What Is the QMJHL?
The QMJHL is often the least familiar of the three Canadian Hockey League paths for American families. Its teams are concentrated in Quebec and Atlantic Canada. Its American recruiting presence is strongest in the northeastern United States.
American players are still selected in the QMJHL Draft each year. Since August 2025, playing in the league also no longer automatically ends a player’s NCAA Division I eligibility.
That change has made the QMJHL a more realistic option for American players who want to pursue Major Junior hockey without immediately closing the door on Division I.
What Is the QMJHL?
QMJHL stands for the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. It is one of the three leagues that make up the Canadian Hockey League, alongside the OHL in Ontario and the WHL in Western Canada.
Until December 14, 2023, it was known as the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The league changed its name to recognize the importance of its six Maritime based teams while keeping the QMJHL acronym.
In French, the league is called the Ligue de hockey junior Maritimes Québec or LHJMQ.
For a broader explanation of how Major Junior compares with Junior A and Junior B, read Canadian Junior Hockey Leagues Explained.
How Many Teams Are in the QMJHL?
There are 18 teams in the 2026–27 season. Twelve are located in Quebec and six in Atlantic Canada.
Region | Teams |
Atlantic Canada | Cape Breton Eagles, Charlottetown Islanders, Halifax Mooseheads, Moncton Wildcats, Newfoundland Regiment, Saint John Sea Dogs |
Eastern Quebec | Baie-Comeau Drakkar, Chicoutimi Saguenéens, Québec Remparts, Rimouski Océanic |
Central Quebec | Drummondville Voltigeurs, Shawinigan Cataractes, Sherbrooke Phœnix, Victoriaville Tigres |
Western Quebec | Blainville-Boisbriand Armada, Gatineau Olympiques, Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, Val-d’Or Foreurs |
These are geographic groupings rather than the league’s official conference alignment.
The Newfoundland Regiment began playing in St. John’s during the 2025–26 season after the Acadie-Bathurst Titan were sold and relocated from New Brunswick. The move did not increase the league beyond 18 teams; it transferred an existing franchise to a new market.
Unlike the OHL and WHL, the QMJHL does not currently have a team based in the United States.
The QMJHL Season
Each team plays 64 regular season games, four fewer than teams in the OHL and WHL. The 2026–27 regular season began September 18, 2026, and ends March 20, 2027.
The playoffs are expected to begin the following week and continue into May.
The season also includes eight interleague games between QMJHL and OHL teams. These are eight games across the league, not eight additional games for every team.
Four QMJHL clubs are participating in home and home series:
Gatineau Olympiques vs. Ottawa 67’s
Rouyn-Noranda Huskies vs. Sudbury Wolves
Val-d’Or Foreurs vs. North Bay Battalion
Blainville-Boisbriand Armada vs. Kingston Frontenacs
The games run from November 1, 2026, through February 21, 2027.
The QMJHL playoff champion earns a place in the Memorial Cup, where it competes against the OHL champion, WHL champion and host team. The Guelph Storm will host the 2027 Memorial Cup from May 21 through May 30 in Guelph, Ontario.
How Old Are QMJHL Players?
QMJHL players are normally between 16 and 20 years old. Players are drafted during the calendar year in which they turn 16, although some are still 15 on draft day because of their birthdate.
A player can remain in the league through his 20 year old season. Teams may carry a maximum of three 20 year olds, commonly called "overagers". Because those positions are limited, older players must still compete for one of the available roster spots.
A 15 year old can enter the league early only after receiving exceptional-player status through Hockey Canada. The process considers hockey ability as well as the player’s academic, physical and emotional readiness. It is intended for rare cases in which playing Major Junior is judged to be better for the player’s development than remaining at his normal age level.
Joseph Veleno became the first QMJHL player granted exceptional status when he entered the league in 2015.
The QMJHL Draft
The QMJHL Draft is normally held in early June. In 2026, it took place June 5 and 6 at the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax. The first round was held Friday night, followed by rounds two through 12 on Saturday.
Teams selected 216 players, most of whom were born in 2010.
American players are drafted too. QMJHL Central Scouting evaluates American prospects separately from players in Quebec and Atlantic Canada. In 2026, six American players received an “A” rating, identifying them as potential first or second round selections.
The first overall pick was Thomas Boisvert, selected by the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. Boisvert was born in Trois-Rivières, Quebec, but played the previous season at Mount St. Charles Academy in Rhode Island. His selection also shows that the player’s current team does not necessarily determine which regional prospect group he belongs to.
Notable QMJHL Draft Picks
The QMJHL Draft has produced some of the most successful players in NHL history:
Sidney Crosby was selected first overall by the Rimouski Océanic in 2003. He dominated the QMJHL for two seasons before Pittsburgh selected him first overall in the 2005 NHL Draft. He went on to become a three time Stanley Cup champion and one of the defining players of his generation.
Nathan MacKinnon was selected first overall by Baie-Comeau in 2011. His rights were traded to Halifax, where he helped the Mooseheads win the 2013 QMJHL championship and Memorial Cup. Colorado then selected him first overall in the NHL Draft and he developed into a Stanley Cup champion and NHL MVP.
