It's common in the QMJHL for rebuilding teams to trade their 20-year-old players in their final junior seasons to contenders in exchange for teenage players and draft picks.
On Dec. 20, one of the league's top teams, the Val-d’Or Foreurs, acquired Penguins forward Nathan Legare from the Baie-Comeau Drakkar.
Last week, the Foreurs added the Penguins' top forward prospect, Samuel Poulin in a trade with the Sherbrooke Phoenix.
Poulin and Legare, friends since age seven, both figure to be a big part of the Penguins' future.
I guess it was ment to be !!! Proud to be a @penguins @poulin_sam pic.twitter.com/aPiGgR7I50
— Nathan Légaré (@Nathan_Legare) June 23, 2019
They'll finish out their junior careers this season as teammates.
Legare and Poulin both made their debuts with the Foreurs on Saturday on the wings of the top line, flanking Flames prospect Jakob Pelletier.
It didn't take very long for the two Penguins prospects to connect for a goal.
Just 7:15 into the first period, Poulin set up Legare for a goal to open the scoring:
The next period, they teamed up again. Legare and Pelletier had an odd-man rush ending in a shot on goal. Poulin picked up the rebound and fired a shot that went off the end boards and right to Legare, who tucked it past the goaltender:
The Gatineau Olympiques came back to force overtime, but the Foreurs prevailed in the shootout and won 3-2. Neither Penguins prospect took a shot in the shootout.
Legare, with his two goals on seven shots, was named the No. 1 star of the game. Poulin didn't finish with any shots on goal, but had both primary assists on Legare's goals.
The Foreurs' points percentage of .778 from their 12-2-2-2 record ranks No. 3 in the QMJHL.
Legare now has seven goals and nine assists in 15 games, and Poulin has three goals and five assists in six games.