QMJHL Predictions

[Penguins23®]

Season starts this week, there hasn't been much chatter for predictions.

Halifax vs. Rouyn or Victo seems to be a popular final prediction. Not sure what Halifax's assets are like but they lost a lot of goals so I'm kinda surprised that no one thinks anyone else can come out of the East.

Moncton and Baie Comeau should be taking a step forward.

As of now, Rouyn is my favorite to win the cup.

[Citris]

Well, I could make my annual "Citris is inevitably wrong about the standings" post lol.

1 - Rouyn-Noranda
2 - Drummondville
3 - Victoriaville
4 - Halifax
5 - Baie-Comeau
6 - Shawinigan
7 - Moncton
8 - Rimouski
9 - Bathurst
10- Cape Breton
11- Chicoutimi
12- Charlottetown
13- Blainville-Broisbiand
14- Val-d'Or
15- Saint John
16- Quebec
17- Sherbrooke
18- Gatineau

Rouyn is the best team in the league imo and it's not particularly close, plus their division is Gatineau, Val-d'Or and BLB. They might not lose 15 games this year.

Drummondville has a solid roster on paper, but they did last year too and they stunk. I understand injuries happen, but like, if you're a good team you overcome. Drummondville did not. They have a lot to prove this year.

Victo is kinda in a similar situation, they overperformed in the first half before falling down to earth like a rock in the second half and playoffs last year. Lots to prove.

Halifax is the hardest one to place, they lost a lot of their guns and every other team in the Maritimes is significantly better than last year.

Le Drakkar are my wildcard on this list. I think they took a step forward last year and they're playing in an easier division in a significantly weakened western conference. I think the Baie-Comeau surprises a lot of people


Shawinigan and Moncton are in similar spots, solid 19 year old goaltenders with quality young talent and some veterans sprinkled in to lead the way, both teams are built more for next year, but I expect them to be very good. Shawi has the edge due to an easier division imo.

Rimouski is hard to place, but mid-pack seems right

Bathurst, despite everything, is the oldest team in the league and has underrated depth and 2 strong goalies. Defense is a bit of a weak spot but, I see them squeaking out quite a few wins.

Cape Breton definitely took a hit with that horrible Newcombe news... this is a good roster but it lacks any real superstar power. Maybe they rally and thrive in the face of adversity and I have them too low tho.

Chicoutimi is young, intentionally so, I think they're extremely, extremely talented but lack the experience to really make a push.

Charlottetown was hard to put this low, and I could easily be wrong about it. They have quality overagers, some pretty decent depth and a good D core. I think goaltending will determine how far the Islanders can go.

BLB has Jonathan Fauchon and a couple players who might be able to step up and help him produce some offense. I think that's enough to win them some games in a weak division

Val-d'Or is lacking a lot of high-end talent, they have a few middling vets here and there, they shouldn't be pushovers and they have very strong goaltending, but outside of that they'll struggle to win consistently.

Saint John is down here because I do think that the Maritimes is significantly better this year and the Sea Dogs are... well the least improved team. Their blueline isn't actually that bad but there's a LOT of unproven talent up front and in goal.

Then the trio of all-in teams from last year... I think those ones are self-explanatory.

[emerz]

Sept 18, 2023 10:15:55 GMT -4 Citris said:

Well, I could make my annual "Citris is inevitably wrong about the standings" post lol.

1 - Rouyn-Noranda
2 - Drummondville
3 - Victoriaville
4 - Halifax
5 - Baie-Comeau
6 - Shawinigan
7 - Moncton
8 - Rimouski
9 - Bathurst
10- Cape Breton
11- Chicoutimi
12- Charlottetown
13- Blainville-Broisbiand
14- Val-d'Or
15- Saint John
16- Quebec
17- Sherbrooke
18- Gatineau

Rouyn is the best team in the league imo and it's not particularly close, plus their division is Gatineau, Val-d'Or and BLB. They might not lose 15 games this year.

Drummondville has a solid roster on paper, but they did last year too and they stunk. I understand injuries happen, but like, if you're a good team you overcome. Drummondville did not. They have a lot to prove this year.

Victo is kinda in a similar situation, they overperformed in the first half before falling down to earth like a rock in the second half and playoffs last year. Lots to prove.

