The 2026 Canadian Sport School Hockey League (CSSHL) East Championships start Tuesday, March 17 in Saint-Roch-de-l’Achigan, QC.
23 teams will head to Saint-Roch-de-l’Achigan, bringing with them the top student-athletes in Eastern Canada in two different division. These 23 teams will compete in a total of five games in just as many days, all for the chance to be crowned CSSHL Eastern Champions.
If last year’s Eastern Championships taught us anything, it’s that on any given day any team can win. We saw top ranked teams get the job done as expected, and we saw lower ranked teams overcome the odds and even make a finals push.
At this year’s event we expect the same. With that in mind, here are some teams and ‘Players to Watch’.
East U17 Prep Players to Watch
- Division I
- F
- Dominik Bickos (Bishop’s College School), Sean Dwyer (Stanstead College), Thomas Issa (Kuper Academy), Mario Lapenna (Lower Canada College), Jackson Pitfield (Selwyn House School), Yehor Pyshalko (Ontario Hockey Academy)
- D
- Luca De Pastena (Kuper Academy), Eliot Faucher (Stanstead College), Emerick Girard (Fort Erie International Academy), Greyson Peel (CIH Academy),
- G
- Jona Erickson (Lower Canada College), Matteo Valluzzi (Kuper Academy)
- F
East U17 Prep Teams to Watch
Kuper Academy – One Seed
It was a dominant season for Kuper Academy (22-0-2) as they didn’t lose a game in regulation all season, earning 67 of a possible 72 points. Kuper scored a league best 177 goals, 42 more than anyone else, while allowing a league low 41, 18 less than second closest. Their +136-goal differential was almost twice that of the next closest team. They accomplished all of that while finishing with the second fewest penalty minutes (227), best power play (23.7%), and best penalty kill (92.7%). Angelo Jr Colleti (25-49-74) led the division with 49 assists and 74 points, while Thomas Issa (35-21-56) scored a league best 35goals to finish third in league scoring. Forwards Alessio Servello (19-28-47) and Adamo Ersoni (14-23-37) join them inside the top 10 for scoring. Luca De Pastena (9-31-40) would finish seventh in league scoring, pacing all defensemen in assists and points. Michael Raposo (7-8-15), would cement himself in the top 10 among defensemen scoring, while Levi Kolesnikow (1-13-14) sat just outside at 11th. Netminders Matteo Valluzzi (10-0-1) and James Barker (8-0-1) finished first and second in GAA with 1.52 and 1.63, being the only two goalies sub a 2.00. Valluzzi would lead the division with a .946SV% and 4 shutouts. It was a long list of achievements for Kuper this season, and adding another at the 2026 CSSHL Eastern Championships is very much in grasp.
Lower Canada College – Three Seed
LCC (18-5-1) went 18-5-1 to finish third in the East U17 Prep division. Their 135 goals scored and +72-goal differential were both second best in the division and they come into the Championships 8-1-1 in their last 10. Their power play converted at the second highest rate in the division, but their penalty kill and discipline could be an area of concern. Only Okanagan Hockey Ontario were shorthanded more times this season than LCC, whose penalty kill ranked fourth lowest in the division at 84.3%. LCC does have a pair of netminders in the top five for save percentage as Alessandro Sforza (7-5-0) and Jona Erickson (9-0-0) have a .921 and .915 respectively. Both goalies also sit top 10 in GAA, with Erickson third with a 2.30. Offensively a trio of LCC forwards are near the top of the leaderboard with Mario Lapenna (30-35-65) second and Alex Gervasi (20-24-44) and Harry Miller (16-25-41) fifth and sixth. The d-core shapes up in a similar fashion as Joshua Simsovic (7-12-19), Frank Betucci (6-12-18) and Matthew Boroff (8-8-16) occupying the five-to-seven spots. Overall, 13 skaters have hit double digit points this season and LCC will look to rely on this depth alongside their big three, to capture their first CSSHL Championship.
Stanstead College – Two Seed
Stanstead (14-6-1) is lead by their strong defensive game, allowing the second fewest goals against (59) this season. Eliot Faucher (6-22-28) leads his team in scoring and should be one of the first defensemen selected at the 2026 QMJHL Draft. His 28 points and 12 assists were second among defensemen and most among 2010 born dmen. Jacob Maddox (9-2-1) and Jaxon Ford (5-4-0) combined for just a .886SV% but did post 3 shutouts and a 2.65 GAA this season. Offensively, Stanstead finished fourth with 102 goals scored, although they did not have a forward inside the top 15 for scoring. Leading the charge offensively was another 2010 and highly touted QMJHL prospect in Sean Dwyer (8-16-24). Joshua Seeback (13-13-25) and Shane-Alexandre Dube (13-7-20) were the other Stanstead forwards to average more than a point-per-game, while Kristian Tlstovic (12-8-20) had double digit goals and 20 plus points. The numbers might not jump out at you like Kuper and LCC, but don’t count out the defending CSSHL East U17 Prep Champions.
