Okay so I'm gonna try to give a whole league standings because I like making things hard on myself and guaranteeing I'll be wrong.
18 - Moncton- I don't necessarily think Moncton is the worst team in the league, however they will be playing a lot in a tough division. Max Barbashev looked really good last year, they'll need him, Daoust, Labelle, Loshing and Taibel to produce, as well as Vincent Filion living up to his billing.
17 - Chicoutimi - After trying to contend for 2 seasons there's not a lot of talent left on this team, 0 games of goaltending experience in net, and you have to think they sell.
16 - Victoriaville - There's still a few pieces left over from the defending champions roster that will keep them competitive on a lot of nights. Nik Hurtubise in net, Frenette, Kalmikov, Daigle up front and Vincent Sevigny on the back end, plus a couple new euros. Still, I expect some of the names above to be moved at christmas.
15 - Val-d'Or - I think Justin Robidas and some of the hold-overs from that juggernaut team from last season can carry them to a some wins this year. Plus I know the they're quite high on William Blackburn taking over the net. With Robidas as a 2003 there's less pressure to trade him now, however if they do I expect the return to be quite something.
14 - Baie-Comeau - fairly young team with an experienced goaltender, I expect them to get better as the year goes on. Not a whole lot of star power, RaivisKirstians Ansons, Benjamin Corbaeil, Jacob Gaucher and Xavier Fortin should produce enough offense to keep them in games, Olivier Adam will have to be good behind a young defense tho.
13 - Cape Breton - Cape Breton has an interesting group, 2 young but highly touted goaltenders, a championship winning PP QB in Sean Larochelle, and a pretty decent forward group for a rebuilding club. Dawson Stairs is going to need to continue his hot play since joining the Eagles, I'm hoping for 30 goals from him, Girouard and Hegarty-Aubin should be able to chip in as well. One guy I really think a lot of folks are sleeping on is Connor Trenholm, he's a guy who just keeps getting better and better. Kian Bell and the euros should also add some interesting elements to this offense, and I can't wait to see what Emile Perron brings to the table. They still have to deal with a tough division tho, but they always play halifax hard.
12- Blainville-Boisbriand - The Armada are a younger team after competing last year, there's still quite a few hold-overs, Simon Pinard, Zachary Roy, Miguel Tourigny and Simon Lavigne should help this team to a few wins. Again with rookie goaltenders tho, unproven group that may and up selling at the deadline.
11 - Rouyn-Noranda - They have a young roster but I expect them to develop and play well as always. The Huskies don't really have any standout players either but they'll work hard, play fast and hard, and they'll win games and get better as the year goes on.
10 - Rimouski - They should be on the upswing now, they should have an NHL drafted goaltender, Drover seems to be bouncing back, Xaveier Cormier should be a consistent producer and they have a bunch of young guys who seem ready to break out. That defense is young and talented too, so this group may surprise some.
9 - Drummondville - Now we're getting to the really good teams, I love what the volts have put together here. You have a veteran goaltender in Francesco Lapenna who's reliable, but you also have all this great, high end young talent. Peddle, Cote, Woodworth, Lamoureaux, Maddigan, Hugues.... I think this group is going to do some good things.
8 - Halifax - The Mooseheads are a tough one because with a full lineup they should be able to score with any team in the league. Desnoyers, L'Heureux, Orr, Peeters, Dumais, Vidicek, Swan etc... they're really deep and talented up front, but young. Same with that defense, quality players in Whynot, Furlong and MacKinnon, but still quite young and inexperienced, playing in front of a sophomore 18 year old goalie and a 17 year old rookie. I expect a lot of high-scoring games from them this year. They're good enough to challenge the best teams in the division and take a few wins off them, and should have a lot of success outside the division, but I think ultimately they're not ready to contend yet.
7- Sherbrooke - After the trade period last year the Phoenix looked invigorated and Joshua Roy was carrying this team to some great success, and I expect that to continue this year. Xavier Parent, Justin Gill, and a decent supporting cast, plus a Ivan Zhygalov out of the euro draft in net , I think they can take a lot of wins off some of the weaker teams in Quebec, and will finish decently high in the standings.
6- Gatineau - I mean they're just too good not to at this point. Young, yes, but that roster is so talented and star-studded that they'll make a lot of noise in Quebec. Gatineau could be the team to beat for the next 2 years after this one, and I'm looking forward to seeing them prove it.
5 - Saint John - Yes, they're hosting the memorial cup. I don't care. This group has had 2-3 years to prove it can play hockey as a team and they still haven't. Best roster on paper in the CHL by a country mile, but it's time to put up or shut up. Do I think they have faith in them to do it? Well I mean I have 4 teams ahead of them so... there ya go. Prove me wrong.
4 - Bathurst - It's really nice to see the Titan be good again, so nice. This is a really good, talented roster top to bottom, and they added Hendrix Lapierre who may be the most dominant player in the league this year. They're big, strong, talented, and with solid goaltending I honestly don't think they're the 4th best team in the league, I just think they finish with fewer points than they would have otherwise because they'll be playing Saint John, Charlottetown and Halifax so often.
3 - Shawinigan - I'm never counting out any team that has Mavrik Bourque on it, and he has a really nice supporting cast here in Shawinigan this season. Nadeau, Borgault,Saye, Beaudoin looks like he's ready for a breakout year, Villette looks good... the only question mark with this roster is that defense looks really young. They'll need to upgrade here to compete.
2 - Charlottetown - It's a Jim Hulton team with Xavier Simoneau, the best defensive corps in the league, and a goaltender who attended an NHL camp. I don't really think I need to say much more. Is their scoring depth a little thin? Sure, but there's no such thing as an easy game against the Islanders, and I think they're the team to beat in the Maritimes.
1 - Quebec - Great group of talented players put over the top by the addition of Zachary Bolduc. Again this is a standings prediction, so I have them first because I think they're significantly better than the teams they'll be playing on most nights. But even so, I really like this lineup, they're built for this year and next, and I can't wait to see Quebec come to town
). Halifax wasn't willing to part ways with any futures when hosting the Memorial Cup, and it cost them in the end. That won't be an issue in Saint John. They'll be all in. I think their team will be a lot deeper come January.
