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Charlottetown Islanders

Playoff Preview: Islanders (8) vs. Drakkar (1)

March 27, 2024 - Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL)
Charlottetown Islanders News Release


The snow is just about all melted, Easter is upon us and another 68-game season has come and gone for the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. Sixteen teams are in, round one is set and the show starts this Friday. For the Islanders, episode one debuts in Baie Comeau.

Finishing with a record of 26-34-6-2, the Islanders secured the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference, giving them the QMJHL's top-seeded Baie Comeau Drakkar as their round-one dance partner.

The Drakkar wrapped up the 2023-24 campaign with a record of 53-12-2-1, the only team in the league to eclipse 50 wins this season.

The Islanders and Drakkar met only two times throughout the regular season with the Drakkar claiming both match-ups. However, despite the vast difference in seeding and records, Baie Comeau only outscored Charlottetown 10-5 over their two meetings.

There are a few key storylines everyone should be keeping their eyes on during this David versus Goliath series as both push to be the team to hoist the Gilles-Courteau Trophy.

Former Islander | For fans of the 2019-2021 Charlottetown Islanders, you may recognize the name Justin Gill. Gill led the Drakkar in points this season wracking up 98 across 65 games. The Islanders originally drafted Gill in the 2019 QMJHL Entry Draft 32nd overall. He suited up for 64 games in the black and harvest gold before being dealt to the Sherbrooke Phoenix during the 2021 trade deadline. He, along with two first-round picks, went to Sherbrooke in exchange for a fifth-round selection and the man who would go on to set a franchise record for most goals scored in a single season, Patrick Guay. Now, as a 20-year-old, Gill gets to go toe-to-toe with his former coach Jim Hulton in the round of 16.

Class of 2022 | This match-up has its fair share of veterans who will be in the thick of things, however, it's those from the 2022 QMJHL draft class that will draw a lot of attention. The QMJHL's top-scorer Justin Poirier was the fourth name to come off the board in 2022 when Baie Comeau selected him. In just his second season in the league, the 17-year-old played in every game and tallied 82 points including 51 goals. Yes, you read that correctly, 51 goals, at 17 years old. The last player to accomplish that, you may have heard of Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, who did it back in 2004-05.

Raoul Boilard was originally taken by Gatineau in the fourth round but was acquired by Baie Comeau before ever dawning the torch. In his rookie QMJHL season, Boilard has been an offensive force posting 62 points in 68 games which included 22 goals. The Sherbrooke, Quebec native stands at 6'2", 190 pounds making him a difficult player to stop.

The Islanders also feature a core of players from the 2022 draft class. General Manager Jim Hulton traded for the player selected seven picks after Poirier, William Shields, at this year's deadline. Since coming over, Shields has exploded for 11 goals and 20 points in 30 games. Marcus Kearsey has been the Islanders' prized pick from the 2022 draft; the sophomore blue-liner posted 49 points this season which tied him for fifth among all QMJHL defenceman in points.

Ross Campbell and Matthew Butler were also taken by the Islanders in rounds four and five of the 2022 draft. Butler finished top-10 in scoring among rookies this season tallying 43 points which included putting away 11 goals. In his first full season with the Charlottetown Islanders, Campbell was an offensive force with his physical presence and scoring touch. Campbell finished the regular season with 36 points and 12 goals.

Bench Boss Comparison | Baie Comeau's head coach Jean-Francois Gregoire has a sub .500 career win percentage in the regular season. He bounced between three QMJHL teams between 2014-17 before finding a home with the Drakkar in 2019. Before this season, he hadn't had a full season over a .500 win percentage. Across four playoff stints, he has a .222 win percentage. Suffice it to say that this year, with this Drakkar team, is his shot to prove he can take a franchise deep into the playoffs and show he has what it takes to be successful.

Standing opposite Gregoire in round one will be a head coach who has seen very little but success. Jim Hulton has a regular season career win percentage of .563. Prior to his last two seasons, Hulton hadn't seen a season below .500 since joining the club in 2015. Playoff hockey has been even better for Hulton. With an overall playoff win percentage of .566, Hulton has yet to miss the playoffs in his Islanders tenure. A tenure that includes three semi-final appearances and one QMJHL final.

Islanders fans should take solace in knowing Hulton is leading their team. If there was any coach in the QMJHL who has the tools and skills to cause an upset of a top-seeded team, it's Hulton. The underdog, while not the role Hulton and the Islanders choose to play, is the role they have been cast in and will portray with grace and determination.

The Charlottetown Islanders will make the trip to Baie Comeau tomorrow morning to play games one and two at the Centre Henry-Leonard. The puck drops at 8 p.m. and 5 p.m. Atlantic time for the respective games. Fans can listen to the action live on MAX 93.1.

Games three and four take place at the Eastlink Centre in Charlottetown on April 2nd and 3rd at 7 p.m. Fans can purchase their tickets now!

GO Isles GO!

By The Numbers

Charlottetown Islanders Baie Comeau Drakkar

Team Record 26-34-6-2 53-12-2-1

Division Ranking 5th Maritimes 1st East

Conference Ranking 8th Eastern 1st Eastern

Home Record 14-13-5-2 28-4-2-0

Away Record 12-21-1-0 25-8-0-1

Goals For 208 290

Goals Against 267 163

Power Play Overall 22.5% 25.7%

Penalty Kill Overall 72.9% 81.2%

Penalty Minutes 632 818

Most Penalty Minutes (Player) Huckins (77) Poirier (68)

Leading Scorer (Points) Horth (50) Gill (98)

Leading Rookie (Points) Butler (43) Boilard (62)

Leading Defenceman (Points) Kearsey (49) Fenenko (44)

Leader +/- Butler (-1) Gill (+57)

Goalie Leader SV% Bickle (.890) Gravel (.909)

Goalie Leader GAA Bickle (3.52) Gravel (2.48)

Check out the Charlottetown Islanders Statistics

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