A good landing spot

Donovan Arsenault is excited to go to an organization with a history of winning and helping young players develop their game.

The Richmond native, who turns 16 later this month, was taken in the second round (29th overall) of Saturday’s Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) draft by the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, who won the 2019 Memorial Cup. He was the first Islander selected.

“I’m pretty excited,” Arsenault said. “They have some real good coaches there and they know how to develop players really well.”

Arsenault, who played for the Kensington Monaghan Farms Wild in 2019-20, expected he could be drafted in either the first or second round. He said it was stressful as the first round went Friday night and the remaining 13 rounds took place Saturday.

“I was kind of hoping to get drafted in the first round, but I guess teams needed some different types of players and I ended up dropping back,” he said. “I think that I lucked out and got (drafted by) a good organization.”

Rouyn-Noranda is the farthest (QMJHL) team from Prince Edward Island, but Arsenault has some experience leaving home to play hockey. He went to Ontario Hockey Academy in Cornwall, Ont., two years ago.

“It’s always hard leaving your parents and I have a big family and we’re a close-knit family,” he said.

But he said knowing his family is supporting and cheering him on at home helps.

It looked like Arsenault would have a familiar face in the Huskies’ dressing room at training camp, but the team traded Charlottetown defenceman Jacob Squires to the Cape Breton Eagles on Saturday morning.

“I can’t wait to get there and get started,” said Squires, who was a third-round pick a year ago. “I’m super thrilled to be able to put on that Eagles’ jersey whenever that time is.”

He practised and played with Eagles’ defenceman Logan Kelly-Murphy as an affiliate player with the Charlottetown Bulk Carriers Pride. He will also know a couple of this year’s Cape Breton draftees in Charlottetown Bulk Carriers Knights’ centres Colby Huggan and Nolan Stewart.

“It’s an honour,” Huggan said after seeing his name on the computer screen. “My goal next season is to crack the lineup with Cape Breton.”

He played bantam with Squires and they were also teammates on the baseball diamond.

“It will definitely make the transition a lot easier, just knowing someone there and being good friends with him.”

Knights’ left-winger Simon Hughes, a Stratford native, was the second Islander selected, going 38th overall to the Saint John Sea Dogs.