THREE QUESTIONS ON THE CHICOUTIMI SAGUENEENS

• Will the road to a championship run through the Eastern Conference again?

Winning it all is never easy. However, sometimes something as simple as geographic location can prove to be either a curse or a blessing. For this Sagueneens organization, whose most recent building process is now four years in the making, it’s been a little bit of both. As the club began its rise, the 2023 Memorial Cup Champion Quebec Remparts and the 2024 Gilles-Courteau Trophy Finalist Baie-Comeau Drakkar provided a formidable challenge for a squad still learning the ropes. Last year, the most recent Memorial Cup hosts from Rimouski proved not only a challenge but a roadblock as the Oceanic eliminated the Sags in the Quarter-Final round. This year, Chicoutimi is in prime position to sit atop the Eastern Conference standings. If the Sagueneens do reach those new heights, they will have their three rivals to thank for the hard lessons along the way.

• Who will take the offense to the next level?

They’ve grown up in the organization for the past few seasons. And now, the trio of Emmanuel Vermette, Maxim Masse and Thomas Desruisseaux will be leaned upon even more after finishing 1-2-3 in team scoring last year. They won’t be alone, however. A pair of 18-year-olds in Emile Guite and Nathan Lecompte will be called upon in all situations as well. Both appear ready for the challenge, as evidenced by Lecompte’s 49-point campaign and strong playoff showing. Guite’s two-way game led to a selection by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft; the same club that chose his linemate Masse in 2024. Korney Korneyev, the QMJHL’s first-ever Kazakh player, showed flashes of a high-energy game with offensive upside last year. Emile Ricard and Christophe Berthelot will be looked to as reinforcements up front as well.

• What can we expect away from the puck?

Veteran top pairing defenceman Loic Usereau has graduated from the ‘Q’. However, there’s plenty of other players up to the challenge of keeping the Sags a very respectable defensive unit this season. The leader in that regard is 2025 Nashville Predators draft pick Alex Huang, now entering his third season in Chicoutimi. Jonathan Prud’Homme is back to provide a gritty, agitating game that drove momentum for the Sags over the past two campaigns. Between the pipes rests one of the league’s unsung heroes in Raphael Precourt, who quietly put together 29 wins in the regular season and a 2.18 GAA in the playoffs. This defensive unit will be a sum of its parts, but one strong enough to give its opponents a worthy challenge throughout the season.

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2024-2025 Stats: