The Québec Remparts are dramatically different from the Memorial Cup host squad of last season. The superstars that powered the team through a long run to the President Cup final then the Memorial Cup tournament on home ice are gone.
Even home ice looks different as they play in the brand new Videotron Centre with the iconic Colisée Pepsi closing its doors after the Memorial Cup. In a new home with lots of new faces, the Remparts will need to find a new identity this season.
Prediction
Fourth place in the East Division. Québec loaded up as Memorial Cup hosts last year. It’s time to re-fill the tank.
Forwards
Eight of the top ten scoring forwards from last year’s Remparts are gone. There’s also a chance the team’s top scorer, Dmytro Timashov with 90 points, won’t be back. Picked by the Toronto Maple Leafs (2015, 125th overall), the Swedish playmaker will wait until after NHL training camp to decide if he wants to play for Québec or possibly return to his native Sweden.
Massimo Carozza, the other returning player from the top ten, has a good chance of surpassing his career high of 34 points posted last season. The center is off to a good start, posting a hat-trick in the second game of the season.
Journeyman Bronson Beaton joins the Remparts as a 20-year-old after splitting time with Acadie-Bathurst and Moncton last season. He’s coming off a career-best 16-goal season and will fill some of the scoring void.
Thanks so much to the @monctonwildcats for making my time in Moncton so special, very excited to join @quebec_remparts for my last season!
— Bronson Beaton (@BronsonBeaton) August 31, 2015
The Remparts moved a lot of draft picks over the past year, meaning they didn’t have the luxury of grabbing young prospects at the draft. Training camp invitees Ryan McReynolds and Sean O’Brien made the team.
With the 43rd pick of the Import Draft, the Remparts selected Swiss forward Auguste Impose. Last season, Auguste saw time with Swiss under-18 team and four games in the Swiss men’s league.
Defence
The Remparts still have a solid blueline with the return of 20-year-olds Matt Murphy and Nikolas Brouillard. Both begin the season at NHL camps, Murphy with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Broillard with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Raphaël Maheux also received an invite to Colorado Avalanche training camp.
Murphy joined the team at the trade deadline as part of the Zachary Fucale trade with the Halifax Mooseheads. The veteran plays a solid two-way game and has loads of experience, playing 55 post-season games in the past three seasons. His leadership will be important for the four rookies on the blueline.
Goaltending
When the playoffs began last year, it was Callum Booth, not decorated veteran Zachary Fucale who got the start for the Remparts. While Fucale eventually took over the starters role in the playoffs and Memorial Cup, it showed that Callum Booth was more than just a backup. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound butterfly goalie put up impressive numbers with a GAA of 3.05 and save percentage of .900.
Rookie Julian Galloway, acquired from the Rimouski Océanic for a tenth-round pick in 2016, is Booth’s backup and will start games while Booth attends training camp with the Carolina Hurricanes. The Canes picked Booth 93rd overall in June.
Congrats to former Crimson Knight Callum Booth on being selected by @NHLCanes in the 4th Rd (93rd overall)! 2013 NE championship goalie!
— Salisbury Hockey (@sarumhockey) June 27, 2015
NHL prospect watch
Dmytro Timashov, LW, Toronto Maple Leafs (2015, 125th overall)
The Remparts are closely monitoring Timashov, their leading scorer from last season, as he may try pro hockey in Europe after Maple Leafs training camp. A pass first, shoot later type of player, Timashov consistently put up good numbers last season and won QMJHL rookie of the year with his 90 points. He’s small in size, but doesn’t shy away from physical play.
NHL draft watch
Olivier Garneau, LW
As a 16-year-old last season, Garneau didn’t see much ice time a 51-game season. Buried on the depth chart of a deep team, Garneau spent the season learning from the veterans in front of him. This season, the 2014 fourth-round pick will take on an important role and could end up seeing top-line minutes by season’s end. He only had five points last year and should shatter those totals in his sophomore season.
