Posting a 17-43-4 record, the Tigres fell all the way to the bottom of the league, and without their first round pick to show for it. The team sold heavy at the deadline, trading nearly every player of value and throwing young stars such as eventual Pittsburgh Penguins draft pick, goaltender Gabriel D'Aigle and Ohio State commit, defenseman Maddox Labre to the wolves.
Thankfully, the team that Victoriaville is set to ice this year shouldn't be nearly much more fun to watch and not nearly as bad.
Goaltending
Goaltending wise, there's certainly questions to be raised.
Gabriel D'Aigle will likely resume his starting duties in his fourth QMJHL season, however do not expect him not to be on the chopping block despite getting drafted to the NHL. Despite flashes of brilliance, D'Aigle has struggled to live up to the mantle of Canada's future in net that was once prescribed to him as a former second overall pick in the 2022 QMJHL draft.
Now that the team is starting to build itself up, can D'Aigle not only carry a starting workload as he did last season but be able to play consistently well the entire season?
As for the backup, the team brought on 2026 NHL draft eligible Anthony Catanzariti. The former 8th round pick in 2024 has looked good in this pre-season despite middling numbers last year in U18 AAA. He beat out former Tigres goaltenders in Jakob Hanlan (.848 in 8) and Felix Langlois (.902 over 3). Can the 6-foot-4 Catanzariti stick around and perhaps even become a goaltender of note for the 2026 NHL draft?
Grade: C
Defense
Maddox Labre and Brady Flynn remain the only two notable returners on the d-core, with the rest of the ranks being filled by depth players as well as rookies. 2025 second round pick Maxime Dodier (34th) was able to make the team out of camp as well as 2027 NHL draft eligible defenseman Cohen Paquet (2024 seventh round pick).
The team's big off-season addition was Buffalo Sabres prospect defenseman Simon-Pier Brunet from the Drummondville Voltigeurs. Brunet is coming off of a career high 32-point season and will look to become only even more dominant in his final QMJHL season before heading off to Merrimack College in 2026-27.
This season, I expect Brunet, Labre and Flynn to take steps, as well as remain curious about the younger rookies who will get a fair shot. As such, I feel as though the team has improved its D-core from last season, however it's still not quite competitive.
Grade: B
Related: Buffalo Sabres Prospect Brunet Traded To Tigres
Forwards
The big story with the Victoriaville Tigres' front twelve is the sheer roster turnover and Russian invasion. Only five forwards on the team's opening roster played at least five or more QMJHL games last season.
2024 seventh overall pick Enzo Lottin (2026 eligible) looks to have the most promise among them, in spite of a challenging rookie campaign with only 12 points over 43 games after making the move from the BCHL. Thomas Paquet (26 in 62) and Alexis Bourque (36 in 64) round out the team's overage class.
The rest? Rookies, free agent signings and imports.
The red wave is fronted by the team's three import selections, all of whom 2026 NHL draft eligibles.
Yegor Shilov, 17, is coming off of a 28-point, 38-game season with the USHL's Green Bay Gamblers.
Alexei Vlasov, 17, also spent last year in the USHL, posting 23 points over 51 games with the Sioux Falls Stampede.
Lastly, Ignati Shumullin, 17, made the move directly from Russia after a 67-point, 41-game season in the Avangard Omsk system within Russia's U17 circuit.
Two of the team's 2025 draft picks made the forward corps in 11th overall pick Deryk Lemaire and 19th overall pick Loik Garepy.
While the Tigres entire offensive core is a bunch of maybes, at least for this season, I do like a fair chunk of the assets, namely Shilov, Vlasov and Lottin, who I think can come in and be impactful offensively. However, much like with their defense, it's going to be probably another season before they become a well-oiled machine.
Grade: B
Verdict
I believe that the Tigres have moved themselves up from being a complete rebuilder to a pretender for next season. They should be much more fun to watch, but still not win as many games as they might like.
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