The Tigres will hope to take a step from being a good offensive team to a good overall team.
The Victoriaville Tigres were one of the most entertaining teams to watch in 2025-26, but that doesn't necessarily always mean good things.
While they had a fantastic offensive core, the defensive side of the game left much to be desired. That led to games with a lot of goals, but not necessarily an effective overall team, as they finished seventh in the west en route to a first round sweep.
This year, though, Victoriaville seems determined to improve the nitty gritty parts to their game, while retaining a big portion of what made them so effective offensively.
The Victoriaville Tigres are already there offensively, but will need to improve defensively to become the. true contender they desire to be. (Photo: Vincent Létourneau)The dynamic duo of Egor Shilov and Alexey Vlasov return, as do other key players in Enzo Lottin, Matheo Lepage and Loik Gariepy.
In goal, while Gabriel D'Aigle has moved on to the pro ranks, Anthony Catanzariti is now joined by top import choice Andrei Nikolayev, as the two should form a solid tandem this season.
The Tigres were busy on the trade front this summer, though a number of them were more minor or inconsequential deals. Two notable ones include acquiring overage forward Thomas Desruisseaux from Baie-Comeau, as well as sending Xavier Sabourin to the Drakkar in a separate deal.
The blue line still remains the biggest question with this group, though. Lepage will play a huge role, while names such as Dominik Necak, Maxime Dodier and second overall pick Vincent Boutet will be tasked with important spots as well.
The scoring will always be there, and if this team can hold its own without the puck, they'll be a very good squad.
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.
