2023-24 OFFSEASON OUTLOOK - BAIE-COMEAU DRAKKAR

[JPA]

BAIE-COMEAU DRAKKAR Jean-Francois Gregoire  TEAM OUTLOOK:    Head Coach/GM: Jean-Francois Gregoire    Imports: D Niks Fenenko; C Matyas Melovsky                                                                                                                The Drakkar will need to sort things out with their eligible returning 20 year-olds.   The returning Drakkar roster is deep. I didn't realize they were this good until putting this   info together. They should be OK in goal with 2004 Olivier Ciarlo.    Their defence is their strength with six returnees and a lot of experience and size. There  seems to be plenty of offence generated from the back end as a group with Niks Fenenko  leading the way with 37 points.    Up front, with players like Justin Gill, Isaac Dufort, Justin Poirier and Matyas Melovsky,  they might be capable of adding a player or two and looking to make a deep playoff run.  I was half expecting to see a team looking to trade a couple of big names to build for the  future, but instead I think I see the framework of a legitimate contender.

BAIE-COMEAU DRAKKAR TRAINING CAMP ROSTER

GOALTENDERS	YOB	SIZE	GP	W-L	SO	GAA	Sv%
Carter Arnold, East Coast Blizzard U18	2007	6'0"-180 lbs.	16	8-6	0	3.25	.901
Lucas Beckman, Montreal-Laval QM17AAA	2007	6'1"-174 lbs.	22	12-9	2	3.21	.900
Philippe Bourdages, Thetford Mines QCHL	2004	5'11"-169 lbs.	21	14-7	2	2.52	.920
Olivier Ciarlo, Baie-Comeau Drakkar	2004	6'0"-200 lbs.	45	18-25	2	3.49	.894
Alexis Cournoyer, Trois-Rivieres Estacades U18	2005	6'1"-167 lbs.	21	12-9	0	2.27	.913
Justin Giguere, Jonquiere Elites U18	2007	5'11"-157 lbs.	22	4-15	0	4.94	.846
Mathis Lacroix-Goulet, Coll. Francais QJHL	2005	5'11"-192 lbs.	30	24-5	0	2.49	.908
Emile Page, Jonquiere Elites U18	2005	6'0"-150 lbs.	22	4-15	0	3.97	.882
Dekon Randell-Snow, Hawkesbury Hawks Jr. A	2004	6'0"-194 lbs.	18	9-4	1	2.66	.927
Zack Tremblay, American Hockey Academy 16U	2006	6'0"-161 lbs.	37	-	9	1.95	.900
DEFENCEMEN	YOB	SIZE	GP	G	A	PTS.	PIM
L Drew Allison, South Kent Prep 16U	2007	6'1"-168 lbs.	60	7	26	33	-
R Alexis Bernier, Baie-Comeau Drakkar	2006	6'1"-180 lbs.	64	4	13	17	30
R Samuel Brunet, OHA Academy Prep	2006	5'11"-170 lbs.	41	9	11	20	65
R Emile Chouinard, Baie-Comeau Drakkar	2003	6'5"-200 lbs.	66	5	15	20	89
L Vincent Deschenes, Coll. Lafleche QCHL	2004	6'1"-166 lbs.	12	0	4	4	8
R Lucas Desjardins, Coll. Esther-Blondin U18	2006	5'11"-170 lbs.	33	2	5	7	22
L Niks Fenenko, Baie-Comeau Drakkar	2004	6'1"-180 lbs.	56	6	31	37	16
R Sydney Gagnon, Jonquiere Elites U18	2006	5'11"-159 lbs.	40	0	7	7	18
R Mattias Gilbert, Saint-Hyacinthe Gaulois U18	2006	6'6"-201 lbs.	42	5	12	17	4
L Zachary Hachey, Coll. Charles-Lemoyne U18	2007	6'2"-192 lbs.	40	0	3	3	12
L Julien Lanthier, Baie-Comeau Drakkar	2006	5'11"-165 lbs.	66	3	6	9	22
L Maxime Lauzon, College Francais QJHL	2005	5'11"-175 lbs.	38	2	6	8	36
L Anthony Lavoie, Baie-Comeau Drakkar	2004	6'0"-185 lbs.	57	4	10	14	59
R Jayden Lazare, Lac St-Louis Lions U18	2007	5'11"-152 lbs.	40	1	4	5	26
R Zachary Lessard, Baie-Comeau Drakkar	2004	5'9"-170 lbs.	43	0	6	6	10
