The 2024-2025 regular season ends this Saturday, and right now, only one first-round series is confirmed (Moncton vs Québec), and only 6 of the 16 teams know the rankings they’ll start the spring dance! Here’s the current playoff picture and the various battles to watch out for.
Here’s a reminder of the tie-breakers in the event of a tie on total points: wins in regular time or overtime (ROW), first, and then, if necessary, the goals-for-goals-against differential.
Western Conference
- Drummondville Voltigeurs or Shawinigan Cataractes
Both teams still have a chance of being crowned Western champions. Drummondville has 84 points and 36 wins in regular time or overtime, while Shawinigan has 80 points and 34 ROW. Two “regular” wins for the Cataractes in Val-d’Or and Rouyn-Noranda, coupled with two losses of the Voltigeurs in Sherbrooke and Gatineau, and we’d have to go to the differential. In this respect, the Cataractes are currently at +61 and the Voltigeurs at +52. But that’s a lot of “ifs”…
- Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, confirmed
The Huskies’ two wins over the weekend, combined with the Armada’s two losses, confirmed their West Division title and second place in the Association. They will play Halifax or Gatineau in the first round.
- Shawinigan Cataractes or Drummondville Voltigeurs
See above…
- Blainville-Boisbriand Armada or Sherbrooke Phoenix
For the fourth year in a row (!), these two teams will face off in the playoffs. All that remains to be seen is where the series will start. A single point will allow the Armada to confirm its fourth position. The Armada have 76 points and will complete its season in Rouyn and Val-d’Or, while the Phoenix have 72 points and will play Drummondville and in Victoriaville. Phoenix fans: it takes two wins from your favorites combined with two regular-time losses from BLB…
- Sherbrooke Phoenix or Blainville-Boisbriand Armada
See previous paragraph. And parenthesis: Montreal hockey fans, Boisbriand is 35 minutes from Montreal and Sherbrooke, 90 minutes. Go see this promising series!
- Foreurs de Val-d’Or, confirmed
Last in the QMJHL with 35 points last season, the Foreurs have made good progress this season and currently have 62 points. They will play in the first round against Drummondville or, more likely, Shawinigan.
- Halifax Mooseheads (crossover) or Gatineau Olympiques
Currently, at the bottom of the standings, apart from the Tigres who are 18th and already eliminated, the Mooseheads have 47 points, the Olympiques have 45 and the Sea Dogs have 42. If the trend continues, the Mooseheads should finish ninth in the East and would “transfer” to the West. Their point total would then put them ahead of Gatineau and into seventh place in the West, synonymous with a first-round showdown with Rouyn-Noranda.
- Gatineau Olympiques or Halifax Mooseheads (crossover) or Saint John Sea Dogs (crossover)
The Sea Dogs (42 points) still have a chance of making the playoffs, but they’ll need two wins over Cape Breton and some help from Gatineau (45 points), who finish their season by visiting Victoriaville and hosting Drummondville. Halifax, who play in Moncton on Friday and host Charlottetown on Saturday, could also slip down the standings and be overtaken by Gatineau. But if the trend continues, Gatineau will finish eighth in the West and face either Drummondville or Shawinigan. Stay tuned!
Eastern Conference
- Moncton Wildcats, confirmed
Champions of the QMJHL, Eastern Conference and Maritimes Division, the Wildcats will cross swords with the Québec Remparts in the first round. It’s already been announced.
- Rimouski Océanic, confirmed
Host of the next Memorial Cup, the Océanic is guaranteed second place in the East. It remains to be seen whether the Acadie-Bathurst Titan (66 points) or the Charlottetown Islanders (63) will finish seventh.
- Chicoutimi Saguenéens, confirmed
Like the Océanic, the Sags are waiting to see who they’ll face in the first round between the Titan and the Islanders. It’s shaping up to be Acadie-Bathurst…
- Baie-Comeau Drakkar or Cape Breton Eagles
We already know that the Drakkar (73) and the Eagles (71) will face off in the first round. All that remains to be seen is who will have home-ice advantage. Baie-Comeau still has a round-trip series against Chicoutimi, while Cape Breton will visit Saint John twice. Advantage Cape Breton?
- Cape Breton Eagles or Baie-Comeau Drakkar
See the previous paragraph.
- Acadie-Bathurst Titan or Charlottetown Islanders
We agree: it’s going to take a miracle for the Islanders to overtake the Titan, who have three more points. But be warned: the two teams meet Friday night in Charlottetown! The Islanders then visit Halifax on Saturday, while the Titan host Moncton. Nothing’s decided yet…
- Charlottetown Islanders or Acadie-Bathurst Titan
Additional information: the team finishing sixth will play Chicoutimi and the team finishing seventh will play Rimouski.
- Quebec Remparts, confirmed
The Remparts are currently 51 points behind the Wildcats and are set to face them in a 2-3-2 series.
