QMJHL Playoffs- Round 1.

The regular season wrapped up last weekend with one team making the 16th seed and several others jockeying for position, but no real drama. The fun starts tonight though, with one game on the docket, before the opening round gets into full swing Friday night. 

The regular season champion Moncton Wildcats are the early odds-on favorite. Led by consensus top 10 NHL draft prospect Caleb Desnoyers, the Wildcats hold not only a far and away first seed in the league, but the number one overall ranking in the CHL. They’ll kick things off with what should amount to a first round formality against a Quebec Rempart squad still in the rebuilding phase following their 2023 Memorial Cup win. 

Next up in the East is another formality, with #2 overall Rimouski taking on Charlottetown. As the Memorial Cup Host, the Oceanic came into the year with a series of moves to bolster their Cup Chances, and finalized things with a flurry of moves at the trade deadline. The future has been mortgaged and the ‘Nics are going for broke. Don’t look for much opposition from Charlottetown.

The East rounds out with a pair of potentially fun, intriguing matchups with Chicoutimi taking on the soon to move Acadie-Bathurst squad who may try to give their fans one last hurrah, and Baie Comeau taking on Cape Breton.

The West comes in with a bit more parity. Top seed Drummondville held onto some of its 2024 championship talent and added a bit more at the trade deadline in a legitimate attempt at a return to the Memorial Cup. The first round won't be much of an indicator against an uncharacteristically subpar Halifax squad.

Rouyn-Noranda vs Gatineau may be a bit more of a tossup. The Huskies came in at a very quiet number 2 and on paper should have an easy time with low seeded Gatineau. The breeze though will have more to do with how low Gatineau is than how high Rouyn-Noranda is. 

The real fun will be the offensive showcase between Shawinigan and Val d’Or. This is another one that looks much more different on paper than in reality. Shawinigan placed higher than the 2 seed Huskies but fell to this position due to division standings. Still, Val d’Or is closer and more evenly matched than is the case in the previous matchup 

Blainville -Boisbrainde and Sherbrook might be the overall closest matchup of the round and has all the potential to bring the most excitement. Ironically, that’s the matchup that kicks things off tonight. Here we go!