Patrice Bergeron was not an early QMJHL selection. Acadie-Bathurst chose him 80th overall in the fifth round in 2001. He later became a Stanley Cup champion, longtime Boston captain and record six time winner of the Selke Trophy as the NHL’s best defensive forward.
Brad Marchand was selected 24th overall by Moncton in the second round of the 2004 QMJHL Draft. He developed over four QMJHL seasons before becoming a Stanley Cup champion and longtime NHL captain.
These examples show both sides of the draft. Crosby and MacKinnon were identified immediately as elite prospects. Bergeron and Marchand developed into major NHL players after being selected later.
Being drafted early confirms how a player is viewed at 15 or 16. It does not guarantee an NHL career, just as being selected later does not establish a player’s ceiling.
Being drafted also gives an organization a player’s league rights; it does not guarantee that he will sign or immediately earn a roster position.
American families comparing the two selection systems can also read how the USHL Draft works.
Do QMJHL Players Get Paid?
QMJHL players do not receive a professional salary. They receive hockey, housing, education and player development support, but they are not paid wages like AHL or NHL players.
Education While Playing
Each team is responsible for helping its players continue their education. That includes organizing schooling, monitoring academic progress, maintaining player records and reimbursing qualifying education expenses.
The league’s most recently published education policy also included a weekly education incentive scholarship for players actively attending school:
Players ages 16 through 19 received $60 per week.
Twenty-year-old players received $150 per week.
Those payments were tied to school attendance and academic requirements. They were scholarships rather than compensation for playing hockey. Because the published amounts can change from season to season, families should confirm the current policy with the league and team.
The QMJHL Scholarship Program
Former players can apply for financial assistance through the QMJHL Foundation Scholarship Program to continue their education after leaving the league.
The application must be submitted before the end of the first semester of the academic program for which the player is requesting assistance. Applications submitted after that deadline cannot be funded retroactively.
Players must also satisfy the program’s academic and eligibility requirements.
During the 2024–25 academic year, the QMJHL awarded $1,500,625 to 268 former players. Of those recipients, 250 attended university, with the others enrolled in college, CEGEP or vocational programs.
Are Players Ever Paid Under the Table?
There have been rumors for years that some Major Junior teams provide recruits with additional money, housing assistance, gifts, jobs for family members or other benefits that are not included in the standard player agreement.
The QMJHL has faced those allegations too. In 2012, one team owner publicly accused several wealthier organizations of using their financial resources to attract high profile American, European and free-agent players. The organizations named in those accusations disputed or dismissed the claims, and the allegations were not established as fact.
League regulations prohibit teams from hiding or misrepresenting financial benefits provided to players. Possible penalties include substantial fines, the loss of draft picks, and the loss of points in the standings.
There have also been lawsuits arguing that Major Junior players should be considered employees and receive minimum wage. That is a separate issue. Those cases concern whether the league’s official compensation model complies with employment law, not whether individual teams secretly pay recruits.
Families should therefore separate rumor from verified information.
This is particularly important for players considering NCAA hockey. Division I rules allow former CHL players to retain eligibility only if their compensation remains within the NCAA’s permitted limits. An undisclosed payment or benefit could create an amateurism issue later, regardless of what a team representative says informally.
The NCAA Rule Change
On November 7, 2024, the NCAA Division I Council voted to allow former CHL players to retain Division I eligibility. The change took effect August 1, 2025, and applies to players from the QMJHL, OHL and WHL.
A player may compete in Major Junior before enrolling in college without automatically losing Division I eligibility, provided he does not receive compensation exceeding his actual and necessary participation expenses.
Before this change, the NCAA classified Major Junior teams as professional.
Division III Eligibility
Division III has also changed its treatment of Major Junior participation.
Under legislation adopted for the 2026 NCAA Convention, players enrolling in Division III on or after August 1, 2025, are no longer automatically charged a season of eligibility or required to sit for an academic year simply because they played in the CHL.
For players comparing Major Junior with the primary American junior routes, read USHL vs. NAHL: How the Two Leagues Differ.
QMJHL vs. OHL vs. WHL
The QMJHL, OHL and WHL have the same Major Junior classification. All three operate under the Canadian Hockey League and each league champion advances to the Memorial Cup.
That does not mean the leagues are identical. Their geography, schedules, recruiting territories, languages and playing environments differ.
Schedule. QMJHL teams play 64 regular season games. OHL and WHL teams each play 68.
Language and culture. Twelve of the QMJHL’s 18 teams are in Quebec, where French is the primary language in many communities. The six Atlantic Canadian markets operate primarily in English. Many QMJHL coaches and staff members are bilingual, but the daily experience varies by team and city.
School and daily life. Teams arrange academic support, but an English-speaking player considering a Quebec-based team should ask where he will attend school, what language his classes will use, how billet communication works, and how much English is used within the organization.
In the 2026 NHL Draft, 106 CHL developed players were selected. The OHL led with 47, followed by the WHL with 39 and the QMJHL with 20.
Those numbers show the relative size of each league’s NHL Draft output in one year. They do not establish that one league is automatically the best development environment for every player. The better comparison is between the specific teams, coaches, projected roles and support systems being offered.
For a wider view of how AAA, junior hockey, college, and professional hockey connect, see the complete hockey development pathway
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