(LHJAAAQ) HOCKEY-STUDY PROGRAM – A WINNING GOAL

« Hockey-Study Program – A WINNING GOAL »

The QJAAAHL will support again its 300 odd players at the academic level. The Morency league along with its sponsors, will continue to offer at the end of the season $ 20,000 in scholarships distributed among the players who will have most highly performed on the ice as well as in their studies.

Among the numerous awards given to the players, note the 1 000$ RBC Financial Group Scholarship which is given annually to the player who most combined sport and studies effectively while also representing the QJAAAHL for the 5 000$ national RBC Junior A Scholarship.

We must also acknowledge the participation of Napa Auto Parts which vies annually to the QJAAAHL Hockey Player of the Year a 1 000$ grant.

For the fourth consecutive year, the student-players will remain under the supervision of the League’s Academic Vice President, Mr. Sylvain Laflamme, who will work closely with each team’s academic advisors in order to provide the players with all the necessary tools to perform both at school and on the ice.

« Number of teams – 2009-2010 season »

For the 2009-2010 season, the QJAAAHL will be comprised of fourteen (14) teams, one less that last season due to the withdrawal of the Saint-Félicien-Dolbeau-Mistassini concession. Among other changes, we must mention the removal of the Sainte-Thérèse concession in Laval, a team which will henceforth bear the name of Le Rousseau Sport Junior AAA de Laval and will play all its home games at the Colisée de Laval. In Joliette, L’Áction became The Traffic Tech and now displays a new logo with blue and gray as its new colors.

« 2009-2010 Official Calendar »

For the 2009-2010 regular season schedule, each team will play a total of fifty one (51) games, two more that last season. The 2009 Napa Cup finalists will highlight the beginning of the regular season schedule, as the 2009 Napa Cup Champions, le Collège Champlain de Sherbrooke will host Le Titan de Princeveille on Friday September 4th at the Centre Récréatif Eugène Lalonde at 7:30 p.m. This game will also mark the beginning of the 2009 “Challenge”.

To underline the official opening of the 2009-2010 calendar, the QJAAAHL will hold its fifth annual « Challenge» which will take place, for the second consecutive year, at the Centre Récréatif Eugène Lalonde in Sherbrooke from September 4th through September 6th. The fans will have the opportunity to see the League’s fourteen (14) clubs at work while all games played during the week-end will count towards the regular season standing therefore making the level of competition even more exciting.

Regarding the three (3) annual meetings against the Quebec best 17 years old players who were normally taking place in different league cities, this year, there will be only one game who will be held on December 21st, whose city remains to be determined. The Sherbrooke Coaching staff, under the direction of Head Coach Judes Vallée, will lead the QHAAAHL’s best 17 and 18 years old players against the Quebec best 17 years old players.

« Division change »

For the second consecutive season, the fourteen (14) teams will be divided into three (3) Divisions among Guilbault, SWD and Sher-Wood Divisions. The Guilbault Division will be the only one with only four (4) clubs while the ten (10) other clubs will be split equally among the SWD and Sher-Wood Divisions.

Division Guilbault

Granby

Princeville

Sherbrooke

Thetford-Mines


Division SWD

Joliette

Laval

Saint-Jérôme

Sainte-Agathe

Terrebonne


Division Sher-Wood

Kahnawake

Lachine

Longueuil

Valleyfield

Vaudreuil-Dorion


« New playoff format »

Among the changes made during the off season, it should be noted that a new playoff format was adopted. At the end of the 2009-2010 regular season schedule, eight (8) of the fourteen (14) teams will qualify for the Napa Cup Championship. The three (3) teams leading their respective division will automatically participate in the playoffs and will retain their ranking throughout the series. The overall standings will determine the positions 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8. It should be noted that at the end of each round, the standings will need to be adjusted.

The new format will be divided in only three (3) series, the quarterfinals, the semi finals and the final, starting March 7 to end at the latest April 18, 2010.