L Alexis Mathieu, Sherbrooke QM17AAA	2007	6'3"-172 lbs.	34	4	9	13	42
L Liam O'Keeffe, Boston Jr. Eagles 16U	2006	6'0"-179 lbs.	43	1	17	18	32
R Michael Pilgrim, East Coast Blizzard U18	2007	6'2"-205 lbs.	37	2	16	18	24
LEFT WING
L Mathieu Bourgault, Salmon Arm Junior A	2003	6'2"-176 lbs.	13	0	1	1	10
L Marco Campo, Laval-Montreal QM17AAA	2007	5'11"-150 lbs.	31	11	9	20	8
L Isaac Dufort, Baie-Comeau Drakkar	2003	6'2"-180 lbs.	61	21	20	41	60
L Kirill Evstigneev, Jersey Hitmen U18	2006	5'11"-170 lbs.	87	36	39	75	6
L Charles-Thomas Larochelle, Baie-Comeau	2003	5'10"-180 lbs.	57	4	9	13	18
L Charles-Antoine Lavallee, Gat / Baie-Comeau	2004	6'1"-194 lbs.	66	11	17	28	55
L Olivier Lemieux, Magog Cantonniers U18	2006	5'9"-161 lbs.	22	8	6	14	38
L Matthew MacDonald, Baie-Comeau Drakkar	2003	5'10"-175 lbs.	54	13	17	30	37
L Anthony Morin, Coll. Mont-Ste-Anne RSEQ	2007	5'11"-161 lbs.	32	9	10	19	42
L Henry Ouellet, Coll. Charles-Lemoyne RSEQ	2006	5'10"-177 lbs.	27	16	15	31	12
L Julien Paille, College Champlain QCHL	2004	6'0"-185 lbs.	25	18	7	25	30
L Louis-Charles Plourde, Baie-Comeau Drakkar	2005	6'1"-180 lbs.	48	10	10	20	10
L Thomas St-Louis, Gatineau L'Intrepide U18	2007	6'1"-192 lbs.	42	1	3	4	6
CENTER
L Raoul Boilard, Alberni Valley/Salmon Arm Jr. A	2006	6'1"-181 lbs.	48	10	12	22	12
R Cameron Cooke, Boston Junior Bruins 16U	2006	6'1"-179 lbs.	22	3	3	6	34
L Gabriel Courchesne, Magog Cantonniers U18	2006	5'7"-150lbs.	42	22	12	34	26
L Pierre-Olivier Denis, Saint-Hyacinthe U18	2007	5'9"-153 lbs.	40	15	13	28	6
L Elliot Desmarais, Magog Cantonniers U18	2007	6'1"-209 lbs.	42	5	11	16	28
L Jean-Christophe Diamond, Jonquiere U18	2006	5'11"-161 lbs.	37	10	9	19	81
R Andrew Doucet, Baie-Comeau Drakkar	2004	6'0"-175 lbs.	22	2	1	3	0
L Gabriel Filion, Grand Prairie/Estevan Junior A	2004	5'11"-179 lbs.	50	12	10	22	34
R Charlie Fink, Baie-Comeau Drakkar	2004	6'3"-205 lbs.	29	2	1	3	8
R Felix Gagnon, Baie-Comeau Drakkar	2004	6'0"-170 lbs.	62	21	21	42	58
L Justin Garneau, Levis Chevaliers U18	2005	6'1"-174 lbs.	30	9	10	19	12
L Justin Gill, Sherbrooke Phoenix	2003	6'1"-190 lbs.	68	44	49	93	41
R Olivier Lampron, Saint-Eustache Vikings U18	2007	6'0"-167 lbs.	40	8	23	31	10
R Bodie Marcotte, Top Gun Prep	2007	6'2"-194 lbs.	21	7	2	9	8
R Matyas Melovsky, Baie-Comeau Drakkar	2004	6'1"-190 lbs.	59	6	52	58	28
L Shawn Pearson, Rimouski Oceanic	2005	5'10"-163 lbs.	53	5	5	10	28
R Marc-Antoine Seguin, Chicoutimi / Drakkar	2003	6'0"-185 lbs.	57	9	15	24	24
R Jabez Seymour, South Kent Prep	2007	6'2"-183 lbs.	55	12	20	32	-
RIGHT WING
R Jules Boilard, Alberni Valley/Salmon Arm Jr. A	2004	6'0"-170 lbs.	45	6	9	15	12
L Thomas Boudreau-Millaire, Alma QCHL	2005	6'0"-161 lbs.	22	4	3	7	8
L Zachary Paulhus, Saint-Hyacinthe U18	2006	6'0"-186 lbs.	42	4	9	13	48
R Justin Poirier, Baie-Comeau Drakkar	2006	5'8"-180 lbs.	55	28	20	48	38
R Breckin Siefker, Connecticut Chiefs 16U	2007	6'1"-201 lbs.	31	7	14	21	52
R Cedric St-Pierre, Richilieu Gaulois QM17AAA	2007	6'0"-154 lbs.	32	18	6	24	20
R Adam Veronneau, Amos Forestiers U18	2006	5'9"-157 lbs.	42	9	6	15	20

