The Rouyn-Noranda Huskies are a Canadian

junior ice hockey Junior ice hockey is amateur-level ice hockey for 16 to 20 year-old players. National Junior teams compete annually for the IIHF World Junior Championship. The United States men's national junior ice hockey team are the defending champions from ...

team in the

Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League The Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL; , LHJMQ), formerly the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). The league includes teams in Quebec ...

based in

Rouyn-Noranda Rouyn-Noranda (; Canada 2021 Census, 2021 population 42,313) is a city on Osisko Lake in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region of Quebec, Canada. The city of Rouyn-Noranda is coextensive with a territory equivalent to a regional county municipalit ...

, Quebec. The team plays its home games at the Aréna Glencore. The Huskies finished first overall in the QMJHL, during the 2007–08, 2015–16 and 2018–19 seasons, winning the Jean Rougeau Trophy. The team has won two President's Cups, and represented the QMJHL at the

2016 Memorial Cup The 2016 Memorial Cup (branded as the 2016 Mastercard Memorial Cup for sponsorship reasons) was a four-team, round-robin format tournament that took place at the ENMAX Centrium in Red Deer, from May 20–29, 2016. It was the 98th Memorial Cu ...

, and as the 2019 Memorial Cup winners.

History

The Rouyn-Noranda franchise started out as the

Montreal Junior Canadiens The Montreal Junior Canadiens were a junior ice hockey team in the Quebec Junior Hockey League from 1933 to 1961, and the Ontario Hockey Association from 1961 to 1972. They played out of the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. History Th ...

. While in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

, the team won three

Memorial Cup The Memorial Cup () is the national championship of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), a consortium of three Junior ice hockey, major junior ice hockey leagues operating in Canada and parts of the United States. It is a four-team round-robin tou ...

s in 1950, 1969 and 1970. The team has since played in

Verdun Verdun ( , ; ; ; official name before 1970: Verdun-sur-Meuse) is a city in the Meuse (department), Meuse departments of France, department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department. In 843, the Treaty of V ...

and

Saint-Hyacinthe Saint-Hyacinthe ( , ) is a city in southwestern Quebec east of Montreal on the Yamaska River. The population as of the 2021 Canadian census was 57,239. The city is located in Les Maskoutains Regional County Municipality of the Montérégie regi ...

. On April 25, 1996, Sylvain Danis and Dave Morin, then owners of the

Saint-Hyacinthe Laser The Saint-Hyacinthe Laser were a junior ice hockey team in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League from 1989 to 1996. They played their home games at Stade L.P. Gaucher in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada. History The Saint-Hyacinthe Laser were born ...

, decided to transfer the team to Rouyn-Noranda. Aware that the ''"National Capital of

Copper Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...

"'' is a city which breathes hockey, they were confident that it was the best decision for the franchise. Former NHL Hall of Famers from the area include

Dave Keon David Michael Keon (born March 22, 1940) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre. He played professionally from 1960 to 1982, including his first 15 seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs where he won the Calder Memorial Trophy and four ...

and

Jacques Laperrière Joseph Jacques Hughes Laperrière (born November 22, 1941) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former player. Laperrière played for the Montreal Canadiens in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1962 until 1974, winning six Stanley C ...

. The Huskies name was chosen to represent the tough and determined nature of the local citizens and

mining Mining is the Resource extraction, extraction of valuable geological materials and minerals from the surface of the Earth. Mining is required to obtain most materials that cannot be grown through agriculture, agricultural processes, or feasib ...

community. The team is currently owned entirely by local interests and all the decisions of the sixteen

shareholders A shareholder (in the United States often referred to as stockholder) of corporate stock refers to an individual or legal entity (such as another corporation, a body politic, a trust or partnership) that is registered by the corporation as the ...

are made in the interest of the team and the city which it represents. Since 1996, the Huskies have won five regular season division titles, in 1998, 2005, 2008, 2010 and 2016. Rouyn-Noranda finished first overall in the QMJHL in 2007–08 winning its first Jean Rougeau Trophy, posting 97 points in the regular season. The 2015-16 season marked the team's 20th anniversary and they posted their best record in franchise history finishing first in the QMJHL with a franchise record 113 points. The team won its first President's Cup since relocating to Rouyn-Noranda in 2016. The team won its second President's Cup in the 2018-19 season, and went on to win the 2019 Memorial Cup.

