CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — The Charlottetown Islanders have traded St-Raphael native Chad Arsenault to the Acadie-Bathurst Titan in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
In exchange, the Islanders receive a ninth-round draft pick in 2021.
The deal was announced Friday morning.
The Islanders drafted Arsenault in the 12th round, 208th overall, out of the Kensington Monaghan Farms Wild major under-18 program.
Arsenault will join the Titan for this weekend’s season-opening games against the Saint Sea Dogs on Friday night and Moncton Wildcats on Sunday afternoon.
Arsenault will immediately see some familiar faces as former Wild teammates – defenceman Zach Biggar of Portage and forward Bennett MacArthur of Summerside – and defenceman and assistant captain Cole Larkin of Mermaid have been named to the Titan’s season-opening roster.
After putting up impressive numbers during two seasons with the Wild in the New Brunswick/P.E.I. Major Under-18 Hockey League, Arsenault made the jump to the Berwick, N.S.-based Valley Wildcats of the Maritime Junior Hockey League (MHL).
In his rookie 2019-20 season, Arsenault went 5-21-2 (won-lost-overtime losses) while posting a 4.38 goals-against average (GAA) and .886 save percentage with the rebuilding Wildcats, who drafted him in the fourth round, 37th overall, in 2018.
With the Wild, Arsenault posted a 2.04 GAA and league-best .934 save percentage in 2017-18.
He followed that up with another strong 2018-29 season that included regular-season numbers of a 2.43 GAA and league-leading .922 save percentage while being named a first-team all-star.
He was named the most valuable player of the provincial playoffs, posting a 4-0 record on the strength of a 1.75 GAA and .935 save percentage.
Arsenault was selected the top goaltender of the 2019 Atlantic major under-18 hockey championship tournament in Charlottetown.
Arsenault was also named the top goaltender in the P.E.I. Major Under-15 Hockey League for the 2016-17 season with the O’Leary-based Prince County Warriors.
