LEWISTON — Back into the community.

That’s been the Lewiston Maineiacs’ mantra since the beginning of the season, but after the sweeping changes to the front office in December, followed by a brainstorming session with all of the team’s staffers in January, the new front office team, led currently by Assistant General Manager and Director of Player Development Tim Schurman, is making good on that promise.

The first project on tap for Schurman, head coach J.F. Houle and assistant coach Jeff Guay is creating and implementing the Maineiacs’ Future Stars hockey development program.

“Our mission is to develop the elite hockey player from their beginning to the highest level possible,” Houle said. “We have a great, talented staff with many years of experience, and we are eager to work with kids and provide them with the hockey knowledge.”

“We have a local kid in Eric Bonawitz on our team, you have (Mark) Anthoine playing in the USHL and going to Maine, his younger brother (Connor) committed to Vermont, Jake Rutt committed to Maine and (Brian) Dumoulin at Boston College,” Schurman said. “The players in Maine can play, we see that, and we want to develop more of them, and help them understand that major junior hockey is also an option, a very real option.”

One of the program’s goals, Houle said, is to assemble a pee-wee team to play in the famous International Pee-Wee Tournament in Quebec City.

“We have a spot reserved for a team in that tournament,” Houle said. “All of the junior teams do, and it would be great for the kids, great for the Lewiston-Auburn area, to have a team up there, for exposure for the kids and for the cities.”

The first round of signups for the program have just begun, and the team is looking at beginning its on-ice program at the beginning of April for players born from 1998 to 2003. The Maineiacs Future Stars will attend a three-day tourney in Fredericton, New Brunswick April 30 through May 2, hosted by the organization after which the Future Stars is modeled, the UNB V-Reds Prospect Camp, which has produced some of the top players in the Canadian Hockey League in recent years.

The second big push for the Maineiacs’ Young Stars will be in August, a skills-and-drills session also involving the team’s coaching staff and players.

Out of commission

As many people in the stands Wednesday feared, the news is not good concerning 17-year-old forward Stefan Fournier.

In a collision at center ice in the Maineiacs’ game against Moncton, Fournier left the ice clutching his forearm, helped by trainer Tom Bourdon, who worked to steady his arm as they rushed to the locker room.

At Friday’s game, Fournier was walking around the rink with a cast on his right forearm, wrapped around his wrist and thumb.

“He’s a good power forward for us, he’s a big loss,” Houle said. “Driving the net wide and creating room for (Michael) Chaput and (Matthew) Bissonette on that line, it’s a big loss.”

Official word from the team is that Fournier will miss four to six weeks. That time table would put his return at about March 13, at the early end, which would leave the team one game in the regular season, plus any playoff games. More than likely, though, Fournier is going to cash it in for the season.

“We don’t want to be too quick. We know he has a good future with us,” Houle said.

In Fournier’s stead, the Maineiacs used Michal Hlinka with Chaput and Bissonette on Friday.

“We’ll try that for two or three games, and see how that goes,” Houle said.

Out for a game

Sam Finn ignited the crowd Friday night with a fight against one of Victoriaville’s top players, Tomas Kubalik.

The Quebec Remparts, Lewiston’s opponent Sunday, will be happy to see that. Because Finn has racked up four game misconduct penalties this season, he will have to sit one game — Sunday’s game. Eric Bonawitz, who also fought near the end of the game and also received a game misconduct penalty, will be in the lineup. He has not accumulated enough game misconduct penalties to trigger a one-game suspension.

Also, Mathieu Brisebois, who’s been away from the team for family reasons, is expected back Sunday.

Chilly reunion?

With the Remparts in town, the star power in town always seems to rise. Quebec coach and GM Patrick Roy, one of the top goaltenders in NHL history, will as usual be behind the bench. Bruins legend Ray Bourque, whose son Ryan skates for the Remparts, has already come to Lewiston to drop the first puck at the annual Lion’s Youth Hockey Tournament, and will also be in attendance Sunday.

And then there is Houle’s father, Rejean, who’s dropped in from time to time to watch his son coach. Houle was the general manager of the Montreal Canadiens in 1995, when the team traded Roy to the Colodaro Avalanche under less than favorable terms.

“During the centennial celebration in Montreal (celebrating the team’s 100th season), they had a nice talk,” J.F. Houle said. “They got together and they’re friends now. I know my dad’s excited to come down and see the game.”