Maritime teams vie for new stars in QMJHL draft

The six Maritime teams from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League are hoping to strengthen their teams this weekend, while players as young as 15 are hoping to take the next step toward their dreams of playing in the NHL.

The annual league draft is being held Saturday at Harbour Station in Saint John.

Bailey Peach, a 16-year-old forward from Falmouth, N.S., was the first Maritime-born player selected. He went 11th overall to Sherbrooke.

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The Rimouski Océanic chose 15-year-old forward Alexis Lafrenière of St. Eustache, Que, with the No. 1 pick.

Moncton Wildcats fans in the audience cheered when the team used its first pick, third overall, to select Jakob Pelletier, a 16-year-old winger from Quebec City. They took Saint John Vitos defenceman Jaxon Bellamy at No. 6.

The Halifax Mooseheads chose Xavier Parent, a 16-year-old forward from the Joliette area of ​​Quebec with the fourth-overall pick.

They took hometown defenceman Justin Barron of the Halifax Macs with the 13th-overall pick.

The Cape Breton Screaming Eagles had back-to-back picks at 14 and 15 and selected Halifax native Noah Laaouan and Brooklyn Kalmikov of Terrebonne, Que.

The Charlottetown Islanders used their first pick, 25th overall, to select defenceman Brett Budgell of St. John's, who played last season in Ontario with the London Jr. Knights.

The defending QMJHL champion Saint John Sea Dogs weren't scheduled to pick until the third round, 55th overall. But they made a trade with with Blainville-Boisbriand to move up three spots and select defenceman Brendan Sibley of Dartmouth.

The Acadie-Bathurst Titan chose defenceman Olivier Desroches of Laval, Que., with their first pick at No. 34.