GOALTENDERS

Olivier Ciarlo GOALTENDERS 04 Olivier Ciarlo 04 Philippe Bourdages   05 Mathis Lacroix-Goulet?     GOALTENDING:   2004 Olivier Ciarlo appears to be the number 1 heading into training camp, with 2004 Phil-  ippe Bourdages and 2007 Lucas Beckman battling for the backup role.  Notes:  2004 G Philippe Bourdages got into 3 games with the Drakkar last season (1-1; 3.49 GAA;      .853 Save%).  2005 G Alexis Cournoyer was acquired in a trade from Shawinigan on August 27th.  2005 G Felix Hamel got into 6 games with the Drakkar last season (2-2; 5.21 GAA; .852  Save%). Update: Hamel was traded to Shawinigan on August 27th for Cournoyer.  2005 G Mathis Lacroix-Goulet was acquired in a trade from Acadie-Bathurst on August 27th.

DEFENCEMEN

Niks Fenenko LEFT DEFENCE RIGHT DEFENCE 04 Niks Fenenko   03 Emile Chouinard       06 Julien Lanthier         06 Alexis Bernier 04 Anthony Lavoie 04 Zachary Lessard 07 Alexis Mathieu 06 Mattias Gilbert  DEFENCE:    The Drakkar have a strong group with six defencemen returning who played at least 40        games last season. It looks to be their strong point heading towards training camp. 2007  Alexis Mathieu, 2006 Mattias Gilbert and 2007 Jayden Lazare appear to be in the mix for the  7th D-man role.  Notes:  2004 D Vincent Deschenes played 33 games for the Drakkar two seasons ago (33-0-4-4-6)     before playing with College Lafleche last season.  2006 D Mattias Gilbert got into 2 games with the Drakkar last season (2-0-0-0-0). He is  huge at 6'6" and 201 lbs. and should get a long look in camp.