Halifax is the hardest one to place, they lost a lot of their guns and every other team in the Maritimes is significantly better than last year.

Le Drakkar are my wildcard on this list. I think they took a step forward last year and they're playing in an easier division in a significantly weakened western conference. I think the Baie-Comeau surprises a lot of people


Shawinigan and Moncton are in similar spots, solid 19 year old goaltenders with quality young talent and some veterans sprinkled in to lead the way, both teams are built more for next year, but I expect them to be very good. Shawi has the edge due to an easier division imo.

Rimouski is hard to place, but mid-pack seems right

Bathurst, despite everything, is the oldest team in the league and has underrated depth and 2 strong goalies. Defense is a bit of a weak spot but, I see them squeaking out quite a few wins.

Cape Breton definitely took a hit with that horrible Newcombe news... this is a good roster but it lacks any real superstar power. Maybe they rally and thrive in the face of adversity and I have them too low tho.

Chicoutimi is young, intentionally so, I think they're extremely, extremely talented but lack the experience to really make a push.

Charlottetown was hard to put this low, and I could easily be wrong about it. They have quality overagers, some pretty decent depth and a good D core. I think goaltending will determine how far the Islanders can go.

BLB has Jonathan Fauchon and a couple players who might be able to step up and help him produce some offense. I think that's enough to win them some games in a weak division

Val-d'Or is lacking a lot of high-end talent, they have a few middling vets here and there, they shouldn't be pushovers and they have very strong goaltending, but outside of that they'll struggle to win consistently.

Saint John is down here because I do think that the Maritimes is significantly better this year and the Sea Dogs are... well the least improved team. Their blueline isn't actually that bad but there's a LOT of unproven talent up front and in goal.

Then the trio of all-in teams from last year... I think those ones are self-explanatory.

If CB finishes 10th this year they may as fell fold the team, I'd be shocked if this team is a .500 or worse team but I've seen crazier things lol.

[Citris]

Sept 18, 2023 12:01:50 GMT -4 emerz said:

If CB finishes 10th this year they may as fell fold the team, I'd be shocked if this team is a .500 or worse team but I've seen crazier things lol.

Like I said, I'll probably be wrong and I usually second guess all my predictions the second after I post them, lol. I'm more confident in certain "groupings" than I am in the actual position.

Like, I'm fairly confident 1-4 will finish in the top 4 in some order.

I'm pretty sure the bottom 3 will finish bottom 3, in some order.

I think 15-13 will finish in somewhere in there...

The hard one is 12-5, which I know, that's like half the league, but I know I'll have overestimated some teams in there and underestimated others.

I mean, look at Charlottetown, that's not a bad roster and we know they'll have solid coaching. If they can get saves this year, I see them being very competitive every night. I put them at 12th but I wouldn't be surprised to see them as high as 8.

Cape Breton I feel similarly. If they rose to 5th or 6th I wouldn't be overly surprised.

[jordo999]

1 Rouyn-Noranda
2 Victoriaville
3 Halifax
4 Drummondville
5 Moncton
6 Cape-Breton
7 Baie-Comeau
8 Bathurst
9 Shawinigan
10 Rimouski
11 Chicoutimi
12 Charlottetown
13 Blainville-Boisbriand
14 Saint John
15 Val d'Or
16 Quebec
17 Gatineau
18 Sherbrooke

Rouyn is the clear winner so far, arguably the deepest forward core, solid D core, arguably the best goalie in the league, and they'll likely add more at Christmas, they will be scary for sure.

Victoriaville has one of the best OA trios in the league, They also added Warren on D who may not replace Brunet entirely, but he will be good. All around a relatively deep team.

Halifax - Probably the best 1st line in the league when Dumais returns, best team in the Maritimes division however I don't think they'll run away with the division. They'll have to add some depth to push them.

Drummondville - disappointing season last year but adding Gauthier is huge, and lots of returning talent, strong goaltending as well. I expect them to add more as well.

5th onwards could honestly be wide open. Moncton seems like the logical choice as they have some depth at every position, mainly their d core top 4 is looking really solid. They're lacking a bit of star power for veterans but if they add could be a threat.

Cape-Breton is a dark horse for me, on paper their team looks solid throughout, but their main guys are still young. They will compete but more likely have eyes on next year being their year. The maritime division will once again be a challenge and they'll have some hard fought games.

