The league finals are underway for all three CHL leagues and the drama it gives us as fans could not be any better, especially in the QMJHL finals. This weekend, the Moncton Wildcats and Chicoutimi Sagueneens split the first two games of the series at the Avenir Centre in Moncton.
Game one Friday night was the Caleb Desnoyers show thanks to his goal plus two assists, but it was Gabe Smith who extended his hold on the league’s playoff scoring lead with an impressive 16 goals. A far cry from the six he put up on Moncton’s title run last season.
Chicoutimi responded in game two with a complete effort in a 3-2 win, where they had three different goal scorers, and no one with more than a single point. But a factor no more important than the stellar play of Lucas Beckman who made 23 stops on 25 shots on goal, and an assist!
We are down to the final three to five games which will decide who gets to represent the Q at the Memorial Cup in Kelowna, and as the series shifts back to Chicoutimi, we’ll take a look at each team’s front runner for the Guy Lafleur Trophy as the league’s playoff MVP.
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Gabe Smith, C, Moncton Wildcats
Smith has emerged in the front row of consideration for the playoff MVP as the league’s leading scorer in the postseason. His 16 goals are double the next closest skater still in contention while scoring the first goal three times, and contributing heavily on the powerplay. Smith was the 103rd overall pick in the fourth round in the 2024 NHL Draft (Utah Mammoth) and doubled his point production in the regular season from his previous career high of 39 points.
Smith impacts the game in many ways. From his violent and physical presence to his willingness to provide a screen, he is a tough player to play against and has an NHL-ready frame at 6-4 and 225lbs. He is also agile when considering his size, his sleight of hand creates opportunities for him to steal pucks or take a quick but heavy shot from distance to fool the netminder.
Given his offensive numbers in the postseason, Smith should be on the shortlist for the MVP conversation, and he has forced his way to the front of that conversation.
He also has a knack for the occasional eye-popper:
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Lucas Beckman, G, Chicoutimi Sagueneens
Beckman may be the antidote to the chaos style the Wildcats impose with Gabe Smith. His calmness gives his teammates confidence to trust him when they need to. He is calm under pressure and rarely over-commits when spread across his crease. He is able to showcase his athleticism, but does not over utilize it like other undersized goalies must to stay effective.
Beckman’s 0.930 save percentage and 1.57 goals-against-average put him in a historic conversation with other elite goalies of the past. Mathis Langevin’s 1.57 goals-against-average has been met by Beckman who is just 18 in his draft-plus-one season, while his save percentage is close to top-five of all time when putting him in this context.
Beckman is on the smaller side for goalies (but on the fringe of that consideration) being 6-2. But his strong play in the regular season leading into the postseason was enough to earn him an entry-level contract with the Ottawa Senators. This is the kind of historical run which should put Beckman at the front of the conversation and be considered regardless of the result.
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Junior hockey’s holy grail will once again be up for grabs this month in Kelowna. With three incredible series underway, it will be an absolute battle to reach the end. We could have a new champion in the Q, or we could see the first back-to-back league champion since the late-1990s.
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Thanks for reading this edition of the QMJHL report! There is even more to come shortly.
Sean Crocker