Moncton Wildcats celebrate successful QMJHL season

It has been one of the most successful seasons in recent memory for the QMJHL’s Moncton Wildcats.

Fans gathered in downtown Moncton on Monday night to welcome the team home after their Memorial Cup run.

Hundreds lined Main Street as the players were paraded from City Hall to their home arena, the Avenir Centre.

The parade was followed by a community celebration, where residents had the chance to meet the players in person.

Gardiner MacDougall, the team’s head coach, said fans were a big part of their successes over the past several months.

“Our fans grew as the year went on. We started the year with a capacity crowd in our home opener, we finished the year with a capacity-plus crowd in our final playoff game here,” said MacDougall.

“Last year at this time, we called the Moncton Wildcats the new era, and you people have certainly been a big part of the new era.”

MacDougall, who took over as head coach just over a year ago, led the team to a first-place finish in the regular season.

The Wildcats also won their first QMJHL title since the 2009-10 season on their way to competing for the national title.

While Moncton fell to the OHL’s London Knights in the Memorial Cup semifinal, there was still plenty for fans to celebrate.

Team owner Robert Irving sang the praises of MacDougall, describing him as a “hell of a coach.”

“He brings passion, he brings the will to compete, and he loves to win,” Irving said to cheers from the crowd.

“We may have fallen short of getting the Memorial Cup, but I tell you, we haven’t lost the focus, the dream to win the Memorial Cup.”

The Wildcats also unveiled Monday night that Caleb Desnoyers will serve as team captain for the upcoming 2025-26 season.

Desnoyers finished fifth in scoring during the regular season with 84 points in 56 games for the Wildcats.

He recorded nine goals and 21 assists during the QMJHL playoffs and received the Guy Lafleur Trophy as the most valuable player of the playoffs.