Baie-Comeau could honestly be as high as 4th or 5th. They have on of the top OA's in Gill, and their talented young guys are another year older. I expect them to have a solid year throughout. Lineup is pretty good in every position.

Bathurst, now I'm not trying to be biased but I think this team will surprise, like Citris mentioned, this team packs a lot of veteran guys and as shown in the pre-season, this team can score from every line. Joshua Fleming and Antoine Keller also may become one of the top goalie duos in the league. Where this team lacks is on D, outside of Higgins/Clements/Perron (who need to take a big step this season), there's a slight step behind. Bishop looked good so far but Maddigan, Deleau and Laberge will have to play hard. If they can keep the puck out of the net then they'll have a shot at winning more games. This team could fall outside of the top 10 as well, but I like their chances over the rest.

Shawinigan, much like Baie-Comeau could surprise, they could end up higher or lower. Klima looks like a huge addition so far and Lacerte could become the next Bourgault. Team should be competitive.

Rimouski, mix of young guys and experienced guys but nothing too crazy, definite middle pack team but they always surprise and could do better than expected.

Chicoutimi, primed to be a powerhouse in 2025 or 2026 this team is young but can still surprise, they definitely won't be bottom dwellers.

Charlottetown is still in the middle of a rebuild but they have some good veterans mixed with young talent, they're a bit more inexperienced than most and goaltending will be a question mark, but I think they will win some extra games this season due to Hultons system alone.

Blainville has one of the best goal scorers in Fauchon, and he could be a huge help for them early on, I expect him to be moved along with other veterans and then they will fall off more, they're in rebuild mode.

Saint John is also in a rebuild and they have some of the right pieces but they're young and I don't think their top lines outclass many others, but the potential is there.

Val d'Or, not much top guys on this roster overall, it'll be a tough year for them but others could be worst.

Quebec will be in a rebuild mode after winning the championships. Miller will be relied on heavily for some big games, They should be able to move some guys at Christmas for more value.

Gatineau went all in last year and fell short, however they still have Luneau, Savoie, and others that could help them win some games early on, however, I expect those guys to be moved over Christmas and then the true fall off begins.

Sherbrooke is in a similar situation to Gatineau and Quebec, however they sold a lot of their top guys in the summer and will likely see a very struggling season, however they're set up nicely for a rebuild with all the picks and such they've received so far.


these are my initial thoughts, let me know if I'm far off on anything and will be cool to re-evaluate by Christmas and the end of the year to see how off/accurate I was.

[canbeer]

I’ll probably post some thoughts later but I was thinking about this some today and was curious as to where team ages fell and some of it is pretty predictable…

Victo, Ryn and Drum are a fairly unsurprising 2, 3 and 4 in terms of oldest in the league. 18.36-18.26 in age.

Hali is a somewhat but not completely surprising 13th at 17.95 years old. Several new 17 year olds and only two 20s.

The oldest team is… the Saint John Sea Dogs at 18.38. Seems crazy to me but I suppose looking at their roster the have ten 19-20 years olds and only seven 16-17. Maybe those vets keep them respectable but with Bat, Mon and CB really taking a step forward, Saint John could really struggle.

[Score]

Maybe I'm being a homer, but I think that Charlottetown will be better then some may expect.

They have some good overages in Morneau, Huckins and Horth....and they have some talented youth under them.

Owen Conrad. 16yrs old.
Anthony Flanagan. 16yrs old.
Marcus Kearsey. 17yrs old.
Matthew Butler. 17yrs old.
Alexis Michaud. 17yrs old.
Slovakian Ondrej Maruna. 17yrs old.
Ross Campbell. 17yrs old
Latvian Aksels Ozols. 18yr old netminder.
Lucas Romeo 18yrs.

With Hulton, we all know that the Ises will be a hard team to play against.....and I think that they have the skill to surprise some teams.

[yesisaiditfirst]

I'm late to this dance this year. But paying attention now

1 Rouyn-Noranda
2 Drummondville
3 Halifax
4 Cape Breton
5 Victoriaville
6 Baie-Comeau
7 Moncton
8 Rimouski
9 Shawinigan
10 Charlottetown
11 Chicoutimi
12 Blainville-Boisbriand
13 Bathurst

14 Quebec
15 Saint John
16 Val d'or
17 Gatineau
18 Sherbrooke

CB will be more enthusiastic team and look like last year's Victo. I think they give Halifax fits this year just like Victo did last year vs Sherbrooke et al. It will be good for the game and fans. And steel sharpens steel. Good for Halifax.

