Toronto, ON – The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, in association with the Canadian Hockey League, the Charlottetown Islanders, the Moncton Wildcats and Hockey Canada, announced today the QMJHL’s roster which will compete against Team Russia as part of the 2017 CIBC Canada Russia Series.
The Islanders will play host to the fifth game of the series, held at the Eastlink Centre on Tuesday, November 14, while the Wildcats will host the last game of the series, presented at the Moncton Coliseum on Thursday, November 16. The Western Hockey League is set to host Games 1 and 2, while the Ontario Hockey League will welcome Games 3 and 4.
Hockey fans in Charlottetown and Moncton will have the chance to see NHL prospects that 11 include players who were selected during last June’s NHL entry draft in Chicago and last year in Buffalo. Team QMJHL will feature players chosen in the first two rounds, such as Pierre-Olivier Joseph (Arizona, 1-23), Maxime Comtois (Anaheim, 2-50), Zachary Lauzon (2-51) and Antoine Morand (2-60), who will all be showcasing their talent in November.
The team also includes top prospects for the upcoming 2018 NHL Draft as Jared McIsaac (Halifax), Noah Dobson (Bathurst), Benoit-Olivier Groulx (Halifax) and Joe Veleno (Saint John) will be hitting the ice in Charlottetown and Moncton.
The three CHL regional leagues created committees which worked closely with Hockey Canada to select the final roster.
Here is the complete lineup ahead of the 2017 CIBC Canada Russia Series:
Goaltenders: Evan Fitzpatrick (Sherbrooke Phoenix) Samuel Harvey (Rouyn-Noranda Huskies)
Defencemen: Simon Benoit (Shawinigan Cataractes) Jocktan Chainey (Halifax Mooseheads) Antoine Crête-Belzile (Blainville-Boisbriand Armada) Noah Dobson (Acadie-Bathurst Titan) Samuel Girard (Shawinigan Cataractes)* Zachary Lauzon (Rouyn-Noranda Huskies) Jared McIsaac (Halifax Moosheads) Pierre-Olivier Joseph (Charlottetown Islanders)
Forwards: Peter Abbandonato (Rouyn-Noranda Huskies) Drake Batherson (Cape Breton Screaming Eagles) Shawn Boudrias (Gatineau Olympiques) Maxime Comtois (Victoriaville Tigres) Mike Cyr (Moncton Wildcats) Pierre-Luc Dubois (Blainville-Boisbriand Armada)* Arnaud Durandeau (Halifax Moosheads) Nicolas Guay (Drummondville Voltigeurs) Rafaël Harvey-Pinard (Rouyn-Noranda Huskies) Pascal Laberge (Victoriaville Tigres) Antoine Morand (Acadie-Bathurst Titan) Benoit-Olivier Groulx (Halifax Moosheads) Joel Teasdale (Blainville-Boisbriand Armada) Joe Veleno (Saint John Sea Dogs)
*if returned from NHL clubs
Team QMJHL will once again be coached by Dominique Ducharme, who is in his second season with the Drummondville Voltigeurs, will also be returning to Canada’s National Junior Team staff for a third consecutive year, his second as a head coach. Last year, in Montreal and Toronto, Ducharme led Canada to a silver medal following a dramatic shootout loss against the United States in the World Junior Championship final.
As Team QMJHL head coach in the CIBC Canada Russia Series, Ducharme carries a 3-1 record against Team Russia. This year, he will be assisted behind the bench by Islanders head coach Jim Hulton and Wildcats head coach Darren Rumble.
The CIBC Canada Russia Series has been an integral part of the identification process for Team Canada for the past 14 years prior to the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship. Since the event first began in 2003, CHL teams have played to an overall record of 58-19-1-6. The competitiveness of the rivalry has grown in recent years with four of the last seven series decided in the final game, and with Russia earning three series wins since 2010 compared to the CHL’s four series triumphs over the same period including last season by a 13-5 margin in points.
The 2017 CIBC Canada Russia Series is supported by title sponsor CIBC, the Official Bank of the CHL, along with associate sponsors Cooper Tires and Sherwin-Williams. All games will be broadcast nationally on Sportsnet and TVA Sports.
2017 CIBC Canada Russia Series Schedule:
Game 1 – Monday November 6 at Moose Jaw, SK
Game 2 – Tuesday November 7 at Swift Current, SK
Game 3 – Thursday November 9 at Owen Sound, ON
Game 4 – Monday November 13 at Sudbury, ON
Game 5 – Tuesday November 14 at Charlottetown, PE
Game 6 – Thursday November 16 at Moncton, NB
For event information including how to purchase tickets please visit http://chlcanadarussia.ca.
OHL Writers 