to do so as they face off against the 3rd seed Chicoutimi Sagueneens. The Sags continue to impress with their young roster, which looks like they will be a major cup contender for next year. I predict the Sagueneens to take this series in Game 5.

Charlottetown Islanders: This year has been a hard watch of sorts for Islanders fans. They have been pretty mid, as they finished the regular season with a 30-29-5 record. However they have been looking a lot better in the second half of the season. Matthew Butler leads the pack with 65 points in 60 games played. Nicolas Ruccia and Donald Hickey have shared most of the starts this season, as Ruccia put up a 0.892 SV% in 40 games, while Hickey put up a 0.902 SV% in 30 games. The young guns on this roster will try their best to make things interesting, but it's going to be hard as they face off against the Rimouski Oceanic, who are hosting the Memorial Cup in June. A game or two may come close, but I predict a 4-0 sweep by the Oceanic.

Halifax Mooseheads: This Mooseheads team has been one of the roughest we've seen the franchise put out in a while. They finished the regular season with a 19-35-10 record. Goaltender Jacob Steinman is the team's only hope as they take on the 1st seed in the West, Drummondville Voltigeurs. Steinman has been incredible for the Moose since he's arrived in Halifax after being traded from the Wildcats. He finished the season with a 0.917 SV% in 22 games on a subpar team. Liam Kilfoil leads the Moose with 46 points in 62 games played. Steinman will keep things closer than it should; however I still predict the Voltigeurs to sweep the Mooseheads 4-0. 

It's the best time of the year and all of our Maritime teams in the playoffs will play Game 1 tonight!