The Hershey Bears and the Coachella Valley Firebirds have re-matched in the finals of the AHL's Calder Cup playoffs, and the series is tied with two wins each.

Now if you are from Hershey or Coachella Valley, happen to be fans of the teams or their parent organizations -- the Capitals and Kraken respectively -- then your decision on who to cheer for may be easy. For QMJHL fans, the question may be difficult to answer.

Coachella Valley has two QMJHL alumni of note: Luke Henman and Jacob Melanson. 

Despite being drafted by the Cape Breton Eagles in the second round, Henman spent parts of five seasons in the Q, all with the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada, and was their captain for the last two seasons. Henman's 214 points is the franchise record, and his 225 games is second in the club's history. Henman was drafted by Carolina in the 4th round in 2016, but was left unsigned by the team. He was picked up in free agency by the expansion Seattle Kraken which was ran by Ron Francis, the GM who drafted him in Carolina. Henman, 24, has found himself as a dependable depth centerman on the Firebirds scoring seven goals and seven assists for 14 points across 54 regular season games, and one goal, three assists across 12 playoff games.

Jacob Melanson, 21, was a much more recent graduate from the Q, as he's only playing in his first full pro season this year. Melanson was a former 15th overall pick in the 2019 QMJHL by the Quebec Remparts but was flipped to the Acadie-Bathurst Titan after just one season. After a near point per game campaign in the pandemic shortened 2020-21 season, the Kraken made him one of their first draft selections in history at pick #151 in the 5th round. Melanson would continue his career with the Titan until the 2022-23 season where he was dealt mid-season to the Sherbrooke Phoenix to help with their playoff run. All-in-all, Melanson potted 184 points in 187 QMJHL games across four seasons. This year, as a rookie, he registered a respectable six goals and 12 assists for 18 points in 68 AHL games, and has two goals and four assists for six points in 16 playoff games so far. 

Melanson and Henman were undoubtably great QMJHLers, but Hershey has lots to offer too. Their roster includes Hendrix Lapierre, Pierrick Dube and Jimmy Huntington,

Hendrix Lapierre needs no introduction. Selected 22nd overall selection in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, Lapierre is one of the Capitals best youngsters. Two years earlier, Hendrix Lapierre was taken first overall by the Chicoutimi Saguenéens. He instantly became one of the team's best players on arrival, scoring at a near point a game pace and winning the Michel Bergeron Trophy for offensive rookie of the year. He would continue that pace in his draft year until he was struck by injuries, and the shortening of the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He would only play 21 games the following season for the same reasons, but these factors didn't slow him down. He made the Capitals out of camp in the 2021-22 season, but after six games which included his first NHL goal, Lapierre was sent back down to juniors for his final season, this time a member of the Acadie-Bathurst Titan. He would finish his QMJHL career with 144 points in 128 games across four seasons. This year, the 22-year-old center split time between the NHL and the AHL. In the regular season, Lapierre had eight goals, 14 assists for 22 points with the Washington Capitals, and five goals, 12 assists for 17 points across 22 games for Hershey. Once the Capitals were eliminated from the playoffs, they assigned Lapierre to the minors to help Hershey in their playoff run. He leads the Calder Cup Playoffs with 20 points across 18 games.

Pierrick Dube's path to Hershey has been a long and winding one. Selected 17th overall in the 2018 QMJHL Draft by the Quebec Remparts, the right winger had plenty of expectations. Although, for a while it didn't look like he was living up to them. By the completion of his draft year, Dube had only 32 points across 103 QMJHL games as an undersized, primarily offensive forward. Slowly but surely, the Frenchman from Lyon would start to put it together. By 2020-21, he was producing at an above a point per game pace, with 27 points over 24 games split between the Quebec Remparts and his new club the Chicoutimi Saguenéens, In his final season, he would move to the Shawinigan Cataractes scoring 44 points across 36 games and would score 12 goals and six assists for 18 points across 16 games in the QMJHL playoffs to help them win the QMJHL championship. Dube's 149 points over 219 games might seem unassuming, but his 34 points across 38 playoff games tells the real story of what kind of player Dube is. After grinding his way through the ECHL and an AHL deal with the Laval Rocket, Dube signed with the Washington Capitals as an undrafted free agent last off-season and has been an instrumental part of the Hershey Bears' season. The 23-year-old score 28 goals and 20 assists for 48 points across 68 games, and even earned himself a call-up to the Capitals. He has 6 points across 15 playoff games this year.

Jimmy Huntington, 25, is the oldest QMJHL alumnus on either of these teams. He was first drafted in 2014 by Acadie-Bathurst in the 4th round. He was traded to the Victoriaville Tigres where he slowly matured from being a depth player to a primary offensive contributor. Finally, he would breakout with the Rimouski Oceanic in his final season, scoring 40 goals and 52 assists for 92 points across 66 games while wearing the 'A'. This was good enough for the Tampa Bay Lightning to offer him an entry-level deal as an undrafted free agent. He would then get dealt to Nashville in a  trade for fellow ex-QMJHLer Anthony Richard, before signing an AHL deal with Hershey last off-season. Huntington has been a core member of the team, potting 33 points across 67 regular season games. He's been electric this playoffs as he has 11 points across 18 games so far.

None of the teams' coaching staff had previously played or coached in the QMJHL.

So that leaves the question... who would be worth cheering for? Would it be the Firebirds whose players had better QMJHL careers or would it be the team with the most and most notable QMJHL talent in the Hershey Bears?

You can watch Game 5 of the Calder Cup Finals tonight at 9 PM EST to find out who will take the series lead.

Be sure to check out Raphael Caron's article tomorrow diving into the QMJHL ties in the NHL Stanley Cup Finals!