Which locals, former prep players made QMJHL rosters?

The QMJHL regular season begins on Thursday.

Countless New Englanders and others who play in the region went to QMJHL camps throughout August. It's the first full season under the CHL ruling, as players can play in the CHL (which comprises the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League, Ontario Hockey League and Western Hockey League) and still be eligible for NCAA Division 1 college hockey.

Of the 18 QMJHL teams, 14 have locals on them. The Moncton Wildcats have the most with nine, while Saint John and Halifax aren't far behind.

What surprised me about the players who made it: Most had already graduated from their prep school or academy. Or at least more than I originally thought.

Let's dive into the initial rosters.

Baie-Comeau Drakkar

• Declan Wotton

Wotton, an '09, played the last two seasons for Seacoast Performance Academy at the 14U and 15O levels. The Windsor, Maine, native is committed to Cornell. He's 6-foot-1 and 201 pounds.

Blainville-Boisbrand Armada

• Stefano Pietrantonio

Pietrantonio was a standout for Kent over the last three seasons, posting 26 points in 25 games as a senior last year. He's committed to Dartmouth.

READ MORE: A new change to fall hockey that could have a big impact

Cape Breton Screaming Eagles

• Blake Burke
• Noah Jettelson
• Connor Towle

Burke broke out for Westminster last season, notching 41 points in 28 games and leading Westminster into the Large School Tournament championship. From Trumbull, Conn., he's still uncommitted. Jettelson and Towle are both committed to Holy Cross. Jettelson was a stalwart on defense for Taft, while Towle faced a whole lot of shots at Hotchkiss and still put up a .920 save percentage last year.

Charlottetown Islanders

• Nolan Duskocy
• Jude Herron
• Aiden MacIsaac
• CJ Watroba

Duskocy, a UMass commit, has an extremely high stock. The Ellington, Conn., native is fresh off winning a gold medal with Team USA at the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup. He was a standout with BK Selects over the last few seasons. Herron was with the Islanders last season and is committed to Maine. MacIsaac was a top defender for Lawrence Academy last season, and Watroba, a Merrimack commit, had 47 points in 37 games for Kimball Union last season.

Chicoutimi Saguenéens

• Gryphon Watson-Bucci

From Ontario, Watson-Bucci spent 2021-23 with Boston Hockey Academy for his 15O and 16U hockey. He's committed to Merrimack and has been with the BCHL's Trail Smoke Eaters for the last two seasons.

Drummondville Voltigeurs

• Jesse Allecia
• Cooper Campbell
• Owen Keefe

Allecia, from New York City, played two seasons at Deerfield before breaking out with Salisbury from 2022-24. He started last season with the BCHL's Alberni Valley Bulldogs and then went to the Voltigeurs, where he had 22 points in 38 games. Campbell's stock has risen quite a bit this year, as he showed well at USA Hockey's Select 17 Camp. The 6-foot-3 defender from Cohasset, Mass., starred for Lovell Academy the last two seasons. Keefe played the last three seasons on the USHL and is committed to Northeastern. The Saugus, Mass., native is the son of Northeastern coach Jerry Keefe.

Gatineau Olympiques

• Ethan Cox
• Nicholas Petrut

Cox, from Westboro, Mass., was a go-to scorer for Nobles over the past three seasons, culminating in 36 points in 27 games last winter. The 6-foot-1, 183-pound forward is still uncommitted. So is Petrut, who was with Salisbury for the last two seasons. Both are '06s.

Halifax Mooseheads

• Will Bent
• Justin Chiras
• Liam Kilfoil
• Paulo Gualberto
• Cam Minella

Bent left the Mount St. Charles 16U team midway through last season to join Halifax, where he had eight points in 28 games. The Dover, Mass., native is committed to Providence College. Chiras did a similar thing last season, leaving his team (South Kent 16U) during the season to join Halifax. The 6-foot-2, 205-pound defender got 30 games under his belt last season and isn't committed yet. He's from Bedford, N.H. Kilfoil has been with Halifax for two seasons, most recently tallying 46 points in 62 games as an assistant captain. He played for Mount St. Charles' 14U team in 2021-22 and then Salisbury the following year.

Gualbarto and Minella will be two '09s getting their feet wet in the QMJHL. Gualberto notched 106 points as a 14U at Mount St. Charles and 107 as a 15O player, helping his team win two national championships. He's from Barnstable, Mass. Minella is an elite puck-moving defenseman who was at U.S. National Team Development Program Evaluation Camp in March. He starred for Brunswick last season with 37 points in 34 games, is from Darien, Conn., and came up with Mid Fairfield. Both are uncommitted.

READ MORE: Did the CHL ruling have an impact on Aug. 1 commitments? 