Many of these teams placements come down to who I trust behind the bench. I agree the Islanders are going be middle of pack but it's a good roster rebuild. They have Halifax-Cape & Moncton in division is sort if a ceiling to where they go but I trust their leadership.

Didn't put much thought into slots 14 to 18. I think 13 and up are competitive teams. I would not be suprised if Chicoutimi climbs this and turns an early corner. But there is a gap from 13 to 14 that is significant.

[blueeagle]

1) Rouyn-Noranda
2) Halifax
3) Victoriaville
4) Rimouski
5) Drummondville
6) Cape Breton
7) Baie-Comeau
8) Moncton
9) Val d'Or
10) Shawinigan
11) Bathurst
12) Chicoutimi
13) Charlottetown
14) Blainville
15) Quebec
16) Gatineau
17) Saint John
18) Sherbrooke

Admittedly, I haven't been paying attention in the last month or so, so if there were any big signings this may be way off.

I think Drummondville are way better than Rimouski and will put up more points than them, but I am respecting the league's rules.

Halifax are not (imo) stronger than Drummond or Victo, but the two Central div teams will take enough points off each other to let Halifax sneak 2nd.

I don't think Val d'Or are that good but they have a weak division and could finish high(ish) if they beat up on Gatineau and Sherbrooke. Rouyn is going to murder that div.

Even as an Eagles fan it feels like I've placed them way too high, but I just can't see who is obviously stronger than them, especially in that division. Baie-Comeau probably, but they are the only team I have even less trust in than CB haha. Maybe Moncton or Shawinigan, but I'm not high on either.

Can't wait to be wrong AF.

[Citris]

I can't wait to overreact to this first weekend while still knowing I'm overreacting XD

[Reesor]

Sept 22, 2023 14:16:18 GMT -4 Citris said:

I can't wait to overreact to this first weekend while still knowing I'm overreacting XD

Yes I'm looking forward to the inevitable "Maybe the Moose aren't as strong as people thought" banter that will occur after the first 4 games with multiple players out.

I can see this 1st half being similar to Saint John's 1st half in 21-22. You know the "all-in" is coming but in the mean time, tough losses occur and the fan base just has to ride out the clock waiting for January.

[sc74]

1 Rouyn-Noranda
2 Victoriaville
3 Halifax
4 Drummondville
5 Baie-Comeau
6 Rimouski
7 Moncton
8 Cape Breton
9 Shawinigan
10 Blainville-Boisbriand
11 Charlottetown
12 Bathurst
13 Quebec
14 Chicoutimi
15 Val D'Or
16 Saint John
17 Gatineau
18 Sherbrooke

[jordo999]

well 7 games on the opening night schedule and so far 5 out of 7 games have been won by the away teams...

edit: 6 out of 7 games won by the road team. 

[Briwhel]

Sj is a hard team to predict.

Statistically, the FA goalie shouldn't have been a FA (was his team's best goalie), but the backup is a lesser-known and thought of rookie.

The D is older and should be fairly good.

Valuing the offense could be anywhere from 4th worst in the Q (behind the 3 semi-finalists not named Halifax) to above average.

SJ could be a bottom 5 team or mid pack ( i cant see them below the 3 semi finalists).

[Score]

Of course, I'm a homer. I admit.

I do feel that the Isles will finish mid pack...not as low down the list as some think....

I also feel that they have a very solid group of youth that will make them a very tough team for the next 2-3 years.

Owen Conrad. 16yrs old.
Anthony Flanagan. 16yrs old.
Marcus Kearsey. 17yrs old.
Niko Boudreau. 17yrs old.
Matthew Butler. 17yrs old.
Alexis Michaud. 17yrs old.
Slovakian, Ondrej Maruna. 17yrs old.
Ross Campbell. 17yrs old
Lucas Romeo. 18yrs old.
Kyle Powers. 18yrs old.
Latvian, Aksels Ozols. 18yr old netminder.