East U18 Prep Players to Watch
- Division I
- F
- Grady Betts (King’s-Edgehill School), Adam Clark (Okanagan Hockey Ontario), Ricky Deslauriers (CIH Academy), Brody Molloy (Stanstead College), Elie Robert (Bourget College), Luca Stasi (Bishop’s College School),
- D
- Justin Bélanger (Ulysse Academie), Tucker Clare (CIH Academy), Jesse Dunlap (Rothesay Netherwood School), Bastien Michaud (Bishop’s College School),
- G
- Zachary Botelho (Bourget College), Cesare Della Santina (Rothesay Netherwood School)
- F
East U18 Prep Teams to Watch
Bishop’s College School – One Seed
Bishop’s College (16-5-2) lead the division with 121 goals scored and a +51-goal differential. One of just three teams to score more than 100 goals, Bishop’s enters the Championships 6-2-2 in their last 10, but on a two-game losing streak. Two-time Player of the Month this season, Luca Stasi (28-21-49) leads the division with 28 goals, and his 2.23 points-per-game is tops amongst all players with 15 or more games. Taitt Dobbin (15-19-34) joins him in the top five of scoring, while Gavin Rusenstrom (10-18-20) sits ninth. 14 skaters hit double digit points this season giving Bishop’s depth throughout the line-up. A trio of QMJHL prospects in defenseman Liam Boisclair (7-13-20), Nate Ostridge (3-12-15) and Bastien Michaud (3-11-14) lead the back end for Bishop’s. Defensively Bishop’s sits with the fourth fewest goals against this season though Tyler Fuicelli (5-2-0) and Timofey Williams (6-0-0) both sit top 10 in GAA and SV%. The number one seed will look to get back to their winning ways as they try and capture their first Championship in the U18 Prep division, and second overall.
Bourget College – Two Seed
The defending CSSHL East U18 Champs went 14-9-1 this season while scoring 112 goals, third most in the division behind CIH Academy (114). Their 71 goals against rank fifth, though only 55 of those came in games against East Division teams. At +41, Bourget was tied for the third best goal differential in the division this season and come in 8-2-0 in their last 10. With 334 penalty minutes, Bourget was one of the most undisciplined teams this season, being shorthanded the third most times. However, they did kill off 88.8% of their penalties, second best in the league. On the flip side, with an 18.8% power play conversion rate, the unit was third best in the league. Elie Robert (14-17-31) and Keifer Pion-Robin (17-11-28) sit inside the top 10 in scoring to lead the offence. A pair of QMJHL prospects in Olivier Tetreault (3-17-20) and Antoine Grenier (5-13-18) lead the blueline as they sit second and fifth among defensemen in points. In net it’s a combo of 2010 born Zachary Botelho (5-4-1) and Saint John Sea Dogs prospect Samuel Pitcher (5-4-0) who stand firm in the crease. The winningest team in East Division history, Bourget will look to capture their fourth CSSHL Eastern Championship this week.
Stanstead College – Three Seed
Stanstead (17-7-0) faced unfortunate loss of Aaron Chipp (Rimouski Oceanic), Charles Généreux (Rimouski Oceanic) and Clément Landry (Gatienau Olympiques) midseason as all three players made the jump to their respective QMJHL teams. This loss hit the team hard at the East West Challenge where they struggled to an 0-4 record, but they have gone 8-2-0 in their last 10 games in the East Division. Stanstead’s 95 goals were third most this season, while their 53 were third best, giving them a +42-goal differential, fourth in the division. Their power play was a league best 23.1%, including a division best 26.4% against East teams. With a 88.7% penalty kill, Stanstead ranked third in the league, though they killed off 90.8% of attempts against East teams. Andrew Shimon (8-3-0) finished the season with a .936SV%, including a league best .942SV% against East Division teams. His five shutouts led all netminders to help pace the strong defensive game of Stanstead. Cape Breton Eagles prospect Logan Foote (3-12-15) finished tied for ninth among all defensemen in points and leads a blueline that includes CHL Draft picks Max Sheppard (3-9-12), Dylan Orr (3-8-11) and Frederick Bourque (3-3-6). Emanuel Ganz (13-15-28), who was captain of last year’s Stanstead team that won the 2025 CSSHL East U17 Championship, and this year’s captain Brody Molloy (10-16-26) headline an offensive group that has seven forwards with double digit points this season. Stanstead may have lost some top talent to the QMJHL, but with 11 CHL Draft picks on the roster, this team has good of a chance as any to capture this years title.
