2023 Canada Games: Team New Brunswick Preview

Team New Brunswick will try to improve on their performance from 2019 when they finished 8th out of 13 teams at the Canada Games. 

During the QMJHL Cup earlier this year, Team NB had a perfect record during the round robin but eventually lost in the finals against Team Nova Scotia. 

Team New Brunswick is heading into the 2023 Canada Games with a potentially very deadly offensive roster. Top prospects Zachary Wheeler and Liam Kilfoil should be the main drivers of the offense as the top 2 centers on the team, and they should be supported by big power forward Zachary Rushton, skilled playmaker Sam Allaby and dynamic winger Landon Paul to generate consistent offense. Forwards Zachary Boudreau, Liam Daigle, Nathan Weber, Zackarie Michaud and Alex Thibault should provide a two-way presence with a blend of size and hockey sense while Jackson Shaddick should be able to bring a lot of speed, pace and energy to the lineup. 

The defensive core should also allow the forwards to shine, as they will be led by two smooth skating puck movers in Noah Collette and Will Reynolds who both like to jump in the play and support the offense. Team New Brunswick’s defensive group is very small, but it is a very mobile group that brings different things to the table. Two-way defenders Connor Sturgeon, Jameson George and Benjamin Damphousse could be used in many different situations while Luc Morais and Ryan Adams could play a more prominent role on the defensive side given their grit.

Goaltenders Samuel Quimper and Simon Cormier will likely both have a chance to challenge for the starting goaltender spot during the tournament.