Montreal Canadiens Renew ECHL Affiliate

The Montreal Canadiens and Trois-Rivieres Lions renew their ECHL affiliation.

The Montreal Canadiens and the Trois-Rivieres Lions extended their affiliation for another three years. The two clubs were linked since the Lions joined the ECHL for the 2020-21 season. 

“This strategic alliance between the Lions and the Canadiens represents a unique opportunity to merge our strengths, to create a partnership that will not only benefit our players, but also our fans, and the local hockey community. The Montreal Canadiens with their rich history and their impressive track record embody excellence and hockey passion. We’re honoured to continue our association with such an institution,” Alex Cousineau, Vice-president, Business development and assistant general manager for the Lions said during a press conference held at Colisee Videotron. “We are convinced that this affiliation will bring significant benefits for our organizations and respective communities.”

“The Montreal Canadiens and the Laval Rocket organizations are really happy to continue our affiliation with Trois-Rivieres. It’s really important for us to have our players close. There’s a lot of changes in professional hockey , everything happens quickly and being down the road hugely helps to bring players to play in Laval,” expressed Jean-Francois Houle, coach for the Laval Rocket, also present at the announcement. 

When Spire Sports + Entertainment (SSE) purchased the Lions from Deacon Sports and Entertainment (DSE) on April 30th, 2024, co-owner Jeff Dickerson indicated that renewing the deal with the Canadiens was a priority. 

“You have to be living under a rock to not know what the Montreal Canadiens mean to this province and this region, and all of Canada. It’s an iconic brand known around the world,” Dickerson stated in his first public appearance in Trois-Rivieres as owner of the ECHL club. 

The previous ownership left a sour taste in the local community with debts to the city and suppliers. SSE has previously committed to paying off all the amounts owed by the team prior to their acquisition. 

“We made a promise to this community that things were going to be different. Although [the affiliation] is the same, I hope this is something else that shows that our commitment to winning and our commitment to development is shining through,” noted Dickerson.  

Since the beginning of the partnership, the Canadiens have not been visible in Trois-Rivieres. Samuel Monteambeault's appearance at Colisee Videotron in January 2024 was the first event with a representative from the NHL club. As part of this week's announcement, the Lions indicated that they will be hosting its first ever affiliation match. Further details will be announced in the coming months, but all indications point to the Rocket and the Canadiens involved in the event. 

Canadiens Connection via Spotify

Providing Reinforcements

The affiliation between the Canadiens and the Lions has paid dividends in the first three years. According to numbers provided by the organization, Lions players have collected 140 points in 455 games in a Rocket uniform. Last season, there was six players that dressed for at least one game with both teams. Jean Huynh was the equipment manager in Trois-Rivieres in 2021-22, before joining Laval as assistant equipment manager prior to the 2022-23 season. 

“It’s important for us to continue well develop our players in Trois-Rivieres so when there’s injuries or call ups to Montreal, we have players ready to come to Laval and help us,” expressed Houle. “In the last three years, all the Trois-Rivieres players that came to Laval greatly helped in our success.”

“Development is not just a cliche. It’s something that we take serious as a company in all of our businesses," Dickerson said. "Pushing our employees, whether that’s front office, whether that’s on the ice, whether that’s on race track, we’re always pushing these guys to develop and get to their highest levels.” 

The Lions 2024-25 season kicks off on October 18th by hosting the Reading Royals at Colisee Videotron.