Most notably reassigned were defenseman Natan Grenier, the team's first-round pick in this year's 2021 QMJHL Entry Draft, and forward Vince Elie, a 2021 third-rounder who has been lighting up the scoresheet during scrimmages and pre-season games.
The 10 players in total were reassigned on Thursday are below.
Goaltender Olivier Brideau
Goaltender Ventsislav Shingarov
Defenseman Natan Grenier
Defenseman Nicolas Bilodeau
Defenseman Brady Stone (invite)
Forward Vince Elie
Forward Francis Woods
Forward Elliot Simard
Forward Kananga Mangala
Forward Loik Miville (loan)
The goaltending moves come has no surprise. The net will be split by overager Jonathan Lemieux and returnee Noah Patenaude. We could certainly see Brideau and/or Shingarov again this season because of an injury or international play.
On the backend, the biggest move is the reassigning of Grenier. The first-rounder looked good during camp but, in a "go for it" season like this, it probably makes more sense to have a 16-year-old playing big minutes at the under-18 level rather than sitting in the stands in Saint John.
With Grenier out of the picture, the battle for the final spot on the backend will be between Hunter Gartley, Brandon Casey and Benjamin Roode.
Up front, the battle for the final few spots becomes much clearer now with Gavin Watt, Carter McCluskey and Nico Laforge seemingly in the best positions to make the team.
It's worth noting that the majority of the players reassigned are from Quebec, all of whom must meet education deadlines. Also, most played very few - if any - games last season because of COVID restrictions. From a development standpoint, it's probably best all spend more time at the U-18 level rather than playing sparingly in the QMJHL.
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