The first QMJHL game of 2026 begins on Friday, as Sherbrooke takes on Shawinigan at 7:00 p.m. EST.
Here’s a look at where the league stands heading into the new year.
Tier One: Contenders
1. Chicoutimi Saguenéens (25-5-5) (Prev. 1)
2. Moncton Wildcats (25-7-3) (Prev. 2)
3. Blainville-Boisbriand Armada (20-9-5) (Prev. 3)
These three teams remain alone atop the league, though the Armada’s position here is slipping. They still get some immunity because of the quality of talent on their roster and the key injuries, but they’re now 10 points behind Chicoutimi for top spot in the league.
Meanwhile, it’s been business as usual for Chicoutimi and Moncton, who both went 3-0 last week, extending their huge lead in a two-horse race Eastern conference.
Tier Two: Pretenders
4. Rouyn-Noranda (20-9-4) (Prev. 5)
5. Drummondville Voltigeurs (21-11-3) (Prev. 4)
6. Shawinigan Cataractes (18-11-4) (Prev. 7)
7. Newfoundland Regiment (18-15-2) (Prev. 9)
8. Cape Breton Eagles (17-11-6) (Prev. 10)
9. Charlottetown Islanders (17-13-6) (Prev. 6)
10. Halifax Mooseheads (18-14-2) (Prev. 8)
Rouyn-Noranda and Drummondville have continued to be hot during the holiday season, and are both now right up there with Blainville-Boisbriand for top spot in the Western conference.
Meanwhile, Shawinigan and Cape Breton have each traded their captains (both went to Chicoutimi) but continue to win games.
Charlottetown and Halifax have both started to falter a bit lately, and risk dropping into the third tier if trends continue.
Tier Three: Hopefuls
11. Quebec Remparts (17-15-2) (Prev. 11)
12. Sherbrooke Phoenix (16-14-4) (Prev. 12)
13. Rimouski Océanic (16-17-1) (Prev. 13)
14. Victoriaville Tigres (14-16-5) (Prev. 15)
15. Val-d’Or Foreurs (13-16-5) (Prev. 14)
16. Gatineau Olympiques (14-18-2) (Prev. 16)
The hopefuls tier remains pretty stable this week, with most of these teams selling and just simply losing the majority of their games.
In particular, Rimouski and Val-d’Or have struggled of late, and it’s pretty clear none of these teams will be competing for any silverware this season.
Tier Four: Rebuilders
17. Saint John Sea Dogs (13-19-3) (Prev. 17)
18. Baie-Comeau Drakkar (8-22-6) (Prev. 18)
The two bottom teams in the QMJHL also remain steady, with Baie-Comeau getting even younger through trade this week as they continue their scorched earth rebuild.
Saint John at the very least has Alexis Joseph to keep them going through the losses this year, as the rookie phenom scored another hat trick this week.
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Mooseheads Sign BCHL Blueliner Brenden Espenell
