As one of the most storied franchise’s in QMJHL history, it’s been a while since the Chicoutimi Saguenéens have hoisted the Gilles-Courteau Trophy.
Thirty-one years in fact.
But in 2025-26, there’s a different vibe. There’s a strong sense this Sags team has the opportunity to be crowned champions once again.
“We can really feel it in Chicoutimi that people are excited about this season,” said forward Thomas Desruisseaux.
The Saguenéens have started strong: they are 2-1-1 out of the gate and sit seventh in the CHL Top 10 rankings presented by Delta Hotels by Marriott.
“It’s a new start for everybody, so we try to play with each other, get to know each other and build on that [start] so we can [work towards being] the best team,” Desruisseaux said.
The club is not short on experience; they boast four NHL prospects in Emile Guite (ANA), Alex Huang (NSH), Maxim Masse (ANA) and Maxim Schafer (WSH) alongside a strong class of returnees that includes Desruisseaux, Peteris Bulans, Nathan LeCompte, Raphael Precourt, Jonathan Prud’homme, Emile Ricard and Emmanuel Vermette, among others.
But there are fresh faces too: Danish forward Anton Linde has arrived through the CHL Import Draft – as did the aforementioned Schafer – while defenceman Alexandre Desmarais was an offseason addition from Quebec. Just last week, d-man Xavier Daigle was acquired from Cape Breton.
All in all, it makes up a squad that many have pegged as a serious contender for the QMJHL title.
“We know we have high expectations but we don’t really look at it,” Desruisseaux said. “We just play, work hard, and at the end of the day we just want to be the best team. We’re going to make sacrifices to be that.
“We want to for sure win the championship but we need to take it one day at a time so we’re working to get there.”
For the 19-year-old Desruisseaux, he has spent the vast majority of his QMJHL career with Chicoutimi. The 13th overall pick in the 2022 QMJHL Draft by Cape Breton, he played 22 games with the Eagles before a trade to Chicoutimi where he’s made 168 appearances and recorded 150 points (41 goals).
At this point, the Levis, QC., native is as much engrained in the city as anyone else and is determined to bring them a championship in 2025-26. He, and his teammates for that matter, also hold a ton of motivation to get head coach Yanick Jean, the league’s all-time wins leader with 635, his first QMJHL title.
If they pull it off, it’d be a fitting full circle moment: Jean was part of the Sags team that last hoisted a Q title in 1994.
“He’s been a big part of my career and my coach since I was 16,” Desruisseaux said of Jean. “It’s great having him and he’s a really good coach. He has a lot of experience; he knows how to win so we want to follow him.
“My career, he’s done a lot of things for me and I will always be grateful for how he coached me.”
