Hudon trade official; 16 trades highlight final day of QMJHL trading period

The Charles Hudon show officially moves to Baie-Comeau.

The trade, rumoured and reported for weeks, was finally announced by the league as one of 16 trades on the final trading day of the 2013-14 QMJHL season. Since Hudon was playing for Canada at the world junior in Malmö, Sweden, he could not be moved until he was returned to his junior club. Players can still be waived and signed, but they can no longer be traded from one team to another.

Hudon, the former Chicoutimi captain and a Habs prospect, moves to the Drakkar for a third rounder this season, and three firsts, from 2015-17. Whether those picks will actually be the picks or just placeholders for other players in the future has not been speculated.

That was the biggest move of the day in the QMJHL, who saw 24 players and 29 picks moved in total on Tuesday morning.

Perhaps most surprising was that the Quebec Remparts, with assets like goaltender François Brassard and Sabres forward Mikhail Grigorenko, stood pat on the final day. They did waive former first-rounder Brandon Shea and Anthony Latina.

In two deals Monday, the Remparts sent captain Ryan Culkin to Drummondville for Francis Lambert-Lemay and a first, and sent winger Brent Turnbull to Rimouski for a third in 2015.

The Charlottetown Islanders were the busiest team Tuesday, making five deals and acquiring six players. They got defencemen Vladislav Lysenko and David Henley from Val-d’Or, sending rearguard Ryan Graves and a third rounder to the Foreurs. They sent captain Jack Nevins to Rouyn-Noranda with a fourth rounder in exchange for center Julien Avon and three picks, including Blainville-Boisbriand’s first rounder this year.

Charlottetown also sent Alexis Pépin to Gatineau, for prospect Curtis Scale and two first rounders, this year and next. They acquired Robert Pelletier from Bathurst and Luc Deschênes from Victoriaville, completing the Yan Pavel Laplante and Julien Leduc deal from the first day of the trading period by sending Victoriaville’s 2016 first back. Like the WJCs, players competing in the U17 challenge over Christmas cannot be traded until the tournament is completed.

Other moves on the day included Sébastien Sylvestre, a top 20 scorer, moving from Chicoutimi to Rimouski. The Sags picked up Dominic Beauchemin and two second rounders, Shawinigan’s this season and Rimouski’s next year.

Victoriaville acquired Jean-François Plante from Sherbrooke with a fifth rounder in 2015 for three picks, including a 2014 second and two in '15. The Phoenix also sent blueliner Dominic Talbot-Tassi to Blainville-Boisbriand with a first rounder in 2015 for defender Julien Bahl, and acquired overage netminder Maxime Lagacé from Shawinigan. Lagacé’s stay with the Cataractes was a full three starts.

Cape Breton sent Will Carrier and Matthew Donnelly to Drummondville in exchange for Guillaume Gauthier and two picks, including a first in 2015.

Other deals on Tuesday feature Giovanni Fiore moving from Drummondville to Shawinigan, Liam Hynes traded from Moncton to Bathurst and Thomas Gobeil shuttled off from Chicoutimi to Val-d’Or. The full list of trades is available at the league’s website.

Monday also saw netminder Zachary Fortin move from Rimouski to Cape Breton, giving the Screaming Eagles three goaltenders through this season, and Alexandre Grand-Maison moved from Shawinigan to Drummondville.

In one trade Sunday, Francis Beauvillier was moved to Rouyn-Noranda for Gabriel Slight and a second rounder.