How the league is shaping up ahead of the second weekend of action.
Power rankings after a single weekend of QMJHL hockey are often the toughest to do.
Gone go preseason expectations, as now teams have had the chance to show themselves on the ice. But, with a number of NHL-affiliated prospects not back to their junior teams, mixed with a small sample, it's often difficult to get a true gauge on which super early trends are real, and which are not.
That being said, we're still going to take a stab at what the list looks like, though of course, there's still 62 games left for each team.
Tier One: Contenders
1: Cape Breton Eagles (0-0-2) (Prev. 1)
It might have been a pair of OTLs for the Eagles during opening weekend, but with the amount of talent absent, they still deserve to sit at the top.
2: Quebec Remparts (1-1-0) (Prev. 2)
Like Cape Breton, it was just two points from opening weekend. There are fewer top prospects returning to Quebec, but Maddox Dagenais will give a huge boost once he's back.
3: Val-d'Or Foreurs (2-0-0) (Prev. 6)
It was a great opening weekend for Val-d'Or, going undefeated with 10 goals scored. Philippe Veilleux is dominating as expected, with seven points through two games.
4: Saint John Sea Dogs (1-1-0) (Prev. 3)
Another projected top team with a .500 record, the Sea Dogs looked pretty solid in their first couple of games.
5: Halifax Mooseheads (1-0-1) (Prev. 5)
The Mooseheads had some ups and downs in their pair of games, which both needed an extra frame. The win over Cape Breton was very impressive, though.
6: Victoriaville Tigres (1-1-0) (Prev. 4)
The Tigres are about what they were expected to be. The most goals for in the league with 11... and the second-most goals against in the league, also with 11.
7: Sherbrooke Phoenix (2-0-0) (Prev. 7)
The Phoenix were the closest to the contenders tier last week, and while they don't move up a spot in the rankings, they do move up a tier thanks to a very strong 2-0 opening weekend.
Tier Two - Hopefuls
8: Moncton Wildcats (2-0-0) (Prev. 9)
Another team that stays undefeated after opening weekend, the well-coached Wildcats put together two solid victories. The overall quality of this team is still TBD after how much turnover they've had, but a lot of their new acquisitions have looked great.
9: Shawinigan Cataractes (1-1-0) (Prev. 8)
Eight different teams sport a .500 record right now, and the Cataractes are right in that range. They played one very good game, and one very bad one.
10: Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (1-1-0) (Prev. 11)
Much like the 1-1-0 teams ranked above, the Huskies haven't really done much to dissuade any preseason expectations. They're a younger team that looks exciting, if not amazing.
11: Rimouski Océanic (2-0-0) (Prev. 12)
While there isn't much to take from a two-game set against Baie-Comeau, you have to beat the teams in front of you, and Rimouski did just that.
12: Gatineau Olympiques (2-0-0) (Prev. 15)
It was a pair of pretty solid wins for the Olympiques. Scoring was a question heading into the year, but Maxim Dube had a big weekend, and Danai Shaiikov was excellent in goal. If they can keep this play up, they will continue rising.
Tier Three - Pretenders
13: Newfoundland Regiment (1-1-0) (Prev. 14)
The Regiment split a pair of home games, where they were excellent last year. There's not quite as much quality in the group this year, but still a few veterans lying around and a couple exciting youngsters.
14: Drummondville Voltigeurs (0-2-0) (Prev. 10)
It was a struggle of a weekend from the Volts, who really struggled to keep the puck out of their own net. The offence scored, but they sit as one of four 0-2-0 teams.
15: Charlottetown Islanders (1-1-0) (Prev. 17)
The Islanders had a pretty decent opening weekend, taking down a weakened Cape Breton side in OT after losing a close one to Moncton. They may lack the quality to take down a lot of teams, but hanging in there is a good trait.
16: Chicoutimi Saguenéens (0-2-0) (Prev. 13)
The remaining three squads are all on zero points, but the Sags clearly have the most talent of the three groups. Losses to Shawinigan and Quebec aren't the end of the world, but they will need to find more goals.
17: Blainville-Boisbriand Armada (0-2-0) (Prev. 16)
About expected for a team clearly in a rebuild. Goals will be hard to come by this year, though Jacob McKinnon looked solid in his debut.
18: Baie-Comeau Drakkar (0-2-0) (Prev. 18)
It's looking like another year in the basement.
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