Times may be uncertain, but there is no ambiguity regarding the plans of the 2020-21 Val-d'Or Foreurs: They are all in.
As the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League trading period closed on Jan. 25, the Foreurs continued to buy every significant asset they could get their hands on.
General manager Pascal Daoust landed the biggest fish on the final day, swapping a first-, second- and third-round choice for Pittsburgh first-rounder Samuel Poulin from Sherbrooke. For good measure, the Foreurs also added Poulin's teammate, overage blueliner Xavier Bernard — a former New Jersey draft choice.
Val-d'Or expected to come of age in the 2020-21 campaign and made their intentions known by acquiring Moncton ace Jakob Pelletier at the draft. Earlier in this trade window, Daoust scooped up Team Canada blue-liner Jordan Spence from Moncton and star Baie-Comeau forward Nathan Légaré. With an enhanced lineup and a 13-2-4 record, the Abitibi club is surely the President's Cup favourite.
Despite the scariness of a potential Val-d'Or encounter and the always-looming threat of cancellation with COVID-19, there were other teams that pulled the trigger to improve as well.
Outside of the Poulin deal, Victoriaville may have scored the biggest final-day addition by adding Rouyn-Noranda sharpshooter and Colorado prospect Alex Beaucage. Currently sitting with a 9-5 record, the Tigres had earlier landed scorer Shawn Element from Cape Breton and steady Rouyn-Noranda blueliner Alexis Arsenault.
Earlier in the window, Charlottetown made moves to improve for now and later, adding a pair of forwards from Sherbrooke that were QMJHL first-rounders — 18-year-old Patrick Guay and 19-year-old Bailey Peach — while also adding blueline depth with Moncton's Sean Stewart and Gatineau's Braeden Virtue.
Interestingly enough, Chicoutimi, despite its veteran-laden roster, seemed to take a similar path, adding a pair of 19-year-old forwards that are likely to return to the QMJHL next season. The Sags acquired Félix Lafrance (over a point a game in 2020-21) from Cape Breton and Pierrick Dubé (45 points in 56 games last season) from Quebec.
Shawinigan took the opposite approach, acquiring only expiring assets. While Shawinigan's best days are likely in the future, the Cataractes have made three deals for 20-year-olds this season. It seems unlikely Shawinigan will end up having Gabriel Fortier (acquired from Moncton) as he vies for a spot with Tampa Bay's farm team, but Cataractes did add some offence up front with former 26-goal scorer Isiah Campbell. This came after an earlier move in the trade window for coveted Rimouski blueliner Justin Bergeron.
Saint John seemed to be setting up for a run in 2022 but could make noise in 2021 as well. The Sea Dogs added a quality 20-year-old goalie in Zach Emond from Rouyn-Noranda, but shuffled out offence in addition to bringing some in. The Dogs landed Calgary prospect Ryan Francis from Cape Breton, but a week later sent 17-year-old Josh Roy, already the team's leading scorer, to Sherbrooke. Roy, the top selection in the 2019 QMJHL draft, saw his trade request become public and he'll be a key piece on a suddenly much younger Phoenix squad.
Sherbrooke's about-face was one of the bigger stories of the campaign. The Phoenix led the league last spring when the playoffs were wiped out, but the silver lining was that a large number of players were set to return. But cancellations saw Sherbrooke play just five games before 2021, all losses, and the franchise decided to change course.
Joining Sherbrooke as notable sellers were Cape Breton, Rouyn-Noranda, Baie-Comeau and Rimouski. The Eagles saw their top line fly away but in return saw a haul that included a first-round pick, four second-round picks and promising 16-year-old goaltender Rémi Delafontaine. Moncton acquired the top goaltender chosen in the 2020 draft, Vincent Fillion, in the Spence swap.
Rouyn-Noranda added at least one draft pick in rounds one through four, while Baie-Comeau collected two choices in each round one through four in the Légaré and Christopher Merisier-Ortiz deals. The latter trade was the only significant buy that Blainville-Boisbriand made this winter.
Rimouski's reconstruction saw a first-round pick and 18-year-old forward Alex Drover, a former first-round pick, come in, along with a shakeup of 18-year-old defencemen — Jérémie Biakabutuka coming in from Val-d'Or while Isaac Belliveau headed to Gatineau.
Even with the unique pandemic circumstances, the QMJHL's annual “silly season” delivered its usual gusto. Now teams and fans alike will hope for the chance for an as exciting finish on the ice.
Patrick McNeil is the play-by-play announcer with the Cape Breton Eagles.
