Off Season off and Running

Following a season in which their visibility skyrocketed, the LHSAAAQ has spent the early part of the Summer generating the kind of headlines that excite fans and keep wind in the sails when things normally slow down. New markets, ownership additions and blockbuster trades have been among the league’s big off-season stories. 

The championship confetti had barely stopped falling when the league took care of its only major end-of-season issue. The sale and relocation of the BSR franchise to the Bedford-Cowansville group provided instant closure to the lone question mark, and came with a massive boost of energy and stability. 

Bedford and Conwansville bring two established fan bases, a big-name title sponsor and a natural rivalry with Granby.  The move allows the entire Eastern Townships region to latch onto a higher level league, creating fans beyond the two individual towns. It may even boost the league’s following among English speaking Quebecers as SouthBec Express’s website has already conducted some bilingual promotions in the Anglo-heavy region.

The Bedford-Cowansville news was followed by a local move of the RL Climatisation Chauffage from Levis to nearby Saint-Lamber-de-Lauzon. Citing a better area deal, including improved amenities for fans and players, the move is more of an upgrade than a relocation. At just over twenty minutes away the team can keep its existing fans, players and sponsors. As an added bonus, due to proximity, the move should increase the rivalry with the nearby Bellechase Bucks. 

Next came a significant strengthening in Trois-Rivieres. Fresh off the sale of their BSR franchise, the two-man ownership group bought into the Mega-Toit, vastly expanding the team’s resources and connections. The new partners brought with them the BSR title sponsorship which has replaced the Mega-Toit name. 

The announcement of the league’s annual meetings on June 5th and 6th included the opening of the trading period on June 7th. The trade period kicked off with a jaw-dropping 12 player deal between Donnacona and St-Lambert which included 2025 first round pick Jeremy Roy and Captain Pierre-Luc Bouchard. Nearly all teams have been active in the opening days of trading, providing a steady stream of headlines for fans around the league. Mixed in with the trades was the signing of the ever-popular Sebastien Laferriere in Trois-Rivieres. 

The trades will continue up to the league’s 2026 draft, which the league most recently announced as July 3rd in Saint-Anselme. Given the headlines the league has already produced this Summer, it’s likely there will be plenty of hype leading up to the draft. 

At a time of year when things naturally go quiet, the LHSAAAQ has been churning out the kind of headlines that have kept the league in the forefront of the sports news and, most importantly, fans engaged. The league is continuing to show it knows how to promote itself.