« New Vice President of Hockey »

The QJAAAHL is very pleased to welcome into its ranks as Vice President Hockey, Mr. Michel Émard. Mr. Émard has been involved in the world of minor hockey for over 30 years and there is no doubt that his knowledge and experience gained over all these years will be an important asset in his new role as Vice President Hockey for the QJAAAHL.

Over the past two years, Mr. Émard held the position of President with the “Ligue de hockey de développement du Montréal-Métropolitain” which includes 53 teams of AA level and espoir. Mr. Émard was also a member of Hockey Quebec committee of excellence as well as a Member of the Provincial committee for Hockey Quebec’s “Midget espoir” network.

«New faces and changes on team’s hockey personnel »

A few teams have brought changes at the level of their hockey personnel: In Joliette, Steve Hartley is the new Head Coach of the Traffic Tech, succeeding to Marc Lamontagne while in Saint-Jérôme, Gianni Cantini will make his debut behind the Panthères’ bench. In Thetford-Mines, Alain Rajotte is the new Director of Operations and Louis-Philippe Létourneau has been appointed as Head Coach and will be assisted by Maxime Provencher and Éric Gagné

In Valleyfield, Stéphane Scotto who returned behind the bench last November 21st, will carry again this season the double duties of General Manager and Head Coach. For the coming season, Scotto will be able to count on two assistants with a lot of experience in Claude Lapointe who spent 16 years with various NHL teams and Pascal Chiasson who played four years in the QJMHL as defenseman. In Vaudreuil-Dorion, André Ayotte will also be very busy as President and General Manager of the team while Louis Neveu, who joined the Mustangs last season, will be back behind the bench as Head coach.

« Statistics»

For the third consecutive season, the QJAAAHL will pursue its association with the ScoreKeeper firm. The ScoreKeeper program is making the work much easier in the compilation of all statistics and game reports.

« World Junior A Challenge »

The fourth World Junior A Challenge will take place this year in Summerside, Ontario from November 1st through November 8th. Granby’s Head Coach, Patrice Bosch will assume the duty of Assistant Coach with the Eastern Canadian team.

We must also note the excellent work done by coaching staff personnel, Patrice Bosch, Jean-François Sénéchal and Robert Dubuc, who during the summer, have joined efforts in the process of selecting players who represented the QJAAAHL at the Hockey Canada Evaluation Camp who took place in Renfrew, Ontario last August 15th. The main goal of this camp was to select the players who will be part of Team Canada East at the 2009 World Junior A Challenge.

During this camp, the QJAAAHL’s team did very well by winning in both games they played with victories of 6-1 victory over the Junior A Northern Ontario League (NOJHL) representatives and 4-3 against the Junior A Central Hockey League (CJHL).

« Challenge Midget AA »

For the 2009 Midget AA Challenge involving 12 Midget AA teams from the Montreal Metropolitan Development Hockey League (MMDHL) and the Lac St-Louis League, Richard Morency, President of the QJAAAHL, will assume the honorary presidency of this Challenge which is an excellent showcase for the Midget AA hockey players.

This event will be held at the Laval West Arena on October 24th.

« Sponsors »

The QJAAAHL is glad to count on the support of precious sponsors. Note the participation of our major sponsors, with the presence of RBC Financial Group which will pursue its association with the QJAAAHL for the eleventh (11th) season as well as Napa Auto Parts and Coca Cola.

For the 2009-2010 season, the QJAAAHL is glad to also count on the support of Sher-Wood Hockey and the restaurants La Cage aux Sports and Resto le Four, all of which have been associated with the League for several years already.

«It is therefore a highly exciting 22nd hockey season which begins for the QJAAAHL and we hope the expectations of all supporters will be fulfilled», concluded the president of the QJAAAHL, Richard Morency.

Information from: http://www.lhjaaaq.qc.ca/index_en.html