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QMJHL Cape Breton Eagles

Eagles Finish First Half with Confidence Booster

December 19, 2023 - Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL)
Cape Breton Eagles News Release


With a season schedule evenly split by the league-wide holiday break, the Cape Breton Eagles closed out their first 34 games with a confidence boosting shootout win against one of the league's best Moncton Wildcats.

Heading into a two game Maritime road trip, the Eagles sat at .500 on the season with 17-year-old rookie goaltender Jakub Milota riding the wave of a two-game shutout streak. An early Charlottetown marker in the first period of Friday's matchup spoiled Milota's streak which ended at 1:22:26 played without allowing a goal, sitting him at 10th all time in Eagles franchise history, leapfrogging goaltender David Davenport's streak of 1:21:48 from the 2006-2007 season.

After the first half of the season, forwards Cam Squires and Cole Burbidge lead the team with 31 points each, despite the Eagles struggling to produce offensivley as a squad and only scoring 85 goals so far this season, sitting them last league in the QMJHL.

Although the Eagles struggled to find the back of the net, their record of 17-16-1 sits them third in the Maritime division with 35 points. The team are hoping to have an added offensive boost in the second half of the season with the potential return of forward Jacob Newcombe. The 19-year-old forward was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins Lymphoma in the summer and has yet to play a game this season. Earlier this month, Newcombe was able to "ring the bell" to signify his final cancer treatment and is expected to return to the Eagles roster in the new year.

Trade Period

Dec. 17th marked the opening day of the 2023-2024 QMJHL winter trade period. The trade period was off to a slow start in comparison to other years with just four deals being made on opening day.

Last week, Eagles General Manager Sylvain Couturier said he will focus on adding to his team's offence heading into the second half of the season.

"We are going to try and work on our offensive game. So for us, we aren't closing the door on a good (quarterback) guy who can run the powerplay. An offensive guy that can generate offence and that will help our forwards," he said.

As of Tuesday, Couturier has yet to make any deals but is expected to make moves before the trade period ends on Jan. 6th.

QMJHL Renamed

Big news coming out of the CHL last week was the renaming of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League to the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League.

Coming during an Assembly of Members meeting held in Pointe-Claire, Quebec this afternoon, the QMJHL unveiled the new name along with a brand new English logo to accompany the name change.

The change comes after the league wished to specifically incorporate the Maritimes within the League's brand identity.

In a league press release, officials said "most teams in the Maritimes Division have been integral members of major junior hockey in Eastern Canada for over 20 years, significantly contributing to the League's success since the expansion of the "Q" out East."

Today league commissioner Mario Cecchini said "recognizing the immeasurable contributions of our six Maritimes-based franchises to the growth of our League has been of paramount importance since I have taken on the role of Commissioner. Out of respect for our clubs in the Maritimes and their fans, it has been a priority for me to include them in the name of the League. The vote to change the designation was unanimous," he said.

Back at the Nest

The Eagles will be back at the Nest the weekend after Christmas for two big games with some Maritime foes to kick off the league's second half. On Dec. 28th, the Eagles will host the Saint John Sea Dogs for Minor Hockey Night at the Nest at 7PM. If interested, have your team representative contact [email protected] for booking information.

Then on Dec. 30th, the Eagles will kick off a home and home with their provincial rival Halifax Mooseheads at 3PM. Ticket sales are on pace for both games to be Ticket To Win It games where one lucky fan will walk away with a $3000 cash prize if the attendance hits 3000 fans.

Tickets are available now for both games using the following link.

https://www.ticketmaster.ca/cape-breton-eagles-tickets/artist/891825

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Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Stories from December 19, 2023


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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