A familiar face is returning to Trois-Rivières this fall as forward Justin Ducharme rejoins the Lions for his second stint with the team. In the 2021-22 season, Ducharme split his time between Trois-Rivières and Laval on a two-way AHL contract, accumulating 25 points in 35 games with the Lions and seven points in 19 games with the Rocket.
Last season, Ducharme signed an AHL contract with the Texas Stars, where he played three games and earned one point. The 23-year-old also appeared in 43 games for Dallas’ ECHL affiliate, the Idaho Steelheads, scoring 14 goals and totaling 33 points. During Idaho’s playoff run to the Kelly Cup final, Ducharme contributed nine points in 19 matches.
Joseph Mizzi, another addition to the Lions’ roster, is well-acquainted with the ECHL despite spending the last four seasons abroad. Last year, he played 36 games in Italy for the Vipiteno Sterzing Broncos in the Alps Hockey League, scoring 21 goals and 52 points.
Matthew Boucher is also joining the Trois-Rivières Lions. Last season, Boucher played primarily with the AHL’s Belleville Senators after signing two professional tryout offers. The 25-year-old started the season with seven games for the ECHL’s Iowa Heartlanders before playing 50 games for the AHL Senators, where he collected 16 points. Matthew is the son of former NHL defenseman Philippe Boucher.
Trois-Rivières currently has 10 forwards and four defensemen signed to ECHL contracts. Coach and general manager Pascal Rheaume will also add players cut from Laval’s camp. The Lions’ regular season begins on October 20th at Colisée Vidéotron.