Mario Pouliot Mario Pouliot (born September 30, 1963) is a Canadian Coach (ice hockey), ice hockey coach who is the head coach of the Oshawa Generals. He began coaching in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) as an assistant coach with the Saint-Hya ...

retired from his positions for health reasons on May 25, 2021. In three seasons with the Huskies, he led the team to 113 victories combined in the regular seasons and playoffs.

Coaches

Charles Thiffault Charles Thiffault (January 2, 1938 – May 18, 2025) was a Canadian assistant coach in the National Hockey League (NHL). He spent 15 years as an assistant coach with the Montreal Canadiens, Quebec Nordiques, and New York Rangers. Biography Thif ...

(1996–1997) *

Jean Pronovost Jean Joseph Denis Pronovost (born December 18, 1945) is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey right winger who played in the National Hockey League for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Atlanta Flames and Washington Capitals. Biography Jean Pron ...

(1997–2001) *

Bob Mongrain Robert Julien Mongrain (born August 31, 1959) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre. He played in the National Hockey League with the Buffalo Sabres and Los Angeles Kings between 1979 and 1986. The rest of his career, which lasted f ...

(2001–2003) *

André Tourigny André Tourigny (born May 31, 1974) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach who is the head coach for the Utah Mammoth of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously served as head coach of the Arizona Coyotes and an assistant coach for t ...

(2003–2013) *

Gilles Bouchard Gilles Bouchard (born February 28, 1971) is a Canadian ice hockey coach with the Sherbrooke Phoenix in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) He previously coached the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies in the QMJHL for five seasons. He also served ...

(2013–2018) *

(2018–2021) * Brad Yetman (2021–2023) * Martin Dagenais (2023–2024) * Steve Hartley (2024–present)

Awards

George Parsons Trophy
(Most Sportsmanlike at the Memorial Cup) *''2015-16'' Francis Perron

Jean Béliveau Trophy The Jean Béliveau Trophy is awarded to the top regular season scorer of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). The award is named after Quebec native Jean Béliveau, a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame The Hockey Hall of Fame () is ...

(Top Scorer) *''1998–99'' Mike Ribeiro *''2018–19'' Peter Abbandonato *''2023–24'' Antonin Verreault

RDS Cup The Sidney Crosby Trophy is awarded annually by the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) to the overall Rookie of the Year. The Cup was known as the Molson Cup from 1991 to 1994, and the New Face Cup from 1994 to 1996. From 1996 to 2025 th ...

(Rookie of the year) *''1997–98'' Mike Ribeiro

Michel Bergeron Trophy The Michel Bergeron Trophy is awarded annually to the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League The Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL; , LHJMQ), formerly the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League is one of the three major junior ice hockey l ...

(Offensive Rookie of the Year) *''1997–98'' Mike Ribeiro Paul Dumont Trophy
(Personality of the year) *''1997–98'' Mike Ribeiro Telus Cup – Offensive
(Offensive player of the year) *''1997–98'' Pierre Dagenais *''1998–99'' James Desmarais

Telus Cup – Defensive The Telus Cup – Defensive is awarded annually to the person voted the best defensive player in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. It was known as the Shell Cup from 1989–90 to 1993–94, and as the Ford Cup from 1994–95 to 1996–97. Winn ...

(Defensive player of the year) *''2000–01''

Maxime Ouellet Maxime Ouellet (born June 17, 1981) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Philadelphia Flyers, Washington Capitals and Vancouver Canucks from 2000 to 2006. He also played se ...

