As the Trois-Rivieres Lions get ready to announce another signing later this afternoon, one of the players who won’t be signed by the Trois-Rivieres later today is Justin Ducharme, as he is heading overseas to play in Slovakia. Ducharme has spent the last three seasons in the ECHL with the Idaho Steelheads and Trois-Rivieres Lions, putting up 42 goals and 60 assists for 102 points in 146 regular season games, as well as adding four goals and nine assists for 13 points in 30 career Kelly Cup Playoff games. The 24-year-old has also played in 22 games in the AHL with the Texas Stars and Laval Rocket, putting up five goals and three assists for eight points.
For the Lions, this is a big loss for them as Ducharme finished the season tied for second on the Lions with 44 points in 68 games this season. Ducharme will be joining Nicolas Guay, who also signed with HC Nove Zamky for next season after spending last season with the Lions, where he put up 11 goals and 12 assists for 23 points in 36 games and added two goals and two assists for four points in six Kelly Cup Playoffs Games. Nolan Yaremko was the first Lions forward to head overseas as he’ll be playing in Germany next season. He put up 17 goals and 19 assists for 36 points in 38 games during the regular season and added a goal and five assists in six Kelly Cup Playoff Games; he also had a goal and five assists in 13 games with Laval.
