No. 1 Halifax vs. No. 8 Victoriaville

The Mooseheads are a force on offense this season, with three lines that can all score often if given the chance. Jakub Voracek and Brad Marchand both have a legitimate shot to play in the NHL as early as October, and Bryce Swan, Ryan Hillier, P.J. Corsi, Tomas Knotek, Logan MacMillan and Colby Pridham are an ample supporting cast.

On defense, the Mooseheads are very solid at the top, but drop off a little toward the back end of the rotation, and the goaltending has been spotty at times this season, but has been much better as of late.

Victoriaville enters as the No. 9 team in the West, and crosses over to the No. 8 slot in the East for the playoffs. The Tigres have a few potent weapons in Toby Lafrance and Alexandre Monahan, with Jason Demers coming through with 64 points from the blue line.

The Tigres’ defense is a bit slow, and will likely have trouble handling the Mooseheads’ speed. They do have a solid goalie, though, with 17-year-old Kevin Poulin poised for a breakout.

No. 2 Saint John vs. No. 7 PEI

The Sea Dogs were supposed to be this good – next season. The midseason acquisition of Alexandre Picard-Hooper and the quick maturation of budding stars Yann Sauve, Christopher DiDomenico and Alex Grant have given the Saint John fans reason to celebrate this season. Former Maineiac netminder Maxime Joyal is enjoying a solid 20-year-old season in net, and the Dogs’ back end has been the source of key transitional scoring this season.

Scott Howes and Ryan Sparling have also been stellar up front for Saint John.

The Rocket come in as the No. 7, and have underachieved for much of the season. This has unfortunately been the story of the franchise since its relocation to Charlottetown, and several of the team’s top players left the Island at the trade deadline.

Still, Geoff Walker, Chris Doyle and Mathieu Tousignant can all score regularly, and Antoine Lafleur has proven he can be a top goalie when he wants to be.

No. 3 Acadie-Bathurst vs. No. 6 St. John’s

The Titan might be the hottest team in the entire CHL right now. QMJHL scoring champ Mathieu Perreault is on fire, and there isn’t a much more deadly power play than the Titan’s.

Beyond Perreault, the Titan boast Tomy Joly, Tomas Svoboda and Dany Masse, all of whom have seen a jump in point production since the team changed coaches.

Newcomers Jonathan Laberge, Drew Paris and Ryan Graham have all done well since their arrival, too, and Paris has helped shore up a previously porous blue line. The Titan can score, and will pose an offensive problem to any team they play.

The Fog Devils will play for pride and honor in their last playoffs representing Newfoundland. And with the home ice advantage and a 2-3-2 series, don’t think that this will be a walkover for Bathurst.

St. John’s has big-play capability from Luke Adam and Jean-Simon Allard, and fantastic goaltending in the form of Timo Pielmeier and Jake Allen.

No. 4 Cape Breton vs. No. 5 Lewiston

Like any traditional 4-5 matchup, this one will be a test of wills between two very evenly-match teams.

Cape Breton is loaded at the top with bright starts Dean Ouellet, Chris Culligan and Robert Slaney. Joey Haddad and mid-season acquisition Jordan Clendenning give the Eagles a sense of balance on their top two lines.

On the back end, Alex Lamontagne and Spencer Corcoran have big-play capability from the blue line, and Beau Prokopetz adds a solid defensive element to the squad.

Rookie Olivier Roy, who set the league record for wins by a 16-year-old this season, figures to see most of the time in net.

Lewiston, meanwhile, is back-heavy. Jonathan Bernier anchors the net for the Maineiacs, while a stable of top-end defensmen protect him. Kevin Marshall, Denis Reul, Patrick Cusack and Michael Ward are all solid 18-year-olds with mounds of experience, with Tom Michalik, Guillaume Durand and Eric Gelinas ready to play important roles.

Up front, Stefano Giliati and Stefan Chaput provide most of the firepower, with power forward Danick Paquette accounting for 29 goals and a couple hundred penalty minutes.

Telus Division
No. 1 Rouyn-Noranda vs. No. 8 Val d’Or

The worst possible opponent for the top seed, these two bitter rivals ought to make things interesting right from the beginning, though the Huskies did win 11 out of 12 against the Foreurs this season.

Brett Morrison, Michael Dubuc and Jeff Desjardins lead the team in scoring, and on the back end, Maxim Gougeon is 15-5 since coming over from Drummondville.

The Foreurs are still decimated from losses suffered after a championship run last year. The Foreurs rely heavily on Marc-Andre Cote and Maxime Sauve for scoring, while Samuel Richard holds down most of the defensive duties.

No. 2 Baie-Comeau vs. No. 7 Rimouski

If Clem Jodoin is looking to get back to the top this season, he’s got a chore ahead of him, but as well as the Oceanic have played down the stretch, and upset isn’t out of the question.

Rimouski was decimated with injuries early in the season to several top players, who are now much better as the playoffs begin.

Look for Michael Frolik, Sebastien Bernier and Keven Veilleux to be offensive sparks for the Oceanic, while youngsters Olivier Fortier Philippe Cornet continue to emerge as superstars.

Baie-Comeau might be the most well-rounded team in the tournament, but with the No. 2 seed drew a tough path against Rimouski and, if the Drakkar advance, Gatineau in Round 2.

Francois Bouchard, Benjamin Breault and Matt Marquardt are all solid at the top end of the lineup. The Drakkar defense is solid with Marc-Andre Dorion, Pierre-Luc Lessard and Jean-Philippe Paquet as a formidable top three.

No. 3 Gatineau vs. No. 6 Shawinigan

The only series in the Telus that might see a clean sweep, traditional power gatineau is right back at the top of the conference, while traditional underachiever Shawinigan is again treading water.

The Olympiques put two players in the league’s top 10 in scoring, the only team to do that. Claude Giroux and Matthew Pistilli both pose serious scoring threats when on the ice, and Ryan Mior has been a workhorse since arriving last season.

Shawinigan relied heavily on Cedric McNicoll for scoring, and have just four players with more than 40 points this season. Kevin Maletto has been solid if not spectacular for the Cataractes, earning 26 wins this season.

No. 4 Chicoutimi vs. No. 5 Quebec

One of the most bitter rivalries in the QMJHL will continue into the playoffs. The Sagueneens punctuated the season with an 8-1 win over the Remparts to earn home-ice advantage in the series. On the season, Chicoutimi had a slight, 6-4 edge over Quebec, but in a statistical anomaly, the Sags were 4-0-1 at the Colisee Pepsi in Quebec.

Francis Pare is the Sags’ top offensive weapon, while rookies Nicolas Deschamps and Jacob Lagace have been pleasant surprises for Richard Martel’s club. Bobby Nadeau was the top goalie in terms of goals allowed this season in the QMJHL.

On the other end, Quebec is fairly balanced, with five players earning 60 or more points this season. Kevin Desfosses figures to carry the load in net for Patrick Roy’s club.