Evan Depatie will head down stateside to continue his hockey career, joining Northern Michigan.
We're nearing the end of the big rush of NCAA commitments coming for next season, but there are still a few trickling in, particularly from teams who went deep into the playoffs.
One of those teams is the Moncton Wildcats, who fell in the QMJHL championship series to Chicoutimi in 2026. One blueliner who added a boost to the team mid-season is Evan Depatie, who will head south next year to join Northern Michigan University.
Depatie, 19, had 44 (14+30) points in 62 regular games this season, split between Rimouski and Moncton. He was a third-round pick by Val-d'Or in the 2022 QMJHL draft, spending his first three years with the Foreurs before being dealt to the Océanic last summer.
Evan Depatie with the Moncton Wildcats. (Photo: Daniel St-Louis)For Moncton, it always seemed like the 5-foot-9 blueliner would be a rental. He provided some good value down the stretch into the playoffs, but it was unlikely for him to return as an overager.
General Manager Taylor MacDougall has done a fantastic job replenishing his squad in his tenure at the helm of the team, and there's no doubt the team will be able to find a suitable replacement heading into next year.
In addition, it appears very likely star blueliner Tommy Bleyl will return for one more season, so it's not as though Depatie would've been leaned on in a bigger role next season anyway.
For Depatie, he now gets to head to a solid NCAA school to get an education while playing hockey. If he continues to progress and produce in college, he'll likely be subject to AHL deals when he's ready to turn pro.
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