Cataractes Pick Up Goaltender Yundi Cai In Trade With Huskies

The first QMJHL trade this October has dropped, as this inactive period is broken up momentarily with a sort of affiliate trade.

The Shawinigan Cataractes have acquired goalie Yundi Cai from the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies in exchange for a 2028 fourth-round pick.

Cai, 17, was drafted in the fourth round of the 2025 QMJHL draft, but never got into a game for the Huskies. He played a very good season last year with Collège Esther-Blondin Phénix of the U18 AAA circuit, but couldn't make Rouyn-Noranda out of camp this year, with Alexandre Raymond being backed up by top prospect Zachary Lainesse.

So, Cai went off to play in the BCHL, playing two games this season with the Brooks Bandits, sporting a 1-0-1 record in his starts.

Now, the Blainville native will seemingly get a chance to play, with the Cataractes looking for a reliable backup behind Philippe Boucher. Kamden Jackson (.853 save percentage) and Simon-Olivier Guerard (.809 save percentage) have struggled in their minutes, and while Boucher has been solid, there needs to be a reliable backup in goal.

Shawinigan sits at the bottom of the Western conference with a 2-4-1 record through seven games, and as a very young team, definitely do struggle with conceding a ton of shots and high danger chances in their games.

We'll see what Cai can do, but it does seem as though he'll get a good shot at being the backup.

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.