Yahoo Sports Chicoutimi Saguenéens 2024-25 Season Preview
The Sags will be an extremely interesting team to watch, for a multitude of reasons.
Photo: Bruno Girard, Chicoutimi Saguenéens
The team boasts recent Anaheim Ducks third rounder, right winger Maxim Masse, whose 75 points (36+39) lead the team last season.
Photo: Bruno Girard, Chicoutimi Saguenéens
Alongside Masse once again is centerman Thomas Desruisseaux, who will look for another chance to get drafted this upcoming season -- coming off of a 60-point campaign (16+44).
Photo: Bruno Girard, Chicoutimi Saguenéens
Spearheading the second-wave of the youth movement up front is 2025 NHL Draft elgible, Emile Guite. Guite is fresh off a gold medal winning Hlinka-Gretzky tournament, where he notched 7 points (3+4) across 5 games. Last season with the Sags, Guite registered 57 points (25+32) over 61 games.
Related
Related: Five QMJHLers Win Gold at the Hlinka-Gretzky
Another 2025 Draft eligible forward of note, is centerman Nathan Lecompte, who was able to tally 33 points (15+18) last season.
Photo: Kassandra Blais, Baie-Comeau Drakkar
The team added two overagers to their group for the 2024-25 season as well, in right winger Felix Gagnon (58 in 58) from Baie-Comeau, and former Quebec Remparts captain, left winger Kassim Gaudet (50 in 66) from the QMJHL championship winning Drummondville Voltigeurs.
The front 12 also includes the likes of left winger Emmanuel Vermette (51 in 66), left winger Emile Duquet (25 in 67) and 16-year old import pick, right winger Korney Korneyev -- who had 14 points (6+8) across 28 games in Russian U-17 play last season.
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Related: The QMJHL's First Kazahk Player Signs With Chicoutimi
If you thought the forwards were stacked, just wait for the back-end.
Starting off with overager Loic Usereau, who is coming off of a breakthrough 47-point season.
Photo: Jonathan Kozub / Hockey Canada Images
Complementing him, is 2025 NHL Draft eligible Alex Huang. Huang had 36 points over 61 games (8 in 28) in 2023-24 and won Gold at the HGC with Guite, scoring 4 points (2+2) in 5 games.
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Related: QMJHL: 2025 NHL Draft Summer Watchlist
Rounding out the top four are fellow 2025 Draft eligible Jonathan Prud'homme (14 in 65) and star import Peteris Bulans (42 in 59).
This team is strong, from front-to-back.
The only issue that could hold them back, is perhaps the last line of defense... goaltending.
They are relying on sophomore goalie Raphael Precourt as the team's starter, who had a capable .889 save percentage over 34 games.
Behind him is a big question mark. They could go for an unknown in Mathias Hernandez, who is listed as the other goalie on EliteProspects, or perhaps Luciano Ruggeiro, who at least played a few games last season (.817 over 3 games). Either way, it's not an ideal set-up as a last line of defense.
That's not to say that this team can't succeed, let alone in the crease.
Either way, the Sags will be among the QMJHL's top crop this season, even if I don't think they are true contenders just yet.
However, big steps from their younger core or solidifying between the pipes could change that.
Ratings
Forwards: A+
Defense: A
Goalies: B
Overagers: A
Verdict: Challenger
Notable Players
G Raphael Precourt
D Alex Huang
D Peteris Bulans (Import)
D Loic Usereau (Overager)
D Jonathan Prud'homme
LW Kassim Gaudet (Overager)
LW Emmanuel Vermette
LW Emile Duquet
C Nathan Lecompte
C Emile Guite
C Thomas Desruisseaux
RW Maxim Masse
RW Felix Gagnon (Overager)
RW Korney Korneyev (Import)
Likely Team MVP
C Emile Guite
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