Gardiner MacDougall’s first full season in the major-junior coaching ranks proved the longtime University of New Brunswick bench boss could have just as much success at another level.
Now, the Moncton Wildcats coach has a new challenge — keep his team in elite status in the QMJHL after capturing the league title in dominating fashion last season.
Although the OHL’s London Knights seem like one of the only franchises able to compete for league titles year after year in the cyclical cycle of major junior (at least before the NCAA rule change), the Wildcats will be a fascinating case study.
The team has taken full advantage of the NCAA’s decision to allow CHL players to start playing U.S. college hockey this season. The Wildcats have a whopping nine American-born players on their roster, many of whom likely would have previously shied away from the CHL to preserve their NCAA eligibility.
Among the notable Americans to watch are goalie Jacoby Weiner (Harvard commit) and San Jose Sharks prospect forward Teddy Mutryn (Boston College commit).
Weiner joins fellow Harvard commit and Wildcats returnee Rudy Guimond to form a strong duo in Moncton’s net.
It also seems like a decent bet that the Wildcats will see the return of QMJHL playoff MVP Caleb Desnoyers, who is recovering from wrist surgery after being picked fourth overall by the Utah Mammoth in the NHL Draft.
MacDougall, after winning nine national university titles with UNB, and his son Taylor (the Wildcats’ GM), took Moncton to within two wins of a Memorial Cup last season. Considering the coach’s track record (he won a Memorial Cup as interim coach with the Saint John Sea Dogs in 2022 after his university season finished), Moncton very likely will be a factor again this season.
With the season starting Thursday, here are some storylines to watch in the QMJHL.
Another try in Newfoundland
The country’s easternmost province has been home to AHL, ECHL and QMJHL teams, but the costly price of doing business in a relatively remote location has made things tough for local operators.
The Newfoundland Regiment will be the latest franchise to give St. John’s a shot, with a local group purchasing the small-market Acadie-Bathurst Titan from New Brunswick last season before making the move for this year.
Inheriting a playoff team, the Regiment should be able to take another step up this season. Noah Laberge (Buffalo Sabres pick) and Will Reynolds (Seattle Kraken) anchor a strong blue line, while Czechia-born forward Marek Danicek has potential to be a big producer.
The Regiment get the honour of kicking off the league’s schedule, hosting Moncton in the lone game on the schedule on Thursday night before the teams have a rematch in St. John’s on Friday.
Are the Armada the team to beat?
The Blainville-Boisbriand Armada should have a very good shot at winning their first league title in franchise history.
Defenceman Xavier Villeneuve measures in at just five-foot-11 and 157 pounds, but he has great tools at both ends of the ice and has a very real chance to go in the top half of the first round of next year’s NHL Draft.
Up front, St. Louis Blues first-round pick Justin Carbonneau returns after ultimately deciding against going to Boston College this season. The Armada also made two huge off-season trades, acquiring Pittsburgh Penguins first-round pick Bill Zonnon in from the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies and Philadelphia Flyers second-rounder Spencer Gill from the reigning runner-up Rimouski Oceanic.
After the high of winning the Memorial Cup on home ice in 2022, the Sea Dogs have languished near the bottom of the standings the last couple of years.
While the Wildcats figure to remain the best team in the Maritimes, the Sea Dogs offer much more intrigue this season.
Defenceman Cameron Chartrand, who played for Canada this summer at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup under-18 tournament, signed with the Sea Dogs this off-season after being captain of a prep team in Rochester, N.Y., last year. Also coming aboard on the blue line is Tampa Bay Lightning draft pick Everett Baldwin.
At forward, the Sea Dogs add 2025 first-overall QMJHL pick Alexis Joseph.
For the first time since 2022-23, there will be OHL-QMJHL interleague play.
The Gatineau Olympiques and Ottawa 67’s will play a home-and-home series for National Capital Region supremacy Jan. 16-17, and Rouyn-Noranda and the Sudbury Wolves battle it out Jan. 18 and 25. The two northern cities are about four hours apart.
Meanwhile, UNB’s home rink in Fredericton will host three Sea Dogs regular-season games.
The league also will hold its first Prospects Game, showcasing 2026 NHL Draft-eligible players, on Oct. 21 in Sherbrooke, Que.
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