Marcel Robert Trophy
(Scholastic player of the year) *''2002–03'' Éric L'Italien

Players

NHL alumni

Sven Andrighetto Sven Andrighetto (born 21 March 1993) is a Swiss professional ice hockey winger for the ZSC Lions of the National League (NL). He was selected in the third-round, 86th overall, by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2013 NHL entry draft. Andrighett ...

* Jean-Christophe Beaudin * Alexandre Bolduc * Marc-André Bourdon * Mathieu Carle * Jordan Caron * Sébastien Centomo * Patrice Cormier * Philippe Cornet * Pierre Dagenais * Jean-Sébastien Dea * Guillaume Desbiens * Nicolas Deslauriers *

Noah Dobson Noah Dobson (born January 7, 2000) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected 12th overall by the Islanders in the 2018 NHL entry draft. Playing career Dobson ...

* William Dufour * Pascal Dupuis *

Philippe Dupuis Philippe Dupuis (; born April 24, 1985) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Colorado Avalanche and the Toronto Maple Leafs. Playing career Dupuis was drafted 104th overall ...

* Alexandre Fortin * Alexandre Giroux * A.J. Greer * Rafaël Harvey-Pinard *

Nikita Kucherov Nikita Igorevich Kucherov (; born 17 June 1993) is a Russian professional ice hockey right winger and alternate captain for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL). Regarded as one of the best players in the world, Kucherov ...

Jakub Lauko Jakub Lauko (born 28 March 2000) is a Czech ice hockey center for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Bruins selected him in the third round (77th overall) of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. Lauko has also played for the Minnes ...

Jérémy Lauzon Jérémy Lauzon (born April 28, 1997) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League (NHL). Lauzon was drafted by the Boston Bruins in the second round (52nd overall) in the 2015 NHL en ...

* Guillaume Lefebvre * Maxime Macenauer *

Olivier Magnan Olivier Magnan-Grenier (born May 1, 1986) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the New Jersey Devils. Playing career Magnan was born in Sherbrooke, Quebec. As a youth, he pla ...

* Timo Meier * Philippe Myers *

Liam O'Brien Liam Christopher O'Brien (born May 28, 1976) is an American voice actor, writer, and director. He is a regular cast member of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' actual play series '' Critical Role,'' playing Vax'ildan ("Vax"), Caleb Widogast, and Orym. ...

* Mike Ribeiro *

Rémi Royer Rémi Royer (born February 12, 1978) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. He played 18 games in the National Hockey League with the Chicago Blackhawks during the 1998–99 season. The rest of his career, which lasted from 1996 ...

* Maxime Talbot * Joël Teasdale * Ivan Vishnevskiy

Yearly results

Regular season

Legend: OTL = Overtime loss, SL = Shootout loss

Playoffs

Memorial Cup

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

Finished round-robin portion in 3rd place with 1–2 record.
Defeated

Red Deer Rebels The Red Deer Rebels are a Canadian major junior ice hockey team based in Red Deer, Alberta. The Rebels are members of the Western Hockey League and play home games at the Marchant Crane Centrium. The Rebels won the President's Cup and the Mem ...

3–1 in semifinal.
Lost to

London Knights The London Knights are a junior ice hockey team from London, Ontario, Canada, playing in the Ontario Hockey League, one of the leagues of the Canadian Hockey League. The Knights started out in 1965 as the London Nationals but changed to their ...

3–2 in final. Finished 2nd place in Memorial Cup.

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

Finished round-robin portion in 3rd place with 2–1 record.
Defeated

Guelph Storm The Guelph Storm are a major junior ice hockey team based in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. They have played in the OHL since the 1991–92 season. The team plays home games at the Sleeman Centre. History The franchise started as the Toronto Marl ...

6–4 in semifinal.
Defeated

Halifax Mooseheads The Halifax Mooseheads are a Canadian junior ice hockey team in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The team was founded in 1994 and began play in the Dilio Division of the QMJHL for the 1994–95 ...

4–2 in final. Won Memorial Cup.

References

External links

Huskies official website
{{Authority control Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League teams Ice hockey teams in Quebec Sport in Rouyn-Noranda Ice hockey clubs established in 1996 1996 establishments in Quebec