Avs Prospects, Huskies Have Special Connection

The Rouyn-Noranda Huskies didn’t just beat up on the competition this past year, they steamrolled them en route to a President Cup championship.

Now, the best team in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League will look to win another title as it begins the Memorial Cup tournament this weekend in Red Deer, Alberta, against three other top clubs in the Canadian Hockey League.

“We’re not here as tourists,” said Colorado Avalanche prospect JC Beaudin, a forward for Rouyn-Noranda, about getting to the Memorial Cup. “We want to win. We want to make a great impression. We’re ready.”

The Avalanche organization is well represented on the QMJHL champs with forward prospects Beaudin, AJ Greer and Julien Nantel all playing key roles in squad’s success. Beaudin had a career-high 82 points (33 goals and 49 assists) in 58 games, Nantel picked up 46 points (22 goals and 24 assists) in 52 contests and Greer, who joined the team midseason, had 27 points (16 goals and 11 assists) in 33 outings.

It’s rare that three players drafted from one NHL team is on the same junior club, so it is no surprise that the three Avs prospects get along with each other. However, the entire team shares a special connection.

“We have a big chemistry,” Beaudin said. “Not just the three of us, the whole team is very close. It was a big experience to win the President Cup at home for our fans that have waited 20 years.

“We’re 23 brothers, and we fight for each other. That’s what we saw in the final and all throughout the playoffs.”

Greer, who was the No. 39 overall draft pick by Colorado in 2015, joined Rouyn-Noranda in December after leaving Boston University and was quickly immersed into that strong team bond.

“The guys did such a great job for making my transition so easy, bringing me in, making it feel like home,” Greer said. “We took it one game at a time. We didn’t think about the Memorial Cup or the playoffs and just focused on winning the regular season and taking it one game at a time.”

The team’s attention is now on the Ontario Hockey League champion London Knights, the Western Hockey League champion Brandon Wheat Kings and the host Red Deer Rebels, who are no slouches themselves as the WHL’s second team at the Memorial Cup made it to the league’s Eastern Conference Final before losing to Brandon.

The next three games will be a new experience for the Huskies, as they’ll play three teams that they’ve never seen before in a round robin.

“We looked at their games, but at the same time we just want to play our game,” Beaudin said. “We want to have a mentality that they …

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