Moncton Wildcats

• Tommy Bleyl
• Danny Buckley
• Rian Chudzinski
• Rudy Guimond
• Teddy Mutryn
• Grayden Robertson-Palmer
• Spencer Thornborough
• Niko Tournas
• Jacoby Weiner

If you're a New Englander looking for a team to root for, this might be your group.

Up front, Buckley was brought in as a camp invite and made the team. The 6-foot-1 forward from Warwick, R.I., had 46 points in 29 games for St. George's last season. Chudzinski was a top-three player in prep last season, dominating with Dexter Southfield and leading his team to the Elite 8 title game. He had 52 points in 28 games and is a candidate to go high in next June's NHL Draft. He's committed to Boston University.

Mutryn and Robertson-Palmer were both already drafted. In June, Mutryn went in the third round to the San Jose Sharks while Robertson-Palmer went in the seventh to the Detroit Red Wings. Mutryn had 30 points in 47 games for the USHL's Chicago Steel last season and saw considerable time with the NTDP's U18 team. He's committed to Boston College. Robertson-Palmer is committed to Dartmouth and led Phillips Andover to a Large School championship last season, posting 39 points in 30 games.

Thornborough, from Boxford, Mass., has been a longtime Boston Junior Eagle and spent the last two seasons at Governor's Academy. He was invited to the NTDP Evaluation Camp in 2024 and participated in the Youth Olympics for Team USA that same season. He committed to Maine on Tuesday. Tournas, an '06 from Redding, Conn., tore up the NAHL last season with the fourth-most points (74) in the league. He's committed to UNH.

In back, Bleyl is a legit 2026 NHL Draft candidate. The Michigan State commit can fly up the ice and was a big reason why Cushing won the Elite 8 in March.

Guimond, a former Taft goalie, went an incredible 16-0-0 in the regular season for Moncton and led the Wildcats to winning the QMJHL title. Weiner, an '08 from Riverside, Conn., was at Kent last season and is 6-foot-4 and 240 pounds. Both netminders are committed to Harvard.

Newfoundland Regiment

• Max Dineen
• Chase Anderson

Dineen, from Brentwood, N.H., was Cushing's offensive leader last winter, tallying 57 points en route to an Elite 8 title and a commitment to Sacred Heart. Anderson, who's from Marblehead, Mass., led Phillips Andover to the Large School title last season with a 2.33 goals-against average and a .924 save percentage. He's 6-foot-3 and uncommitted.

Québec Remparts

• Logan Brennan
• Freddy Meyer

After playing for Hingham in the MIAA for two seasons and with the NCDC's South Shore Kings last year, Brennan made the Québec roster. He's a 6-foot-4, 225-pound defenseman. Meyer made the Remparts after only being a sophomore last season with Rivers. The Winchester, Mass., native used to be a forward but made the switch to defense during the 2023-24 season. He had 22 points in 28 games last winter and is committed to Boston University.

READ MORE: High school to an NHL sweater? College commits now in NHL Rookie Camps for first time

Rimouski Océanic

• Oliver Czaja
• Liam Lefebvre

Czaja was a stalwart for Brunswick as a two-way center, notching 42 points in 35 games last year for the Bruins. The Darien, Conn., native is still uncommitted. Lefebvre is committed to Vermont and was part of a dynamic Trinity-Pawling team last winter with 57 points. He's from Montreal.

Rouyn-Noranda Huskies

• None

Saint John Sea Dogs

• Everett Baldwin
• Egan Beveridge
• Cam Chartrand
• Alex Donovan
• Oskar Drabczynski
• Matthew Krayer

This is another team to potentially root for if you're from New England and in need of a team.

Up front, Beveridge has been with Saint John for the last two seasons. Before that, the East Kingston, N.H., native was with Chicago Mission's 15O team and Mount St. Charles' 14U squad in 2021-22. Donovan is a Denver commit from Darien, Conn., who spent the last four seasons with Shattuck-St. Mary's. He was with Team USA for the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup in 2024. Krayer left Mount St. Charles midway through last season to join Saint John, notching two goals in 30 games. He played for Mount St. Charles during his 14U, 15O and 16U seasons. The Concord, Mass., native is an Arizona State commit.

Baldwin leads the back end. The Tampa Bay Lightning draft pick was at St. George's last season and is committed to Providence College. Chartrand played three seasons for Bishop Kearney Selects and is committed to Boston College, while Drabczynski is a Harvard commit who played at Avon Old Farms last season and Mid Fairfield before that.

Shawinigan Cataractes

• None

Sherbrooke Phoenix

• Justin BriseBois

BriseBois won our Boys Prep Goalie of the Year award last season, leading St. Mark's as the No. 2 team in the Elite 8 with a stunning 1.83 GAA and a .935 save percentage. At 6-foot-3, he's still uncommitted. His father is Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois.

READ MORE: 13 standout 15O prospects from Beast Showcase

Val-d'Or Foreurs

• None

Victoriaville Tigers

• None

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