To kick off the festivities on the first day of the trade period opening, the Rimouski Océanic announced they have released import forward Raphael Achermann.

This move opens up an import spot on the team, as the 17-year-old Achermann never really found a home in the lineup.

The 5-foot-11 Swiss winger put up no goals and two assists across 13 games this season, his first with the club after being made a second-round pick in the 2025 import draft.

Achermann came up through the Fribourg-Gottéron program in Switzerland before making the move to Quebec this summer. He is eligible for the 2026 NHL draft.

For Rimouski, opening an import spot on the first day of the trade period is curious. They currently sit eighth in the Eastern Conference with a .500 record, and appeared to be setting up as sellers for the now-open trade period.

Now, they have room and flexibility to add an import player in some way over this period.

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