The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) is a major pillar in the breeding grounds of junior hockey. Many of the sport’s best players have gone through the gauntlet of the “Q,” including Brad Marchand who just lifted the Stanley Cup in with the Florida Panthers.

Another player you may have heard of, Sidney Crosby spent two historic seasons with Rimouski Oceanic before being selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins as the first overall pick in the 2005 NHL Draft.

From recent stars like 23-year old New York Rangers winger Alexis Lafreniere to legends of hockey history like five-time Stanley Cup Champion and NHL Hall of Famer Guy Lafleur, one thing has always been true about the Q: it’s where the most elite play before hitting the big leagues.

Read more below about four of the best NHL players that got their start in the QMJHL.

1. Sidney Crosby 

Largely considered one of the best to play in the Q—Sidney Crosby started out his junior career in 2003-04 with the Rimouski Oceanic with the biggest accolades he could: rookie of the year, leading points scorer, and MVP.

His first season resulted in 54 goals and 81 assists with 66 goals and 102 assists in his second season. He helped Rimouski Oceanic set a record with a 28-game streak without a loss.

2. Brad Marchand

Long-time Boston Bruins left winger Brad Marchand got his start in junior hockey with the Moncton Wildcats of the QMJHL. Although he was only selected 24th in the 2004 draft, he scored an impressive 29 goals and was awarded the team’s Rookie of the Year.

His next season, he netted another 29 goals with 37 assists, helping the Wildcats to the President’s Cup and Memorial Cup finals. 

Marchand was drafted 71st overall by the Bruins in the 2006 NHL draft. A few months later, the Wildcats traded him to Val-d’Or, where he spent a season and a half. During their first postseason together, Marchand led the league in the playoffs with 16 goals and 24 assists in 20 games. 

In December the next year, he was traded once again and returned to his hometown team, the Halifax Mooseheads where he helped them all the way to the 2008 QMJHL playoff semifinals.

3. Mario Lemieux

Considered by the QMJHL as the “recordman” and “the Magnificent One” by fans everywhere, Mario Lemieux has done it all. Although he played his first games in the Q more than 40 years ago, Lemieux’s legacy at the junior hockey level continues to live on.

After being drafted at the age of 15, he boldly predicted that he would break the league’s scoring records according to Macleans Magazine. Within four years, he would be the new owner of the top spot on the leaderboards for most points in a single season with 282 and most goals in a single season with 133, overtaking Guy Lafleur.

4. Nathan MacKinnon

Known currently as a dynamic forward for the Colorado Avalanche, Nathan MacKinnon got his start in the QMJHL in 2011 as the first overall pick for Baie-Comeau Drakkar. A little over a month later, his rights were traded to the Halifax Mooseheads for Carl Gelinas, Francis Turbide, the Mooseheads’ first round draft picks in 2012 and 2013 and the Quebec Remparts’ first round pick in 2013.

MacKinnon scored 31 goals with 47 assists in his rookie season, including an impressive five goals in a single game against the Quebec Remparts on December 3, 2011.

He put up another 32 goals and 43 assists in his second season, plus a ten-game points streak during the 2012-2013 playoffs. They were the best Mooseheads team in the history of the franchise resulting in their first and only President’s Cup and Memorial Cup wins.

NHL Players That Got Their Start In The QMJHL

First Overall Draft Picks

Player Name (Draft year, draft team)

Alexis Lafreniere (2020, New York Rangers)Nico Hischier (2017, New Jersey)Nathan MacKinnon (2013, Colorado)Sidney Crosby (2005, Pittsburgh)Marc-Andre Fleury (2003, Pittsburgh)Vincent Lecavalier (1998, Tampa Bay)Alexandre Daigle (1993, Ottawa)Pierre Turgeon (1987, Buffalo)Mario Lemieux (1984, Pittsburgh)Dale Hawerchuk (1981, Winnipeg)Guy Lafleur (1971, Montreal)How To Watch The QMJHL On FloHockey Next Season

The QMJHL will be available on desktop, laptop, tablet and mobile devices at FloHockey.tv, as well as through the FloSports app and connected devices such as Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV and Chromecast. Subscribe to FloHockey today. 

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When you subscribe to FloHockey, you get access not only to more than 20,000 live hockey games every season but also gain access to FloSports’ full suite of 29 live sports and competitions including FloRacing, FloWrestling, FloGrappling, FloTrack, FloCollege and so much more.

Here are just a few of the 40 hockey leagues that FloSports currently streams live and on demand all season:

American Hockey LeagueECHLSPHLAtlantic Hockey America | Men’s And Women’s NCAA Division I HockeyUnited States Hockey LeagueBCHLOntario Junior Hockey LeagueAlberta Junior Hockey LeagueSaskatchewan Junior Hockey LeagueManitoba Junior Hockey LeagueMaritime Junior Hockey LeagueCanadian Sport School Hockey LeagueLigue de Développement du Hockey M18 AAAWhat FloHockey Fans Should Know About The QMJHL

The QMJHL is an 18-team junior hockey league based in the Maritime provinces of Canada and Quebec. It is one of three leagues that is part of the Canadian Hockey League, Canada’s top level of junior hockey. 

Alumni of the QMJHL include Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Brad Marchand, Nikita Kucherov and many, many more stars of the game.

The QMJHL plays a 64-game schedule during the regular season with a full playoffs. The winner of the league’s postseason championship wins the Gilles-Courteau Trophy and competes in the annual Memorial Cup to crown the CHL’s champion.

The Moncton Wildcats, led by top 2025 NHL Draft prospect Caleb Desnoyers, won the Gilles-Courteau Trophy this year before falling in the Memorial Cup semifinals last week. Desnoyers was recently announced as Moncton’s captain for next season, meaning you’ll be able to catch him and the many other rising stars of the QMJHL right here on FloHockey.

What QMJHL Fans Should Know About FloSports

Founded in 2006, FloSports is a global sports media company delivering live and on-demand event coverage, award winning original content, always-on social experiences, and comprehensive sports data solutions to passionate and underserved sports fans. Its portfolio covers more than 25 different sports categories and includes the top destinations for avid fans seeking unmatched coverage for the sports they love: motorsports (FloRacing), hockey (FloHockey), wrestling (FloWrestling), Jiu-Jitsu (FloGrappling), Track & Field (FloTrack and MileSplit), cheer (FloCheer and Varsity), a variety of NCAA sports (FloCollege), and more. Strategic partnerships with NASCAR, USA Wrestling, High Limit Racing, Varsity Spirit, the American Hockey League (AHL), Wanda Diamond League, Tour de France, 14 NCAA Conferences, and others, fuel more than 40,000 live events streamed annually across the globe and accessed via monthly or annual subscriptions. For more information, please visit: flosports.tv.

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