LEWISTON – Last year, the Lewiston Maineiacs made a splash the day before the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s annual midget draft, trading away the eventual captain of the Quebec Remparts for a pair of first-round picks.

Now, rumors exist that would have the team trading one of the players they selected with one of those picks this year.

It appears that the Maineiacs’ longstanding tradition of holding onto players and making few – if any – trades, has been temporarily replaced by a more conventional theory of building the best team possible the best way possible, even if that includes moving players who have only been with the team for a short time.

“There will be activity,” Maineiacs’ coach Don MacAdam said. “You cane be sure of that much.”

MacAdam took over the reins as head coach in January, and has since been elevated to the status of the team president and head coach. He did not go into any more details about any potential pending trades.

Roger Shannon, the Maineiacs’ head scout each of the last two seasons, has taken on the duties of general manager, too. Both MacAdam and Shannon are looking closely at the talent pool for the upcoming QMJHL midget draft. At No. 3, this will be the highest pick the Maineiacs have had in the draft since selecting Alex Bourret at No. 1 overall back in 2002, when they were still the Sherbrooke Castors.

“We’re going to take the best player available,” MacAdam said. “Honestly, there’s less pressure, because you only have to worry about two teams picking ahead of you, so you sit there, have your list of players ranked, and you can almost bet that you’ll get the guy you want.”

The QMJHL Central Scouting Service released late last week its final rankings before the draft, putting in order the 15-year-old players it feels will be the best QMJHL players over the next four or five years.

Olivier Archambault was tabbed as the top prospect available. Listed at 5-feet, 9-inches and 157 pounds, the smallish speedster is a centerman with a left-handed shot. Philippe Hudon is listed at No. 2, and carries 178 pounds on his 6-foot frame.

Listed third is Raphael Bussieres, a 5-foot, 11-inch winger, weighing in at 162 pounds. Bussiere’s birthday is late in the year, meaning if selected, he would begin the season playing at 15 years old.

Even if he were to slide to No. 3, Archambault is likely not going to be on the Lewiston radar.

“There are things we’ve identified we want all of our players coming in, either by draft or by trade, to have,” MacAdam said. “We need to upgrade on our team’s size, strength and skill level.”

There also exists the scenario, of course, that the Maineiacs may go off the charts a bit, like they did last season in selecting Etienne Brodeur late in Round 1, or two years ago selecting Danick Paquette a round or two early.

“Those were two pretty good picks, I would say,” MacAdam said. “But every team’s board is different, so it may look like a reach to some people, but not to others.”

Lewiston this season has every pick of its own, Rounds 1 through 12, plus an extra pick in the fifth, and two extras in the seventh.

“We may have more, and we may have less, depending on what happens with trades,” MacAdam said, “but that’s what we have for now.”

This year’s QMJHL draft is on Saturday, June 6 in Moncton, New Brunswick.