FORWARDS

Justin Poirier LEFT WING CENTER RIGHT WING 03 Isaac Dufort 03 Justin Gill 06 Justin Poirier   05 Louis-Charles Plourde 04 Matyas Melovsky    04 Felix Gagnon        06 Kirill Evstigneev 06 Raoul Boilard 04 Jules Boilard 07 Jabez Seymour 05 Shawn Pearson 07 Olivier Lampron 03 Matthew MacDonald? 04 Julien Paille 06 Olivier Lemieux      FORWARDS:    The Drakkar will need to sort out a few positions up front, but they appear to be fairly deep  and strong.   Notes:  2003 LW Mathieu Bourgault is NCAA commited with RPI for the 2024-25 season.  2006 LW William Labranche was traded to Gatineau on August 26th.  2004 LW Charles-Antoine Lavallee was a surprise release on August 26th.  2006 LW Olivier Lemieux got into 17 games with the Drakkar last season (17-0-2-2-11).  2005 C Justin Garneau got into a game with the Drakkar last season.  2003 C Justin Gill was aquired in a trade with Sherbrooke. He is one of the top returning 20  year-olds in the league and will be highly coveted by teams hoping to make a deep playoff  run.  2004 C Matyas Melovsky led all rookies in assists last year (52) and finished 2nd in rookie  points (58).  2006 C Raoul Boilard and 2004 RW Jules Boilard are brothers and are expected to play in  the BCHL again this season. Both are NCAA commited to Nebraska-Omaha. Update: An  article in Le Soleil (Steeve Paradis) on July 21 states that the Boilard brothers will both play  for the Drakkar this coming season. Both had been NCAA commited to the University of  Nebraska-Omaha (latest BCHL NCAA commitment list).

* These offseason looks at QMJHL teams will be updated as often as required leading up to training camps in August.

[JPA]

IN THE SYSTEM - BAIE-COMEAU DRAKKAR

Drafted QMJHL: Baie-Comeau (2023-1-9)   Me 13   CSR 9   HP 13 2007 OLIVIER LAMPRON, Saint-Eustache Vikings 6'0" - 165 lbs. Centre: Shoots R SEASON TEAM / LEAGUE GP G A PTS. PIM 2021-22 Mille Iles QM15AAA  29     8   12    20   14 2021-22 Mille Iles QM17E    1     0     0     0     0 2022-23 Saint-Eustache QM18AAA  40    8  23   31   10    "Olivier Lampron loves to get involved on both ends of the ice and that’s why the Vikings’  forward is having a good start to the season. In addition to having a good skating stride, he    always drives the play north and does not hesitate to rush the opposing net, which allows  him to generate offense. He is also responsible defensively, especially when it comes to  backchecking quickly to his defensive zone. However, Lampron will need to continue to work  on his physical game to make the most of his big size and improve his consistency."  - Katerine Aubry-Hébert, CSR Scout    Olivier Lampron plays a solid all-around game. He has good size and speed and likes to get  in on the forecheck and work the cycle. He has a ton of upside and should go in the mid to  late 1st round in the draft.    While it took him some time to adjust to the U18 level, he had a strong finish to the season  and had a good showing at the Canada Games putting up 9 points in 6 games (6-2-7-9-2).

Drafted QMJHL: Baie-Comeau (2023-1-18)   Me 110   CSR 31   HP 49 2007 JABEZ SEYMOUR, South Kent Selects 6'3" - 185 lbs. Centre: Shoots R SEASON TEAM / LEAGUE GP G A PTS. PIM 2021-22 Tri Pen Ice NLU15MHL   -    -    -     -    - 2022-23 Kent Selects Academy 15UAAA  55   12   20    32    -      "The Bay Roberts, Newfoundland native matches the description of a true power forward.   Measuring 6’2’’ at just 15 years old, Seymour is a towering presence on the ice who can  change the complexion of a game thanks to his physical play. An above-average skater,  Seymour also has enough of an offensive game to play up and down a line-up. One of  three Canadians playing prep school hockey with the Selects this year, the forward finished  his rookie season south of the border with a respectable 32 points in 55 games." - Andrew  Pearcey, Newfoundland and Labrador CSR Scout    Jabez Seymour is a big power forward with South Kent with a bit of a scoring touch. He  likes to go to the front of the net and set up a screen and look for redirects and rebounds    He will need to work on his speed and quickness, but with his size and 200 foot game, he  should project into a solid bottom six forward at the next level. I realize that some of  these profiles must be starting to sound the same, but teams do need these big, physical  forwards who can add  some depth scoring and play up and down the roster. He had a  strong showing at the Canada Games (6-3-7-10-18), albeit in the weaker division. The  CSR scouts have him at number 31 in their final rankings, and they really know their stuff.

