Emile Guite will leave the QMJHL a year early to head down to play NCAA hockey.
As the QMJHL off-season rolls on, the NCAA commitments continue.
So far, we've seen a handful of players entering their 19-year-old season decide to forgo their final year of major junior eligibility in favour of heading to school, including Xavier Villeneuve, Charlie Morrison and William Lacelle.
Now, another top player and NHL draft pick will be leaving the league early, with Anaheim Ducks prospect and Chicoutimi Saguenéens forward Emile Guite committing to the University of New Hampshire for the 2026-27 season.
Emile Guite with the Chicoutimi Saguenéens. (Photo: Bruno Girard)Guite, 19, had 65 (32+33) points in 59 games with the Gilles-Courteau champion Saguenéens in 2025-26, being a key part of the team's middle-six as they went to the Memorial Cup semifinal.
The Chambly, Que., native was the second overall pick in the 2023 QMJHL draft, and made an immediate impact in Chicoutimi, winning the league's rookie of the year trophy in 2023-24.
While his sophomore year didn't quite go to plan, the Ducks still saw enough potential in the skill package of Guite to take him in the fifth round of the 2025 NHL draft.
Now, after a solid year with a stacked Sags team, Guite will leave a team starting a rebuild for the NCAA to further his hockey career.
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