It’s the turn of the Quebec Remparts to take advantage of the relaxation of rules in the NCAA, as they convinced young 16-year-old defender Alexandre Taillefer to join the team.
The Journal was able to confirm the information first revealed by colleague Mikaël Lalancette of SoleilTHURSDAY.
Taillefer was a first-round prospect in the QMJHL heading into the last draft but had slipped to the seventh round due to his desire to continue his career with the American side.
After spending 48 hours at the Remparts camp last August, he returned to the M18 AAA level, with the Lac Saint-Louis Lions, in order not to lose his eligibility. He has 14 points in 14 games so far.
Taillefer is expected to be used as an affiliated player until the holiday break, after which he will become a full member of the Remparts.
The Remparts have not confirmed but an announcement should be made in the coming days.
The door closed for Xavier Veilleux
If they managed to convince Taillefer, Xavier Veilleux’s case is more complex.
Veilleux is a New York Islanders prospect who is playing this season with the Muskegon Lumberjacks in the USHL.
Getty Images via AFP
A source close to the family told us that the chances of seeing the 18-year-old defender land in the QMJHL this season are zero. Next year? Not zero, but almost zero.
It’s already a little better! And this is why the Remparts maintain a slim hope since Veilleux still does not have a concrete agreement with an American university, although renowned programs are interested in his services, we are told.
The page turned for now
In the unlikely event that Veilleux finds himself without a team next season, at 19, the Remparts would become an option.
“For now, we are turning the page in his case. If he finds a place where it works for him, great. Otherwise, we will be ready to welcome him,” mentioned Simon Gagné who should also soon announce the signing of an Ontario “project” who played in the OJHL.
A native of L’Ancienne-Lorette, Veilleux was first a first-round pick of the Chicoutimi Saguenéens in 2022 before being released due to his refusal to report, then claimed again the following year, by the Remparts, in the ninth round.
In 15 games in Muskegon, he scored 10 points.
