The first time Denis Francoeur crossed paths with Sacha Boisvert, the little boy had just finished his first year in the novice ranks.
“His father came to meet me before his second year as a novice. He wanted to see our program, the way we trained our players. He wanted me to take care of his guy. At that time, we called them apprentices. They did 130 training sessions with our atom team. Then, they joined our atom training. They had an extra year to train,” recalled Denis Francoeur.
This is how the Trois-Rivières native joined the Panthères program at Collège Marie-de-l’Incarnation. He spent six years developing within the program led by the former coach of the Shawinigan Cataractes, eventually moving on to the Vert et Or du Séminaire Saint-Joseph.
At that point, Boisvert still had a long way to go before he got to that 18th overall selection by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2024 National Hockey League (NHL) draft. However, right from the start, Boisvert seemed to have that spark that others don’t have.
Sacha Boisvert has always been a player who stands out from the others. (Stéphane Lessard/Le Nouvelliste Archives)
“It’s hard to say at a young age. Obviously, there are some who stand out from the rest. That was the case with Zachary Bolduc. There’s a little something that differentiates players even when they’re very young. We saw it in Sacha, that little something. He was fiery and competitive. His skills were above average. Of course, there are a number of factors that come into play in a player’s development, but for him, everything has come together to this point and it will continue so that he can eventually become an NHL player.”
A great location in Chicago
In Francoeur’s eyes, his former protégé finds himself in a winning situation by landing with the Blackhawks. The team, led by the emergence of star Connor Bédard, is in a deep reconstruction. The youngsters will have every opportunity to express themselves in the future in order to lead the organization on the path to success, as was the case in the 2010s.
“I’m very happy for Sacha. He’s a young man dedicated to his career. He wants to succeed and he’s taking the steps to get there. To be in Chicago, a club in reconstruction, he couldn’t ask for better, because there will be opportunities in the future. I’m convinced that we’ll see him soon in the Blackhawks uniform,” said Denis Francoeur.
When will he play his first NHL game? Difficult to say at the moment.
The former Vert et Or du Séminaire Saint-Joseph has just spent the last two seasons with the Muskegon Lumberjacks in the United States Hockey League (USHL) and will head to the University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks in the NCAA in 2024-2025.
“Zachary Bolduc already has his first 25 games in the NHL. Adapting to the professional ranks is something. Some do it quickly. This is what will determine when he can arrive in the NHL. Sacha will play for the next two years with guys aged 23 and 24. This will help prepare him. The NCAA, for certain programs, is not far from the American Hockey League (AHL). It’s a great preparation.
Francoeur believes that the work Boisvert will do in the weight room in the coming years will allow him to have a certain impact once he is ready for the NHL.
“Sacha is currently at 180 pounds. It’s easy to project that he’ll add twenty pounds to his frame. At 200 or 205 pounds, it’s going to have an incredible impact on his game.”
A precious link between Lemay and Boisvert
Since joining the Panthers when he was just 7 years old, Vert et Or hockey program coordinator Sébastien Lemay has had the chance to rub shoulders with Boisvert on numerous occasions during his career. He was also on site in Nevada to experience it all with his former protégé.
Sébastien Lemay has worked with Sacha Boisvert since he was 7 years old. (SYLVAIN MAYER/SYLVAIN MAYER)
“I remembered all the times we spent together, all the work he has done over the past ten years. It was incredible. I experienced beautiful moments. I wanted to be there, in Las Vegas. I did the same thing for one of Zachary’s first NHL games. With Sacha, over the years, there is a beautiful friendship that has developed between our two families. Sacha is a good friend of my son Joaquim.”
Agreeing with Francoeur, Lemay considers that it was easy to perceive that the Blackhawks’ new hope was not like the others. “I’m not saying I knew he was going to be drafted in the first round of the NHL, but he had something that few players have. When you were on the ice with him, you saw he had something special. In addition to his talent, he had determination. He is a hard worker and disciplined.”
Present in Las Vegas to experience this moment with him, Lemay was delighted to see Boisvert land in Chicago.
“It’s exciting to see him go there, plus Sacha put on one of the best jerseys in the NHL. It’s one of the best places for the future. In five or six years, Chicago might be a Stanley Cup contender.”
