Telus East

Rimouski Oceanic

Last year: 34-27-5-2

Key players: Jakub Culek (F), Gleason Fournier (D), Jerome Gauthier-Leduc (D), Petr Straka (F), Felix Lefrancois (F)

What to expect: This whole division is going to be a dogfight, and if anyone is going to win when it comes to strategizing, it’s going to be coach Clem Jodoin. The former Maineiacs’ bench boss has a team just about ready to run, and they could opt to do it this year. It’s likely that this will be Straka’s last year in the QMJHL, and the team is a goalie away from being an absolute terror. If the team addresses that need at the trade deadline, and perhaps adds a defenseman, look out.

Quebec Remparts

Last year: 41-20-3-4

Key players: Louis Domingue (G), Mikael Tam (D), Joel Champagne (F), Ryan Bourque (F), Jonathan Audy-Marchessault (F)

What to expect: Patrick Roy’s teams are never to be taken lightly. This team is so stacked with offense it isn’t even fair, and the addition last year of Domingue on the back end was brilliant. But aside from tam, the defense needs some work. Expect that to happen, of course. It’s hard not to see the Remparts finishing with 40-plus wins, and you have to think it will happen again this season.

Lewiston Maineiacs

Last year: 23-42-0-3

Key players: Michael Chaput (F), Sam Carrier (D), Matthew Bissonnette (F), Pierre-Olivier Morin (F), Sam Henley (F), Stefan Fournier (F), Dillon Fournier (D)

What to expect: This is the first of two big rebound years for this team, which has lived in the basement each of the last two seasons. This is a club with the potential to finish among the top six in the league, but a glaring lack of experience on the blue line may hurt, especially early in the season. If the Maineiacs can plug the hole on the blue line and get some solid goaltending, the forwards will definitely produce enough for the team to contend.

Chicoutimi Sagueneens

Last year: 26-33-4-5

Key players: Robin Gusse (G), Eric Gelinas (D), Billy Lacasse (F), Alexis Piette (F), Nicolas Therrien (D), Charles Hudon (F)

What to expect: It really does look like this team wants to try and make a run, but there seems to be something missing. It’s not in net, where Gusse more than proved himself last season, and it’s not in veteran leadership, with Lacasse, Piette and Gelinas, all of whom spent time in Lewiston together. Perhaps the blue line and maybe a bit of scoring punch? Any way you slice it, though, tough time to be trying to go for it in a division this tough.

Victoriaville Tigres

Last year: 46-19-1-2

Key players: Antonio Mastropietro (G), Samuel Groulx (D), Brandon Hynes (F), Phillip-Michael Devos (F), Pierre-Luc Pelletier (D)

What to expect: The Tigres had a good shot at it last year, but trades and players aging out will hurt this club badly this season. Hynes is a true stud, but will likely be moved for future assets at some point this season. Meanwhile, the team is fine in net, but will need to fill holes at D and on the front line if it hopes to even compete in this tough division.

Baie-Comeau Drakkar

Last year: 21-40-4-3

Key players: Jean-Philippe Caron (F), Marc-Olivier Mimar (F), David Bajanik (D), Lukas Cingel (F), Antoine Laperriere (D)

What to expect: Last year one of the teams to miss the playoffs, the Drakkar may be in danger of doing it again. The team is stuck in the toughest of the league’s three divisions, with a handful of games against Rimouski, Lewiston, Chicoutimi and Quebec on the slate, and to top it off, there is very little exciting about this very young roster. It won’t be an easy season to be a fan of the Drakkar.