Published Jun 07, 2025 • 7 minute readOlivier Charron puts on the Cape Breton Eagles jersey for the first time on Friday night after the team selected the 15-year-old with the No. 14 overall pick at the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Entry Draft in Quebec City. CONTRIBUTED/VINCENT ETHIER. VINCENT ETHIERSitting in the stands at Videotron Centre with his family by his side, Olivier Charron hoped to hear his name called in the first round of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Entry Draft in Quebec City on Friday night.With only five picks remaining in the opening round and the 15-year-old still not selected, a trade was announced between the Cape Breton Eagles and Chicoutimi Saguenéens, who were on the clock with the No. 14 overall selection.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentIn that moment, Charron turned and looked to his brother Hugo, who had been picked by the Eagles in the fourth round of the QMJHL Entry Draft last June in Moncton.“He smiled at me when the trade was made,” said Charron. “I think we were both thinking the same thing.”Seconds later, with the Eagles’ hockey operations staff and ownership on the stage, Cape Breton called out Charron’s name, drafting the five-foot-nine, 181-pound forward.“At first, I was excited and stressed at the same time,” said Charron of the Eagles making the selection. “Once I got my jersey on the stage and put it on and completed interviews, I’ve calmed down now and I’m going to enjoy the moment.”Last season, Olivier and Hugo were able to play together with the Châteauguay Grenadiers of the Quebec Under-18 ‘AAA’ Hockey League after Hugo was reassigned to the team after attending his first training camp with the Eagles last August.Article contentIn 41 games, Olivier notched 22 goals and 45 points along with 36 penalty minutes and a –5 rating, finishing third in team scoring in his rookie campaign. He added three goals and six points in six playoff games.“I’m an offensive and defensive player,” said Charron. “I’m a 200-foot player. I have grit like my brother, and I have a great work ethic too. I’m a hard-working guy that I think the fans are going to love. I’m also a guy who likes to give back to the community.”Going into the draft, the Eagles didn’t have a first-round pick. In fact, the club traded their first-round pick in this year’s draft to the Saint John Sea Dogs in an August 2023 deal for forward Cole Burbidge.To get into the first round of the draft, Cape Breton traded their first-round pick in 2026 and a second-round pick in 2027, originally belonging to Quebec, to the Saguenéens.Article content“We paid to get him, we paid a first and second round pick, we thought it was worth it to get that first round pick… we thought it was fair and we’re very happy to have Olivier with us,” said Eagles general manager Sylvain Couturier in an interview with Eastlink Community Television.Charron, who turns 16-years-old in October, believes he will have a good chance to crack the Eagles roster come training camp.“I think I’ll be able to make the team.” said Charron, noting he had the opportunity to speak with current Eagles players Tomas Lavoie, Romain Litalien and Lewis Gendron after being selected.“My brother has been my role model since I was at a young age, he taught me a lot about hockey, so to be able to play with him in the QMJHL next year or the year after, that’s an incredible thought.” Olivier Charron, middle, stands for a photo on stage with members of the Cape Breton Eagles organization after being picked by the Sydney-based team with the No. 14 overall selection at the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Entry Draft on Friday night in Quebec City. CONTRIBUTED/VINCENT ETHIER VINCENT ETHIERMORE PICKS ON DAY 2Overall, Cape Breton selected 15 players including eight forwards, six defencemen and one goaltender in the 12-round draft.Article contentThe Eagles opened the second round on Saturday by selecting defenceman Julien Nadeau of the Collège Notre-Dame Albatros of the Quebec Under-18 ‘AAA’ Hockey League at No. 23 overall. The five-foot-10, 150-pound defenceman was a projected first-round pick and had four goals and 12 points in 29 games.Two selections later, with the No. 25 overall pick, Cape Breton drafted goaltender Sam Berthiaume of the South Kent Selects. The six-foot-three, 180-pound product of Stellarton played 33 games with the under-15 ‘AAA’ program. While his record was not available, he had a 3.73 goals-against-average and a .902 save percentage.Cape Breton was scheduled to pick at No. 26 overall, however the team trade the selection to the Quebec Remparts for a second-round pick, a fourth-round pick and a fifth-round pick, all in 2025.With the pick acquired from Quebec, Cape Breton would take forward Drew Murphy, younger brother of current Eagles defenceman Will Murphy, with the No. 30 overall selection. The six-foot, 185-pound Murphy had 17 goals and 32 points in 36 games with the Kensington Wild of the New Brunswick/Prince Edward Island Under-18 Major Hockey League.Article contentIn the third round, the Eagles nabbed defenceman William Dubé of the Collège Notre-Dame Albatros of the Quebec Under-18 ‘AAA’ Hockey League. A projected second-round pick, the six-foot, 165-pound Dubé had four goals and eight points in 34 games.Cape Breton continued to add to the organization in the fourth round with a pair of picks, selecting defenceman