THREE QUESTIONS ON THE CAPE BRETON EAGLES

• Who’s back to make an impact?

Much of the core of an Eagles squad that reached the league Semi-Finals two years ago has flown out of the nest. The top three scorers from 2024-25 – and four of the top five – have departed the league. Other depth players now find themselves elsewhere throughout the league. However, a few key players remain. The biggest name from this group is Utah Mammoth draftee and latest team captain Tomas Lavoie, who has emerged as a top shutdown defenseman with offensive flair. Joining him once again on the blue line is the understated Xavier Daigle, who enters his overage season with over 200 games of ‘Q’ experience. Will Murphy is looking to take the next steps, while another 20-year-old, Lewis Gendron, is back after getting picked up in a trade with Sherbrooke last year. Lucas Romeo returns up front with his gritty style, as does the club’s top scoring rookie from last year, Romain Litalien. Despite the inevitable turnover, the crew from the Cape boast a group that should be a tough out on most nights.

• Who’s stopping the puck?

If there’s one thing you can bet on in Cape Breton, it’s that there will almost always be someone between the pipes who’ll impress you. While names like Fleury, Houle and Pavelec dot the franchise’s past eras, recent names like Mandolese, Ruccia, Cournoyer and Milota have kept that tradition alive. This year is a rarity for the organization; the first time in 11 seasons in which the Eagles enter the season with an entirely new slate of netminders. This year, a trio made the club out of camp. Félix Hamel arrives from Blainville-Boisbriand with parts of three seasons in the ‘Q’ under his belt, including an impressive second half with the Armada last campaign. Fairfield, Connecticut’s Connor Towle lands on the island for one season before making his way to Holy Cross next year. Stellarton, Nova Scotia product Sam Berthiaume impressed in the US prep school ranks before coming home as a second-round selection of the Eagles at last June’s draft. The 6’5” stopper has been tabbed as the club’s goalie of the future.

• Will Clarke click with this group?

With the unexpected departure to the KHL of Louis Robitaille, GM Sylvain Couturier turned to an old friend in Jason Clarke to take the reins behind the bench. Clarke has known mostly success as a Head Coach, creating a Jr.A dynasty in Ontario with the four-time champion Carleton Place Canadians in the CCHL. Couturier and Clarke became well acquainted at their former posting with the Acadie-Bathurst Titan, where Clarke acquitted himself well in his partial season behind the bench. Prior to that, the 51-year-old briefly appeared as an Assistant with that year’s eventual league champions in Shawinigan. As of late, Clarke has spent two seasons as an Assistant Coach with the AHL San Diego Gulls. With this varying mix of newcomers and vets, it will be his mission to instill the same practises that made his teams a force in Eastern Ontario a decade ago.

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2024-2025 Stats: