One week before the QMJHL trading period, the Remparts do not seem to want to part with their big guns. “I was honest this year that I want to improve our team at Christmas,” reaffirms general manager Simon Gagné.
In full reconstruction and ranked 15th in the ranking of the QMJHLthe staff of the Red Devils could have been tempted to compromise certain veterans of the team. The 20-year-old forward Justin Côté would certainly find a buyer at a high price among aspiring teams.
Simon Gagné, however, prefers to ensure that his young team acquires playoff experience this season.
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The general director of the Remparts, Simon Gagné.
Photo : Jonathan Roy
I don’t see myself selling large pieces like last year. The fact of having stocked up on draft picks for 2025 and even 2026 perhaps allows me to sacrifice to improve our team and help us finish the season well.
A start to the season short-circuited by injuries
Despite around ten players aged 16 or 17, the Remparts had an impressive start to the season. However, they have since hit a low point.
I call it a perfect storm. We are in a part of the calendar where we play against good teams and we have had a lot of injuries
points out the general manager.
The first pick of the last draft, Maddox Dagenais, is one of the players the team sorely misses. The author of 16 points in his first 16 games in the QMJHL is sidelined due to a concussion suffered in late October.
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Maddox Dagenais celebrates the first goal of his QMJHL career at the end of September.
Photo: Twitter / Quebec Remparts
In the meantime, he wore the colors of Canada at the World Under-17 Challenge, but the Remparts doctors judged that he was not yet 100% upon his return. I’ve been there, concussions in juniors, and you have to be careful. We want to be 110% certain that he comes back healthy. He is a player around whom we want to rebuild
recalls Gagné.
The latter, however, is full of praise for the son of former Canadian striker Pierre Dagenais.
It’s not easy for a first overall pick to come play for the Quebec Remparts. People have expectations and there are even some who hope that you fail. But he had a very, very good start to the season. He has a maturity that impresses me a lot. He is a young man who wants to learn.
A new regulation that changes the game
Under a recent rule change in the American university system, young hockey players can now pursue careers in the QMJHL without losing their eligibility in the NCAA.
Simon Gagné quickly took the opportunity to convince defenders Carter Hynes, 17, and Alexandre Taillefer, 16, to join the team. The Remparts had taken the gamble of selecting both players late in the draft in recent years, despite the fact that they wanted to continue their path south of the border.
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General manager Simon Gagné and his new defender Alexandre Taillefer.
Photo: Martin Laurier / Quebec Remparts
Taillefer was probably the best or second best defenseman available in last year’s draft in Moncton. It’s big for us. The barrier for him was that he wanted to keep his NCAA eligibility
relates the general director of the Remparts.
As for the imposing Hynes, his greatest experience is already felt on the blue line of the Red Devils. It’s a nice surprise
admits Gagne.
Will he be able to keep his new players in Quebec until they are 19 or 20? The former Philadelphia Flyers star forward admits that this uncertainty could eventually change the way a team rebuilds.
You’ll have to live it to see. An exceptional player may be offered something tempting, not a very good NCAA team at 19, but I think it’s more likely to be 20-year-old players. We are only allowed three per team, but they are important players in winning the Memorial Cup.
