THREE QUESTIONS ON THE GATINEAU OLYMPIQUES

• Who is ready to create more offense?

In Gatineau, goals were hard to come by last season. With veterans Jeremie Minville and Julien Paille graduating from major junior, the need for offense becomes all the more pronounced. One of the go-to guys will be overager Justin Boisselle, back for more top-line duty in Gatineau and two years removed from a point-per-game campaign with the O’s. A training camp swap brought another 20-year-old into the fold in the person of Maxime Cote, who brings energy and championship experience after a successful half-season with the Moncton Wildcats. A trio of sophomores, Nicholas Petrut, Maxim Dube and Simon-Xavier Cyr, will be pressed into more critical roles while particular attention will be given to a pair of first-year forwards in Ethan Cox and Noah Florent, who have been known at prior stops for their ability to drive offense. There is no doubt the Olympiques will be relying on offense by committee but there’s plenty of promise among those committee members.

• Will these imports pose a triple threat?

In one of several pivotal changes to the landscape of the QMJHL in recent times, this marks the first campaign in which clubs may dress three import players in their lineup. The Olympiques have received that message loud and clear with a trio of players – one at each position – that will likely prove vital to the club’s fortunes this year. The veteran of this group is 2024 Tampa Bay Lightning draftee Jan Golicic, an important three-zone rearguard and powerplay quarterback entering his third ‘Q’ season. He will be counted on to lead a unit that includes fellow two-way threat Jeremie Dumas-Larouche and gritty newcomer Nathan Nadeau. Up front, it’s the debut of Russian Lev Gaponov, who has appeared on both left wing and at center so far in training camp and who comes with a well-earned reputation as a gifted goal scorer. Between the pipes, when Danay Shyikov makes his debut, he’ll become the first Kazakh netminder to appear in a regular season matchup in the ‘Q’. A proven winner in the Russian junior ranks, he’ll share the load in nets with returnee Nathan St-Pierre.

• How will the coaching staff put their stamp on this group?

Early last year, the Olympiques were in danger of missing the postseason for the first time in 40 years. Despite being in the depths of a sizeable rebuild, the club found a way to, if not win outright, stay competitive and earn points, doing so in 14 of its last 25 games to punch its ticket to the playoffs. One of the most impressive aspects of this modest degree of success was the ability of first year Head Coach Alexis Loiseau and his staff to bring the lineup at their disposal together as the season progressed. This year, the club intends to take its first steps up the standings since its last playoff run in 2023 as this group seems designed to grind out victories while still gaining experience. Based on the positive signs shown by this crew so far, the fans in Gatineau should prepare for an enjoyable ride this year and in the seasons to come.

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2024-2025 Stats: