QMJHL announces nominees for seven trophies

May 8, 2025 - Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) News Release

Boucherville, Que. - The QMJHL continues to award its individual honours, the Golden Pucks, with the presentation today of the nominees for seven of its most prestigious awards.

Here are the finalists for these trophies, which are listed in alphabetical order:

David-Desharnais Trophy

Most sportsmanlike player, while being effective

Matthew Butler, forward, Charlottetown Islanders

Often used against the opposition's top lines, Butler still managed to record 65 points (19-46), the most among Charlottetown players this season. Even though the Islanders finished seventh in the East, Butler finished with a -2 rating while spending only 20 minutes in the penalty box. His 23 power-play assists placed sixth in the league for the 81st overall pick in the 2022 QMJHL Entry Draft.

Julius Sumpf, forward, Moncton Wildcats

Sumpf finished third in scoring for the Wildcats, the top team in the QMJHL, with 65 points (26-39). His +61 differential was the highest in the league and he registered only 24 penalty minutes. The German forward, who just finished his 19-year-old season, was invited to the training camp of the Colorado Avalanche in 2023 and the San Jose Sharks in 2024.

Philippe Veilleux, forward, Val-d'Or Foreurs

Veilleux had a strong second season in the QMJHL, increasing his point total from 47 to 87, placing him third in the league in scoring. His 40 goals were good for seventh, as were his 22 power-play assists. Even though he played heavy minutes, Veilleux earned only 16 penalty minutes. The 11th overall pick in the QMJHL Entry Draft in 2023 is ranked 91st among North American skaters according to NHL Central Scouting for the upcoming draft.

Guy-Carbonneau Trophy

Top defensive forward

Maël St-Denis, Rimouski Océanic

In his fourth season in Rimouski, St-Denis had 22 goals and 19 assists for 41 points in 54 games. He finished second on the team in game-winning goals, with six, and third in power play goals, with seven. He also registered a +23 rating. Finally, he won 61.8% of his faceoffs (542 for 877), the second highest total in the QMJHL among centers who have taken part in at least 500 draws.

Matyas Melovsky, Baie-Comeau Drakkar

In his third season with the Drakkar, the 20-year-old forward set personal bests for points (83), goals (26) and assists (57). Seventh in the QMJHL in scoring, Melovsky was also the third most productive passer. Constantly used by Jean-François Grégoire against the opposition's top lines, the Czechia native nevertheless had a +40 differential, along with a 59.1% success rate in the faceoff circle (7th). In fact, only three players took more faceoffs than Melovsky (1444) this season. He was drafted 171st overall by the New Jersey Devils in 2024.

Markus Vidicek, Moncton Wildcats

After four seasons in Halifax, Vidicek's role changed in Moncton, where he was given more defensive responsibilities. As proof, no one took more faceoffs than him in the QMJHL (1504) and his 59.2% efficiency rate ranks sixth. Despite playing against the opposition's top lines night after night, Vidicek recorded a +42 differential (7th), to go along with 38 goals, 26 assists and 64 points. He was a key factor in the Wildcats' win of the Jean-Rougeau Trophy.

Kevin-Lowe Trophy

Top defensive defenseman

Alex Carr, Rouyn-Noranda Huskies

In his fourth full season in the QMJHL, Carr had 45 points (6-39) in 62 games, placing him eighth among defensemen in scoring. Constantly matched up against the top opposing forwards, he nevertheless finished with a +29 differential, the 10th highest among League defensemen. Carr, who will continue his career at the University of New Hampshire, finishes sixth among defensemen in team history in games played (213) and seventh in points (107). Carr was also in contention for the Kevin-Lowe Trophy in 2023-2024.

Anthony Lavoie, Baie-Comeau Drakkar

Captain of the Drakkar, Lavoie had 29 points (7-22) in 63 games this season to go along with an excellent +38 differential, tied for third in the League among defensemen. He was bench boss Jean-François Grégoire's most trusted man to muzzle the opponents' big guns. After five seasons with the Drakkar, Lavoie ranks third in team history among defensemen in games played (284) and sits 10th in points (89).

Pier-Olivier Roy, Rimouski Océanic

Also nominated for last season's Kevin-Lowe Trophy, Roy brought his consistent and intelligent game to Rimouski after four seasons spent in Victoriaville. Heavily used against the opposition's best players and on the penalty kill, Roy nevertheless finished the season with 32 points (2-30) and a +30 differential (sixth among QMJHL defensemen) in 61 games. Roy will end his QMJHL career having registered 186 points in 283 regular season games, on top of winning a title in 2020-2021.

Maurice-Filion Trophy

General Manager of the Year

Danny Dupont, Rimouski Océanic

Dupont has done a lot of work this season to build a strong team to host the Memorial Cup tournament. His job began last summer, when he added veterans Mathieu Cataford and Pier-Olivier Roy at the Draft. Then, during the season, he traded for Jonathan Fauchon (the QMJHL's leading scorer), Maël Lavigne, Eriks Mateiko, Lou Lévesque, Jack Martin and goaltender Mathis Langevin. Speaking of goaltenders, Dupont also had the courage to let go of veterans Samuel St-Hilaire and Quentin Miller to make way for 17-year-old William Lacelle, who won the Jacques-Plante Trophy thanks to his excellent 2.38 GAA. The Océanic finished second in the overall standings.

Taylor MacDougall, Moncton Wildcats

The Wildcats can say a big thank you to their General Manager for their first regular season championship (Jean-Rougeau Trophy) since 2006. Prior to the season, MacDougall convinced Europeans Juraj Pekarcik and Loke Johansson to pursue their careers in the QMJHL. He also acquired versatile forward Markus Vidicek from Halifax. Then, during the season, he did not hesitate to trade his captain, Yoan Loshing, to free up a 20-year-old player spot in order to add d-man Dyllan Gill. Finally, he traded Jacob Steinman to Halifax for another goaltender, Mathis Rousseau. MacDougall also added depth with Maxime Côté and Logan Crosby. As a result, the Wildcats posted a franchise-record 53 wins and 108 points.

Olivier Picard, Blainville-Boisbriand Armada

Very few teams can recover from the loss of the league's leading scorer and yet, that's what the Armada did this season. After trading Jonathan Fauchon to Rimouski, the team continued to compete with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies for first place in the West Division, eventually finishing five points behind. Picard filled the offensive gap by adding veterans Egor Goriunov and Zakary Lavoie, a former OHL player. Goriunov scored an impressive 24 goals in 33 games with the team. Another good move by Picard: the acquisition of Félix Hamel, who became the team's number one netminder. In 22 games with the Armada, Hamel posted a 2.63 GAA and .914 save percentage, numbers comparable to the best goaltenders in the league.

Michel-Bergeron Trophy

Offensive Rookie of the Year

Matvei Gridin, Shawinigan Cataractes

In his 18-year-old season, Gridin led QMJHL rookies in virtually every offensive stat, including points (79), goals (36), assists (43), plus/minus (+31), shots (236), game-winning goals (5), power-play assists (15) and shorthanded goals (4). He finished tied for first in Shawinigan team scoring with Félix Lacerte, who played six more games than him, and 12th overall in the QMJHL. A first-round pick of the Calgary Flames in 2024, Gridin was drafted first overall in the 2024 CHL Import Draft by the Val-d'Or Foreurs, before being traded to Shawinigan.

Thomas Rousseau, Sherbrooke Phoenix

The 13th overall pick in the 2024 QMJHL Entry Draft, Rousseau had 17 goals and 23 assists for 40 points in 58 games, at the tender age of 16. His 17 goals, 40 points and 11 assists on the power play ranked third among all rookies. Rousseau was fourth in scoring for the Phoenix, who finished in fifth place in the Western Conference. Rousseau is eligible for the 2026 NHL Entry Draft.

