In return, general manager Olivier Laliberté gave the new Montagnards de Beaupré three draft picks (including one in the first round) for next Friday’s draft, the rights to Christophe Chiasson and “future considerations.”
Piché is almost unanimously considered one of the best goalies in the LHSAAAQ. He contributed greatly to the conquests of the Sportifs de Joliette (2019) and the Bellemare de Louiseville (2021 and 2022). Granby was one of the destinations where he wanted to be traded.
Marc-Antoine Dufour will once again be in front of the Bisons’ net. (Jimmy Plante/Archives, La Voix de l’Est)
This turnaround nevertheless remains quite surprising since the confidence of the Bisons’ senior management in Marc-Antoine Dufour seemed almost unshakeable.
“After our elimination, I told Marc-Antoine that my intention was to look for reinforcements in front of the net. I am convinced that he will be a better goaltender with less pressure on his shoulders,” explained Laliberté.
“He was quite happy when I spoke to him on Thursday morning, before the transaction was announced.”
The few injuries suffered by “Duffy” in recent years have obviously weighed in the balance. Nicholas Gendron also got the last two starts against Plessisville.
Alexis Millette can help his team in more than one way. (Joe Labrie)
Goals and intensity
The acquisition of Frédéric Piché has caused more talk until now, but we should not forget that of Alexis Millette. We are talking here about a 31-year-old right-hander with a size worthy of professional hockey (6 feet and 1 inch, 190 pounds according to the Elite Prospects site).
Millette presented one of the best proportions in the LHSAAAQ with his 21 points in 11 regular games last season. He then wore the colors of Climatisation Cloutier of Trois-Rivières, recently moved to Beaupré.
“He’s an intense player, tiring for the opposing team, but also a natural scorer. We see him as a big addition, especially since we sometimes had trouble buying goals at the end of the match.”
At first glance, the price paid is more than reasonable for the Bisons, who are keeping about ten picks for the upcoming draft. Christophe Chiasson certainly has an interesting pedigree, but he lives “on the other side of Quebec” and has never responded favorably to invitations from the Granby headquarters.
