The QMJHL: From Sidney Crosby to Nathan MacKinnon
Of all three leagues in the CHL, the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League has by far the least amount of players drafted from it. Luckily for the east coast-based circuit, times are rapidly changing and its reputation continues to soar upwards.
It wasn’t too long ago that the best player in the world graced the QMJHL, as Sidney Crosby added to his already sterling resume by tearing up the bilingual league night in and night out, drawing fans from far and wide to come see the young phenom.
The next Crosby is likely to come out of the bilingual league. His name is Nathan MacKinnon, and the world will soon know him as a dominant Halifax Moosehead.
Of course, that’s not all that the QMJHL has to look forward to since they are also the home of the reigning Memorial Cup champions, the Saint John Sea Dogs. Despite having five of their players drafted to the NHL this year, 2011-12 should again be a strong year for the New Brunswick franchise.
In fact, the league in general had a solid season in terms of quality players, having five players drafted in the first round – their highest since 2006.
The great thing about Saint John is they really embody the QMJHL as a whole. Their pedigree consists of fast, exciting, talented players. To boot, their 324 goals scored this year were more than any other team in the entire CHL, by 14.
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Although the actual population of Saint John is not booming by any means, the squad has been in the top five in league attendance since its second year of existence back in 2006-07. Provided none of their current players surprise people and make the NHL this season, we could be witnessing the next great junior hockey team in Canada.
While the Sea Dogs look primed for a dominant few seasons, the best market in the league known for producing top-end ‘tenders is the Quebec Remparts.
Their head coach alone, Patrick Roy, is worth the price of admission. His fierce personality and passion is always a joy to watch, especially when his team responds accordingly. They play an all-around game since Roy tries to instil a sound defensive system onto his players.
Beyond the on-ice product is a fanbase that cares. Quebec has led the QMJHL in attendance in every campaign since the 2005-06 season. Of course their fortunes at the box office are helped by the fact they’re the second largest city in Quebec with nearly half a million people calling Quebec City their home.
Nevertheless, Quebec and Saint John are two easy teams to spot out as top markets. One is an easy sell while the other is a dynasty in the making.
There are other proven franchises such as the Montreal Juniors – who are now called the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada – who impressed in 2010-11 and are going to be led by what looks like a strong ownership group.
Then there are the Rimouski Oceanic. Many outsiders consider them the team that Crosby built – and in some ways they are – but they have remained relatively strong since his departure.
Their barn, Colisee de Rimouski, is full of tradition and long-time fans of the team. They also have an insightful general manager in former NHL defenceman Phillipe Boucher.
The Moncton Wildcats, who are always around the top of the league and have been fairly successful lately, are always a good draw and are currently led by one of the best, and most underrated, defenseman in junior hockey in Brandon Gormley. On the other hand, Moncton has been a bit of a roller coaster when it comes to what fans can expect from them.
In 2008-09, their goaltender Nicola Riopel set a record for fewest against average in the QMJHL ever. Then a year later, with a decent squad team that qualified for the playoffs, they allowed 24 more goals than they scored.
In Moncton and beyond, such is life in junior hockey; one minute it’s up, another it’s down. The chief element is harnessing elite talent like Rimouski and Saint John have done and like Moncton, Quebec, Halifax – and the rest of the league for that matter – continue to strive for.
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