(Predicted order of finish)

Moncton Wildcats

The fact that Moncton is expected to be at the top this season is indicative of just how weak this whole conference will be this season. Moncton is hosting the Memorial Cup at the end of this season, and as the host team, get an automatic bye into the four-team field. How embarrassing it would be to be swept as the host team. That said, things don’t look as good as they should in Cat country right now. That said, the forwards are big and the team will not be a bunch of goons, but will be physical. Chances are, though, with high-profile coach Ted Nolan at the helm, this team will make the required moves by the end of the year to build what should be at least a solid contender.

Key players: Keith Yandle (D), Bruce Graham (F), Martins Karsums (F), Matt Marquardt (F), Adam Pineault (F), Stephane Goulet (F), Maxime Belanger (D), Jean-Christophe Blanchard (G).

Acadie-Bathurst Titan

No team made a bigger move this off-season than the Titan, and those moves alone will help pull this two-time cellar-dwelling team back from the doldrums. Head coach Mario Durocher knows how to coach given the talent, and he has that talent this year. Gabriel Bouthillette will be strong between the pipes for this team that needs, more than any other team in the league, a solid season to help win back the fans. The forwards look faster, the team is older and the defense may be the only major question for the Titan, and even that is solid through at least four skaters.

Key players: Billy Bezeau (D), Mathieu Carle (D), Mathieu Labrie (D), Olivier Labelle (F), Petr Pohl (F), Mathieu Perreault (F), Mathieu Roy (F), Gabriel Bouthillette (G).

Cape Breton Screaming Eagles

The Eagles are a sleeper. They aren’t overloaded with big-name talent, and they aren’t on many radar screens, but people in Lewiston saw what can happen with a European goaltender coming in fresh to the league. Not to mention that the goaltender, Ondrej Pavelec, is a high NHL draft pick. The defense is above, and the forwards are big and tough.

Key players: Ondrej Pavelec (G), David Victor (D), Vladimir Kubus (F), James Sheppard (F), Vincent Zaore-Vanie (D), Francois Gauthier (F), Jean-Claude Sawyer (D).

Lewiston Maineiacs

While unofficially, this team is in Year 2 of its rebuild, and will likely contend for the league title next year and the year after, don’t throw this year out completely. The Maineiacs have one of the top three defensive corps in all of the QMJHL, with five, maybe six regulars from last season returning. In net, Jonathan Bernier will be a wall. He is the best 17-year-old goaltender in the world, and his backup isn’t a slouch, either. Forwards here will be small but quick, and conditioning will be this team’s strength.

Key players: Mathieu Aubin (F), Marc-Andre Cliche (F), Eric Castonguay (F), Stefan Chaput (F), Brandon Roach (D), Chad Denny (D), Michal Korenko (D), Sebastien Piche (D), Jonathan Bernier (G).

Halifax Mooseheads

There are plenty of veterans kicking around in Halifax, enough to think that the Mooseheads will have a shot at third, maybe even second in the weaker of two conferences this season. That said, there are still some questions on this team that tried its run last season. Goaltending will be a big “if,” but if last year’s sporadic service is any indication, Jeremy Duchesne should be ready to step in. The forwards have the most experience here, and the Mooseheads’ defense is adequate.

Key players: Rane Carnegie (F), James Pouliot (F), Frederik Cabana (F), Luciano Lomanno (D), Andrew Bodnarchuk (D), Jiri Suchy (D), Jeremy Duchesne (G).

Saint John Sea Dogs

Yes, the Sea Dogs are an expansion team, but by cutting former Maineiacs forward Ryan Murphy the organization has shown a commitment to future growth, despite having five 20-year-olds on the roster. Far from a normal expansion franchise, the Sea Dogs will struggle at first, but will likely improve drastically as the season goes along. Alex Grant is a solid defenseman and should prove his worth as the overall No. 1 pick. Up front, Saint John has a few exciting players to watch, and many with QMJHL experience.

Key players: Kevin Coughlin (F), Jason Churchill (G), Alex Grant (D), Jeff Caron (D), Cedric Archambault (D), Felix Schutz (F), Ryan Sparling (F).

PEI Rocket

The Rocket are in trouble this season, but there is room to improve if management will allow it. The Rocket have two 20-year-old roster spots open, and have an unproven goaltender in Ryan Mior between the pipes. The defense is young and the youth from last season wasn’t played nearly enough to gain any experience for this season. A new coach will likely bring a new philosophy and, hopefully for the fans, a new approach to helping the players along. With nine 17-year-olds and another nine 18-year-olds, the Rocket have a bright future if worked with properly.

Key players: Slava Trukhno (F), Nicolas Leduc (D), Stephen Lund (D), Marc-Andre Gragnani (D), Simon Bolduc (F), Greg O’Brien (G), Ryan Mior (G).

St. John’s Fog Devils

Of the two expansion franchises, the Fog Devils appear to want to fight their way to the top, at least initially. This team used the expansion draft to bulk up with some of the players with the highest totals of penalty minutes in the league last year. That said, they made strides with their entry draft, but it will take a minor miracle for this team to rise above the conference cellar. One thing in the Fog Devils’ favor, though, is that they begin play in the weaker of two conferences overall.

Key players: Scott Brophy (F), Jean-Simon Allard (F), Nicolas Bachand (F), Brandon Verge (G), Matt Boland (D), Zack Firlotte (D), Brett Beauchamp (D).

Western Conference overview

Chicoutimi is the cream of the crop in Quebec this season, with the Quebec Remparts close behind after a productive, and very busy, offseason. Both of these teams will score a ton of goals, especially if the game does open up with the new rules, but goaltending will be the question mark here. Quebec did make a good acquisition in that department on paper, but paper rarely plays the games.

Drummondville and Shawinigan should be tight for the next two positions. Both teams have outstanding top-end talent, but both seem to drop off halfway through their third lines. Drummondville’s goaltending matches Shawinigan’s.

Victoriaville, Gatineau and Baie-Comeau should be tight for spots 5, 6 and 7. Victoriaville likely has the edge with arguably the best goaltender in the league in Josh Tordjman, though Baie-Comeau is doing well trying to rebuild under a new regime. Gatineau is, well, Gatineau. the Olympiques should be on their way out and trying to rebuild, and will likely do so at Christmas, but for now, they have enough talent to stay in the middle.

Val d’Or has a three-man blue line to make most teams drool, but after that the talent drops off. They will likely commiserate with fellow Western Quebec team Rouyn-Noranda, which has little top-end talent to deal with. This will be a selling year for the Huskies.

Perhaps no other team will fall as quickly as Rimouski, though. the Oceanic have lost nearly their entire team, and will be hard-pressed to keep up in the stronger of the two conferences.