Maine Hockey Journal

QMJHL completes Maineiacs dispersal draft

On Friday afternoon, the QMJHL officially dismantled the Lewiston Maineiacs in a special two round dispersal draft in Victoriaville, Quebec where the league is getting ready for their Annual QMJHL Entry Draft, which is on Saturday.

The Rouyn Noranda Huskies had the first selection and took defenseman Dillon Fournier, who went first overall last year to the Maineiacs in the entry draft. In 60 games, he had three goals and 11 assists. Baie-Comeau had the second pick and took defenseman Samuel Carrier, who had 50 points last season. Michael Chaput will be in the Memorial Cup next year as the hosts, the Shawinigan Cataractes, selected him third overall.

With the fourth selection, the Halifax Mooseheads chose the Maineiacs first round pick (11th overall) in tomorrow’s draft. With the fifth overall selection the Val d'Or Foreurs selected winger Samuel Henley, who will join his brother Cedrick in their home town. Chicoutimi took 53-goal scorer Etienne Brodeur with the sixth overall selection.

The Rimouski Oceanic took forward Francis Beauviller with the seventh selection. The Victoriaville Tigres took blueliner Samuel Finn, who will be an overager next season. The Tigres moved up in the draft and made a trade with the PEI Rocket for the ninth overall selection and took Stefan Fournier.

Pesty rookie forward Christopher Lalonde went to the Moncton Wildcats at the 10th slot. Pierre-Olivier Morin is also going to the Memorial Cup as the Cataractes chose him with the 11th pick. The Acadie-Bathurst Titan took Matthew Bissonnette at 12th. Gatineau took the first goalie with the 13th pick and chose Antoine Bibeau, who spent most of the year in Midget AAA.

Drummondville took Bryce Milson with the 14th selection. At No. 15, the Quebec Remparts took Lewiston’s 3rd round (53rd overall) pick in tomorrow's draft.

If you can’t stop him, might as well draft him and that’s what the Montreal Junior did as they selected Kirill Kabanov with the 16th pick. In the playoffs series against the Junior, Kabanov had three goals and nine assists in six games.

Ian Saab was selected by Saint John to close out the first round.

The Sea Dogs took the Maineiacs fourth selection (68th overall) with the opening pick of the second round. The Montreal Junior took Jess Tanguy with the second pick of the second round. Quebec grabbed Lewiston’s fifth rounder (78th overall) with the third pick.

Drummondville took defenseman Brayden Wood, who played in Midget AAA last season. Gatineau took blueliner Zachary Evans-Renaud with the fifth selection of the second round. Acadie-Bathurst took the Lewiston’s sixth pick (101th overall) with the sixth selection.

Shawinigan took Cole Hawes and Moncton took Alex Zafiris with the seventh and eighth selection (137th overall). PEI passed with their ninth pick. Victoriaville took former Maineiacs captain Cameron Critchlow with the tenth pick. Rimouski took Lewiston's seventh selection in tomorrow's draft with the eleventh pick in the second round. Chicoutimi passed with the 12th selection.

Val d'Or took Lewiston's ninth selection (154th overall), Halifax took defenseman Jonathan Parisien, and Cape Breton took ninth selection (155th overall). Baie-Comeau and Rouyn-Noranda passed on the final two picks of the dispersal draft.

QMJHL focuses on recruitment and development

Before the dispersal draft, Commissioner Gills Corteau announced Marc Fortier has been named Director of Recruitment for the league.

“Our short term goal is to create development camps in Quebec, the Maritimes and the North Eastern United States,'' said Corteau. “'The camps will help us offer players superior development workshops while giving them insight and information on our programs and our League. They will include specialized on-ice tutoring as well as off-ice workshops designed, among other things, to prepare draft-eligible players for pre NHL draft interviews.”

The draft will also be revamped next year.

“Internally, and starting next year, our entry draft will be expanded to include fourteen rounds instead of twelve with each of our teams obligated to select two American-born players. This initiative will help us expand our reach into the United States. Also starting next year, 15 year-old players will be eligible to be drafted in the first eight rounds instead of in the first five rounds.”

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