The Olympiques will prepare to run back a fairly young roster that struggled to score last season.
It was not exactly the most memorable 2025-26 campaign for the Gatineau Olympiques.
They were a team that really struggled to find the back of the net, scoring just 143 goals in 64 games, the second-bottom tally in the league. But, their strong team defence and great goaltending from Danai Shaiikov got them into the playoffs, where they somewhat hung in there against a strong Rouyn-Noranda team, but lacked the firepower to win games.
The Olympiques had one of the younger teams in the league last year, and seem prepared to run it back with a fairly similar roster. Therefore, the question remains about where the goals will come from.
The Olympiques will hope their team will grow offensively as it gets another year older. (Photo: Dominic Charette)While the team ended up being led in part by a couple of key overagers in Justin Boisselle and Yan Gaudreau, the rest of the core should stay together and hopefully grow into more goals.
Shaiikov obviously remains a constant in goal, but younger forwards such as Maxim Dube, Peter Legostaev and Simon-Xavier Cyr should take some steps in big roles, while potential overage options in Nic Petrut and Gabriel Seguin might be able to score as well.
There's also a ton of turnover in off-ice roles in Gatineau, with a new head coach in Serge Beausoleil and GM in Sebastian Charpentier coming into the fray. While it's been a fairly quiet summer in the trade department, there may be more to come as the team gets into the season.
And in all, some continuity, particularly with an excellent goaltender and some solid defence, should be good for a young team, as long as they can get their goals.
Never want to miss out on any QMJHL news? Make sure to book mark THN's QMJHL site.
Also follow @roryyarthur on X/Twitter for more updates.