Lars Steiner, Rouyn-Noranda Huskies

As a 17-year-old, the Swiss product finished second among rookies with 23 goals, 37 assists and 60 points while leading them all with 13 goals and 18 power play assists, as well as 5 game-winning goals. Steiner finished fourth in scoring for the powerful Huskies, trailing only Antonin Verreault, Bill Zonnon and Ty Higgins. Steiner is also eligible for the 2026 NHL Entry Draft.

Paul-Dumont Trophy

Personality of the Year

Justin Carbonneau, forward, Blainville-Boisbriand Armada

Carbonneau shone bright this season by finishing second in the league in both points (89) and goals (46). He also claimed the second spot in power play goals (16) and shots on net (326). The Armada's No. 8 is making waves in hockey circles, ranking 16th among prospects in North America according to NHL Central Scouting and after representing the QMJHL at the CHL USA Prospects Challenge last November.

Caleb Desnoyers, forward, Moncton Wildcats

Like Justin Carbonneau, Caleb Desnoyers has been in the spotlight since the beginning of the season. He currently ranks 7th among North American prospects according to NHL Central Scouting for the upcoming draft. In addition, he led the Moncton Wildcats in scoring with 84 points (35-49) in 56 games, ranking fifth overall in the league. All this during his 17-year-old season! Desnoyers has truly been an excellent ambassador for the QMJHL, both on and off the ice.

Linards Feldbergs, goaltender, Sherbrooke Phoenix

Finishing in the Top 10 in virtually every statistical category, including games played, wins, shutouts, goals-against-average and save percentage, Feldbergs has been lights out in the Q and on the international stage, specifically due to his prowess with Latvia at the 2025 World Junior Championship. On December 27, he recorded a historic shootout victory against Canada, after a sparkling 55-save performance! The Latvian also helped the Phoenix finish fifth in the Western Conference, a surprise in the eyes of many experts. The NHL has ranked Feldbergs 13th among North American netminders entering this year's draft.

Raymond-Lagacé Trophy

Defensive Rookie of the Year

Lukas Beckman, goaltender, Baie-Comeau Drakkar

Even though he was in his first season, Beckman led all QMJHL goaltenders with 31 wins (31-18-2-0). He also finished third in save percentage (.914) and shutouts (four). His goals-against-average of 2.65 was the fifth lowest in the league, despite being the second most used goaltender with a total ice time of 3058m 09s. Beckman is ranked second among goaltenders in North America by NHL Central Scouting for the upcoming draft.

Benjamin Cossette-Ayotte, defenseman, Val-d'Or Foreurs

It's hard to make a name for yourself in the QMJHL at 16 years old, even more so when you're a defenseman. Cossette-Ayotte has done very well this season, with 24 points (4-20) in 56 games and a +24 differential. Among all first-year blueliners, only Carlos Handel of the Mooseheads has recorded more points (26). Cossette-Ayotte's +24 differential, a team record for a rookie defenseman, is even more impressive when considering that only three Val-d'Or players finished with a ratio above +5 this season. Cossette-Ayotte is eligible for the 2026 NHL Entry Draft.

William Lacelle, goaltender, Rimouski Océanic

Lacelle posted an impressive 27-5-1-2 record between the pipes for the Océanic, winning the Jacques-Plante Trophy along the way thank to his league-best 2.38 goals-against-average. Among rookies, he finished second in save percentage (.909) and third for games played (36) and wins (27). Lacelle, who helped the Océanic finish second overall in the standings, is also eligible for the 2026 NHL Entry Draft.

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Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Stories from May 8, 2025

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• Carlos Händel Named to QMJHL Rookie All Star Team - Halifax Mooseheads
• Islanders Land American Forward CJ Watroba - Charlottetown Islanders
• QMJHL announces nominees for seven trophies - QMJHL

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