Drafted QMJHL: Baie-Comeau (2023-2-29)   Me 147   CSR 55   HP 77 2007 ALEXIS MATHIEU, Sherbrooke Harfangs U17 6'3" - 185 lbs. Defence: Shoots L SEASON TEAM / LEAGUE GP G A PTS. PIM 2021-22 Ec. Sec. du Triolet RSEQ 15  26     3   12    15   50 2022-23 Sherbrooke Harfangs QM17AAA  25     4     6    10   34 2022-23 Magog Cantonniers QM18AAA    5     0     0     0     6      Alexis Mathieu is a big, rugged defenceman who likes the physical side of the game. He     was rated as a 'B' prospect in the February CSR rankings and a lofty 55th overall in their  final rankings in May. He had a strong showing at the final leg of the QMJHL Cup with Team  Bossy (4-0-3-3-4) and showed he could play with the best. He made a lot of progress over  the season as he gained more confidence and his stock really went up. I would guess that  somebody will draft him a lot higher than where I have him ranked. He has a lot of upside  with the right coaching.

Drafted QMJHL: Baie-Comeau (2023-2-35)   Me 34   CSR 32   HP 48 2007 LUCAS BECKMAN, Laval-Montreal U18 6'1" - 170 lbs. Goaltender: Catches L SEASON TEAM / LEAGUE GP W L GAA SV% 2021-22 Montreal Nationals QM15AAA  16     6   5  1.75     - 2022-23 Laval-Montreal QM18AAA  22  12  9 3.21  .900    "Lucas Beckman is a goaltender who plays with a good structure. He is physically big and  therefore tries to play a sound positioning game, to make the most out of his size. His  positioning is good as his body is usually square to the puck. His lateral movements are  decent, but he lacks a little bit of fluidity overall. His lack of flexibility makes him vulnerable   on rebound recoveries and on cross-crease passes, but he makes up for it thanks to his  strong urgency and competitiveness in the net.  He looks like a goalie ready to work hard  to stop pucks, with decently powered 'T' pushes." - Maxime Ouellet, CSR Goaltending  Specialist    Lukas Beckman is generally regarded as the second best goalie in the draft after William  Lacelle. He has good size and has a good net presence. He covers the bottom half of the  net well. It's hard to tell sometimes because shooters at the U18 level can't go upstairs  from in close the way they can in Major Junior. His breakaway save percentage is very high  and he rarely lets in a goal from outside the home plate area. He improved on his numbers  in the playoffs with a 2.75 GAA and a stellar .932 Save% in 7 games. Despite being a year  younger than returnee Samuel Carreiras-Pata, he put up much better numbers all season  and took over the number 1 starter role in the playoffs.

Drafted QMJHL: Gatineau (2022-4-68)  Me 29  CSR 12  HP 11 2006  RAOUL BOILARD, Magog U18 6'0" - 169 lbs. Centre: Shoots L SEASON TEAM / LEAGUE GP G A PTS. PIM 2019-20 Triolet Harfangs QMBAAA  25   10     8    18     8 2020-21 Triolet Harfangs QMBAAA   -   -   -    -    - 2021-22 Magog Cantonniers QM18AAA   39  17  27   44   16 2022-23 Alberni Valley / Salmon Arm BCHL  48  10  12   22   12    Raoul Boilard is a big, sturdy centre who can score goals and play a strong 200 foot game.  Not overly fast, he's strong on his skates and a great puckhandler and can walk through a  team on occasion. He's strong on faceoffs and has a knack for being the first to get a stick  on rebounds in close as he sets up a screen in front. He's very heads-up and can find the  open man with a pass.    On the most recent CSR rankings, he's listed at 6' and 169 lbs., and he likes to play a   physical game. The only question is his skating speed and quickness. He doesn't jump out  at you with pull-away speed, but neither does he look out of place. He's a better than  average skater, but with average speed. A couple of reports have his skating and consist-  ency as being much improved over the season.    Looking at his numbers, he finished 1st on the team in assists (27) and points (44) and  3rd in goals (17). His 44 points were 10th best in the league. Analytics show that he led  the team in SOG (174) and was 1st in faceoff win percentage (59%).    Raoul was chosen to play at the QMJHL Cup but the Cantonniers were still involved in  their playoffs.    Raoul's older brother, Jules (2004) is also a high scoring forward on the Magog team.  Update: Now listed at 6'2" and 190 lbs., Raoul played his 16 year-old season in the BCHL  split between Alberni Valley and Salmon Arm. While his numbers weren't off the charts,  the BCHL is highly competitive. He will be considered a rookie this season in the QMJHL.

