The dust has settled on a “super” intriguing QMJHL Trade Period, so how are things going to play out the rest of the way?
“Loading up” took on an entirely different meaning for a predominantly two teams in the Q this year and it should be very interesting to see how those “super teams” will fair coming down the stretch and into the playoffs, but what about the defending QMJHL Champions the Moncton Wildcats, where do they fit in the equation?
Wildcats GM Taylor MacDougall and Asst. GM Rick Melanson deserve a lot of credit for putting the Wildcats in a position to make another run at a championship. The possibility of going back-to-back in any era of junior hockey is extremely rare and the Cats brain trust have strategically put themselves in the picture.
“Paper Don’t Mean Shit, Come Playoff Time”
Do the Wildcats have top end talent and depth at every position like the two other “super teams” boast? Probably not, especially on paper, but paper don’t mean shit come playoff time.
So, what makes the Wildcats so dangerous or a team that can repeat? Well, you have to look at how they are built and what they are built for to fully grasp what kind of chances they have for making a legitimate run again this year.
Are the Wildcats built to win it all or built to get there and see what happens? It’s about as cliché as a Crash Davis’ quote from Bull Durham, but either way they’re incredibly valid when it comes to the 2025-26 Moncton Wildcats.
“We just want to give ourselves a chance to get there and have a chance to win.” That quote is in every hockey players’ lexicon but it perfectly describes the 2025-26 Moncton Wildcats and how they are built.
On paper the Wildcats may not match up versus the Sags or the Armada, but they have an incredibly good chance to at least get to the semi-finals and beyond given how they are built and playoff format. Obviously, they will have to take care of business and a lot of things have to fall into place for that to happen especially when it comes to staying healthy especially between the pipes for the Cats. As Rudy Guimond goes the Wildcats will go, but you can say that about any team and their starting netminder, but that’s one of the reasons why their brain trust targeted goaltending depth during the trade period for any “just in case” scenario that could arise.
Very few people would look at the Moncton Wildcats right now and swear that they play a hardnosed gritty in your face brand of playoff hockey. Again, that’s not how they’re built, will that cost them in the playoffs? The current version of the Wildcats are built for speed, offensively attacking hockey with a focus on a collective team defence and then get the hell out there and transition pucks and generate scoring chances.
“You Can’t Hit, What you Can’t Catch.”
“You can’t hit, what you can’t catch.” The Wildcats are the by far the fastest team in the Q. Speed kills especially in the playoffs, but what makes the Cats chances of success so great is their speed and depth at the forward position. This isn’t the deepest talent pool of forwards ever assembled, but there’s no question it’s the fastest. The Wildcats are banking on that speed and forward depth to generate sustained offensive pressure and waves of opportunities from the drop of the puck to the final buzzer. Everyone wants to play fast, but you still have to manage pucks. That could be the “Achilles Heel” for the Cats if teams can get in on the forecheck and pressure their D corps and cause turnovers. Calculated puck support and sound decision making coming of their zone will be essential for the Cats to go where they want to go.
What about their physicality and overall team grit or nastiness?
Well, the Wildcats will continue to be tested in that area coming down the stretch and entering the playoffs. That’s one area that skilled fast teams struggle with is when their time and space is taken away. You see the Wildcats are built to frustrate the living hell out of their opponents and lately that’s exactly what they’re doing, by setting teams back on their heels and force turnovers and let the offensive onslaught run wild, no pun intended. The wave of speed might be too much for teams to handle and if they can stay healthy and have all four lines going late in the playoffs some teams might be out of gas by that time, so advantage Moncton.
Moncton will have to be ready to do battle and be physically engaged, at all times come playoff time if they want to reach their full potential and contend for another championship, because you know damn well that teams will try to hit them all over the rink in effort to throw them off their game.
“Speciality Teams and Discipline”
The Moncton Wildcats take a lot of penalties. The Cats are the 6th most penalized team in the Q. Discipline could be an issue, especially if and when they get challenged and pushed. Again, skilled, talented and fast teams theoretically hate getting hit or having their time and space taken away and usually that’s when overall team discipline gets called into question. The Wildcats will have to avoid taking selfish retaliatory type penalties in the playoffs. The shit after the whistle will be called a lot tighter. As for the Wildcats power play, it’s exceptional and boasts a lot of weapons. The first unit’s TOI, will vary, and they can’t be used nonstop. The second unit will have to step up and keep things simple, but it’s clear the first unit will see the bulk of the time. Obviously, teams will key in on Tommy Bleyl and try to stop his transitional style, but everything on that top unit has to go through Caleb Desnoyers, he’s the real catalyst for the Wildcats PP. Zone entries will be the key and the Cats also need to find urgency with puck movement, because at times this season they have been stagnant and far too predictable and fixated on option 1 or 2 rather than keeping things fluid out there. Puck movement, hitting the seams and creating 2 on 1’s is obviously the key to any good power play and with the Cats speed they need to enter the zone with speed and get things set up or attack when the opportunities present themselves. The addition of Evan Depatie and Max Vilen will no doubt turn into the Cats quasi shutdown pair, but Depatie will be called upon to lead the way running the first unit power play which will take some pressure off of Bleyl and also help the second unit.
“Lessons Learned”
The core group of players know what it takes to win, but this Wildcats team is completely different to the group last year, so building chemistry coming down the stretch and accepting new roles and buying into the plan will be critical for the Cats success and playoff run. Perhaps the biggest lessons learned might come from behind the bench. By no means is that a criticism in any way to the staff or Gardiner MacDougall, but experiencing what they went through last year will ultimately help guide some of their decisions with player personnel, TOI and overall workload coming down the final stretch and into the playoffs. The Cats have some depth and experience now between the pipes so why not use it. The acquisition of Justin Robinson gives them some options and will help push the current tandem, but why not dress Robinson and give him a few games? That’s a legitimate possibility even if there are not any injuries. Keeping their entire roster fresh should be the goal especially how this team is constructed with the emphasis on team speed which they possess. The Wildcats Top 6 and Top 4 looked tired especially in the championship series last year and rightfully so, but they might have been used too much in certain situations which led to that.
There’s no question the Moncton Wildcats are built to get there and see what happens and once there, they could in fact win it all yet again. On paper this Wildcat team might not be as attractive as other top contenders, but they definitely possess what it takes to vie for another championship.
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