It’s a rare feat for one single player to have a legitimate chance to win two President’s Cup trophies in his life.

Thanks to an off-season trade – to the betterment of both teams, really – former Lewiston Maineiacs defenseman Kevin Marshall has that opportunity this season.

In June, the Maineiacs dealt Marshall to the Quebec Remparts for a host of draft picks, which have helped Lewiston replenish its stable of young players.

Quebec, meanwhile, got a missing piece to what they believe to be a championship puzzle.

“First of all, he brings a lot of depth to our defense,” Quebec GM and coach Patrick Roy said. “Adding him made a big difference for us. Also, adding him, he brings a lot of leadership. He’s our captain, the guys have a lot of respect for him. He plays hard every night.”

“One of the things Patrick Roy thought of when he traded for me,” Marshall said. “He said he needed a guy like me with some character and some experience, that he wanted a guy like me on the team. he said, ‘We need your work on the ice and in the (locker) room.’ I think I can accomplish that, and so far it’s been great.”

Marshall has five goals and eight assists for 13 points in 26 games played this season, and is a plus-7 despite playing most of the time against the opponents’ top lines.

“I think we have a pretty good mix of veterans and younger guys and Kevin, with a few of his teammates, is one of the better leaders on this team,” Roy said.

Point totals and titles aside, Marshall still felt queasy coming back to Maine to face the team that drafted him, and for which he played three seasons.

“I still had a lot of butterflies in my stomach before the game, my legs were heavy,” Marshall said. “It was a big thing for me coming back here. I was pretty nervous. “The fans have always been so great for me. It was weird to have that against me here.”

Marshall continues to stay in touch with many of his former teammates, including fellow first-round QMJHL pick Patrick Cusack and Lewiston captain Danick Paquette.

“When the puck drops, it’s competition,” Marshall said. “The better, stronger guys are going to come out with the puck. But I’ve been through a lot of things with those guys. It’s hard to stay enemies with those guys.”

In his second go-around at the Philadelphia Flyers’ training camp this summer, Marshall earned even more accolades. The Flyers were impressed with his off-season progress, and were happy Marshall would get a chance not only to lead, but to lead in Quebec.

“They were happy about my work, and they were pretty surprised,” Marshall said. “I think I improved a lot over the summer physically, and they told me that I’d improved a lot since last year. They told me they wanted me to come back to juniors, so they see how I’m going to react as the captain on a big team with a big budget and all of those fans at home every night. It’s just getting me closer to my goal.”

And the fact that Marshall had been on the largest stage of junior hockey once before wasn’t lost on Quebec, either. Two seasons ago, as a 17-year-old defenseman, Marshall helped the Maineiacs to a President’s Cup title and a berth in the Memorial Cup tournament in Vancouver.

“He was 17 years old when Lewiston won,” Roy said. “Any player who tastes that, winning the President’s Cup, they want another chance.”

Through Friday’s game in Portland, the Remparts were well on their way to giving Marshall another crack at a title, with 44 points through 29 games played, good for fourth overall in the league.