[JPA]

There have been several training camp roster additions over the past week or so - mainly with Quebec based teams.

There is also a bit of confusion with a couple of players.

The Baie-Comeau roster on the QMJHL website lists Olivier Lampron as a defenceman, but I think he's the same Olivier Lampron (2007) who was their 1st round draft pick this season and is a forward.

Also, 2004 LW Nathan Levesque has been removed from the Rimouski roster and now appears on the Gatineau roster. The transaction does not show on the QMJHL trade list, so maybe he has been loaned to the Olympiques for training camp?

[JPA]

A first wave of players reassigned to their team
The Drakkar reassigned a first wave of players to their team on Friday morning:


Gabriel Courchesne (forward)
Jean-Christophe Diamond (striker)
Sydney Gagnon (defender)
Justin Giguere (goalkeeper)
Alex Huet (striker)
Anthony Morin (forward)
Emile Pagé (goalkeeper)
Michael Pilgrim (defender)
Cedrik St-Pierre (forward)
Zack Tremblay (goalkeeper)
Eloi Verret (forward)

In addition, defenseman Drew Allison has decided to leave the camp to continue his development in his region.

Good luck for the future!

[JPA]

FROM NOUS LES FANS:
The Drakkar reassigns six other players

Thomas Boudreau-Millaire (forward)
Marco Campo (striker)
Pierre-Olivier Denis (forward)
Zachary Hachey (defender)
Thomas Saint-Louis (forward)
Adam Veronneau (forward)

[JPA]

Baie-Comeau reassigned players

Other players have been reassigned on Saturday morning as we get closer to revealing the final roster:

Samuel Brunet (defender)
Charles-Antoine Lavallée (forward)

[JPA]

Le Drakkar de Baie-Comeau
⬅️ Transaction ➡️

Jean-François Grégoire made two transactions this morning:

Goalkeeper Felix Hamel enroute from Shawinigan back from Alexis Cournoyer.

Mathis Lacroix-Goulet heads to Baie-Comeau, and in return, the Drakkar hands the Titan a sixth-round pick in the draft.

[JPA]

The Drakkar carried out a third wave of reassignments on Thursday morning. Here are the players who left training camp:

Elliot Desmarais (Forward)
Charlie Fink (Forward)
Jayden Lazare (Defender)
Jake MacDonald (Defender)
Henry Ouellet (Forward)
Zachary Paulhus (Striker)

[JPA]

The training materializes

In order to finalize its alignment, the Drakkar has reassigned goalkeeper Lucas Beckman.

Here is the 2023-2024 edition of the Baie-Comeau Drakkar:

Attackers
Boillard, Jules
Boillard, Raoul
Dufort, Isaac
Evstigneev, Kirill
Gagnon, Felix
Gil, Justin
Lampron, Oliver
Lemieux, Oliver
MacDonald, Matthew
Melovsky, Matyas
Paillé, Julien
Pearson, Shawn
Plourde, Louis Charles
Poirier, Justin
Seymour, Jabez

Defenders
Bernier, Alexis
Chouinard, Emile
Fenenko, Niks
Gilbert, Mattias
Lanthier, Julian
Lavoie, Anthony
Lessard, Zachary
Matthew, Alexis

Guardians
Bourdage, Philippe
Ciarlo, Oliver