Quebec players in the National Hockey League (NHL) are not as numerous as they used to be, but there are still several dozen of them among the pros. Exactly 100 representatives from the province of La Belle have worn an American League jersey this season.
Here are the ones that excelled the most in 2022-2023:
Jacob Pelletier
The 21-year-old left winger made headlines recently when he took his first steps on the Bettman Circuit with the Calgary Flames. However, the former first-round pick had to wait a season and a half in the AHL, burning the development cycle along the way. He had 36 points in 33 games with the Wranglers.
Anthony Richard
Montreal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes appears to have pulled off a master stroke by bringing Richard on to the Laval Rocket for a season. A native of Trois-Rivières, he is the second-best scorer in the AHL with 22 hits. His performances also earned him his first stint in the NHL since 2019.
Christian Wollin
The son of former Quebec Nordiques Craig Wolanin did not play the Bettman Circuit this season for the first time since his debut in 2018. However, the defenseman seized the opportunity to turn the American League upside down with 50 points in 45 games against the Abbotsford Canucks. Wolanin lists all the back sides of the circuit in this chapter.
Alex Barre Boulet
Who will one day give barre boulet a real chance? The Syracuse Crunch captain has been in the AHL since 2018-19 and became the farm club Tampa Bay Lightning’s all-time leading scorer this year. The 25-year-old forward is still dominant with 54 points in 41 games.
Karl Hudon
After spending a season in Switzerland, Charles Hudon came back strong last season. Now with the Colorado Eagles, the Almatois continues to do what he does best: score goals. The former Habs shook the ropes 16 times in 35 games. He also played nine games with the Avalanche.
Laurent Dauphin
With the Canadian, Dauphin has shown in 2021-2022 that he has what it takes to play at the highest level. The 27-year-old Repentigny native has many good years ahead of him and continues his journey with the Arizona Coyotes organization. He’s already set a career high with 37 points in 40 games this season.
Daniel Mallard / QMI Agency
Zachary Fucale
Fucale is currently Quebec’s best goaltender to play in the American League. The Lavallois always have to wait behind Darcy Kuemper and Charlie Lindgren in the Washington Capitals hierarchy, but he makes a good case for a callback to the Hershey Bears. With the top team in the Eastern Conference, he went 14-8-2 with 2.58 goals against average and a .897 save percentage.
recognitions : Jérémie Poirier (Calgary Wranglers), Jean-Sébastien Dea (Tucson Roadrunners), Peter Abbandonato (Laval Rocket), William Dufour (Bridgeport Islanders), Benoît-Olivier Groulx (San Diego Gulls)