Noah Levy of Kuper Academy at No. 66 overall and Sydney River product Charlie MacLeod of the Sydney Mitsubishi Rush with the No. 70 overall pick.Levy, a six-foot-three blueliner, had two goals and six points in nine games, while MacLeod, a six-foot, 163-pound forward, had 20 goals and 45 points in 37 games with the Membertou-based team. Charlie MacLeod of Sydney River was picked in the fourth-round by the Cape Breton Eagles at the 2025 Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Entry Draft on Saturday. JEREMY FRASER/CAPE BRETON POST. Photo by Jeremy Fraser /Jeremy FraserThe Eagles would make their first American pick in the draft in the fifth-round, adding defenceman Easton Anello with the No. 92 overall selection. The six-foot-two, 166-pound Anello had two goals and 12 points in 27 games with Williston Northampton School in the United States High School Prep league.Article contentCape Breton added another hometown boy in the sixth-round, selecting defenceman Jax Ginnish of Membertou with the No. 102 overall pick. The five-foot-nine, 144-pound Ginnish posted nine goals and 25 points in 37 games with the Halifax McDonalds of the Nova Scotia Under-18 Major Hockey League. He was given the Scott Dee Memorial Trophy as the league’s top rookie defenceman.In the eighth and ninth rounds, the Eagles added forward Evan Lyver and Arnaud Duchesne with the No. 138 and No. 156 overall selections.Lyver, a five-foot-10, 170-pound forward, posted 14 goals and 37 points in 37 games with Halifax of the under-18 major league, while Duchesne, a forward, had two goals and eight points in 42 games with Séminaire St-François Blizzard of the Quebec under-18 ‘AAA’ league.The Eagles would select American Caiden Pellegrino in the 10th round with the No. 174 overall pick. The five-foot-10, 159-pound forward had 13 goals and 38 points in 29 games with the Providence Capitals under-15 ‘AAA’ team.Article contentPellegrino has an offensive flare to his game. In under-13 ‘AAA’, he recorded 59 goals and 101 points in 54 games. He followed that with 69 goals and 177 points in 70 games at the under-14 ‘AAA’ level.Cape Breton made two selections in the 11th round, picking forwards Benjamin Lefebvre and American Owen Burke with the No. 183 and No. 192 overall picks.Lefebvre recorded 14 goals and 22 points in 31 games with Richelieu Gaulois of the Quebec Under-17 ‘AAA’ Hockey League, while Burke notched 11 goals and 24 points in 28 games with Westminster Prep in the United States.With their final selection in the 12th round, No. 209 overall, Cape Breton selected defenceman Kristofer Soja. The five-foot-nine, 172-pound American had four goals and 11 points in 27 games with Noble and Greenough School. Jax Ginnish of Membertou was picked in the sixth-round by the Cape Breton Eagles at the 2025 Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Entry Draft on Saturday. JEREMY FRASER/CAPE BRETON POST Photo by Jeremy Fraser /Jeremy FraserREST OF THE DRAFTMeanwhile, other news from the draft, with the first overall pick, the Saint John Sea Dogs selected forward Alexis Joseph of the Collège Esther-Blondin Phénix of the Quebec Under-18 ‘AAA’ Hockey League on Friday night.Article contentThe 15-year-old Joseph was expected to be the top pick in the draft after the six-foot-four, 192-pound forward recorded 23 goals and 56 points in 42 games last season. He’s already considered to be a top prospect for the 2027 NHL Entry Draft.Forward Zack Arsenault went second overall to Rimouski, while defenceman Malik L’Italien was selected third overall by Halifax. Defenceman Thomas Charbonneau went fourth overall to Quebec, while Benjamin Veitch was picked fifth overall by his hometown Newfoundland Regiment.Top-ranked Nova Scotia prospect Phenwick MacLean, son of Sydney native Don MacLean, was picked No. 8 overall by Newfoundland, who had three first round picks in their first-ever entry draft.The Quebec Remparts made two notable picks with two of their three first round selections. The team drafted forward James Scantlebury and American Carter Meyer with picks No. 9 and No. 17 respectively.Article contentNeither Scantlebury, a Montreal product, and Meyer, a native of Winchester, Mass., were in attendance for the draft. Meyer is expected to play in the United States next year.Two players ranked outside of the first round by QMJHL Central Scouting were also picked in the opening round.Frédéric Bergeron, son of former NHLer Marc-André Bergeron, was taken No. 15 overall by the Shawinigan Cataractes. Bergeron was ranked in the second round, No. 31 overall, by central scouting.Jayden Pominville, son of former NHLer Jason Pominville, was picked No. 18 overall by the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, who made a trade with Saint John to acquire the pick. Pominville was listed in the third-round, No. 41 overall, by central scouting.As for the Eagles, next on the schedule is the annual Canadian Hockey League Import Draft. The three-round, online-draft, will take place on July 2 at 12 p.m., Atlantic time. Cape Breton is currently eligible to make two selections in the draft. Cape Breton Eagles prospect Olivier Charron had 22 goals and 45 points in 41 games with the Châteauguay Grenadiers of the Quebec Under-18 ‘AAA’ Hockey League during the 2024-25 season. CONTRIBUTED/QMJHL QMJHLArticle content
Cape Breton Eagles select 15 players highlighted by first-round pick Olivier Charron at 2025 QMJHL Entry Draft
