The Victoriaville Tigres squeaked into the final spot of the playoffs despite losing their final seven games. The silver-lining is the terrible finish set them up nicely in the QMJHL draft where they grabbed the top-rated prospect, Maxime Cortois, third overall (Joseph Veleno was a late addition to the draft, and was unrated).
They also brought in Pascal Laberge from the Gatineau Olympiques last season, the 2nd overall pick of the 2014 Q draft. If the young core of the Tigres perform to their potential, they could take a significant leap up the standings.
Prediction
Third place in the East Division. With Comtois, Gabriel Gagné and Laberge, the Tigres have a promising nucleus.
Forwards
The Tigres landed Maxime Comtois third overall and he should provide a boost right away. The 6-foot-1, 189-pound winger lit it up in major midget. He led Quebec’s top team with 56 points, including 23 goals, in 41 games. He was at his best when games mattered most, finding the back of the net 12 times in 16 playoff games and is on course to be a top pick in the 2017 NHL entry draft.
Every team playing Victoriaville has their hands full trying to stop Gagné. The Ottawa Senators prospect is a nightmare to play against, parking his 6-foot-5, 187-pound frame in front of the net and wreaking havoc. In his sophomore season, he scored 35 goals and could finish near the top of the league in the goal department this season.
St. Louis Blues prospect Samuel Blais also enjoyed a productive sophomore season, breaking out after the New Year with 20 of his 34 goals coming in the final three months of the season.
Defence
The blueline is crowded at the moment as the team has nine d-men on the roster. Seven of them skated in Victoriaville’s opening weekend. Overager Anthony Gingras should join the mix when he returns from injury so expect some further shuffling.
The Tigres made a couple trades in the offseason to re-enforce the blueline, bringing in Bradley Lalonde from Cape Breton, Nicolas Latulippe from the Acadie-Bathurst, and Gingras from Chicoutimi. The three players should help a team that allowed a league-worst 275 goals last year.
Goaltending
Olivier Tremblay came over to Victoriaville from Rimouski last season, but only managed two wins in 17 starts. His 5.38 GAA was a far cry from the 3.97 posted with a better Rimouski team earlier in the season. With a little more support in front of him, he should manage to bring the GAA down.
James Povall finally gets to play for the team after Victoriaville selected him in the third round in 2013. Before this season, he only had one start with the team since being drafted.
NHL draft prospect
Gabriel Gagné, RW, Ottawa Senators (2015, 36th overall)
The Ottawa Senators traded up a couple spots in the draft to grab the big winger. Size is the first attribute that jumps out, but the power forward has the skills to back up the hype. He doubled his goal output in his sophomore season with 34. With the addition of a few more quality teammates in the offseason, he should surpass his point total of 59 from a year ago. Last season, Gagné finished 13th with 255 shots, with 155 of them considered dangerous (also 13th in the QMJHL).
NHL draft watch
Pascal Laberge, C
The Tigres picked up Pascal Laberge, the second overall pick of the 2014 Q draft, via trade last season. He’s loaded with attributes scouts will love; size (he’s 6-foot-1, 162-pounds), speed, hockey intelligence and creativity. Faberge’s ten goals and 21 assists in his rookie season are respectable considering he first had to adjust to a new league and two team. He could go in the first 60 picks of the NHL draft in June.
