GABRIEL BOURQUE OFFICIALLY NAMED CAPTAIN OF THE LAVAL ROCKET
He is the fourth captain in Rocket history
LAVAL (October 9, 2023) – Rocket head coach Jean-François Houle announced Monday the nomination of Gabriel Bourque as the fourth captain in team history. Bourque wore the “C” late last season, when Alex Belzile moved up to the National Hockey League. The assistants will be Mitchell Stephens, Lucas Condotta and Tobie Paquette-Bisson. The three assistants will alternate this role at home and away.
Bourque, 33, joined the Laval Rocket during the 2021-2022 season. He made his debut in the American Hockey League with the Milwaukee Admirals in 2010-2011. In 321 career AHL games, he scored 63 goals and added 95 assists, for a total of 158 points. Bourque played 413 regular season games in the National Hockey League. His first five years in the NHL were with the Nashville Predators. He then joined the Colorado Avalanche, before joining the Winnipeg Jets in 2019-2020.
The captain played 133 regular season games with the Rocket, recording 25 goals and 34 assists. Bourque has stood out for his experience and leadership over the years with the Rocket. The forward was named assistant captain upon his arrival with the Rocket in 2021.
The first assistant, Mitchell Stephens, 26, joined the Laval Rocket last season. He made his debut in the American Hockey League with the Syracuse Crunch in 2015-2016. In 203 career AHL games, he scored 57 goals and added 68 assists, for a total of 125 points. Stephens also has experience in the NHL, having played 72 regular season games there. The forward won two Stanley Cups in his career.
The second assistant, Lucas Condotta played his first professional game with the Laval Rocket during the 2021-2022 season. In 79 career AHL regular season games, he scored 16 goals and added 16 assists, for a total of 32 points. Condotta played his first game in the National Hockey League last April. The forward scored his first NHL goal in his first appearance.
The third assistant, Tobie Paquette-Bisson, is back with the Rocket for the 2023-2024 season. The defenseman played two seasons with the Rocket, 2020-2021 and 2021-2022. In 145 career AHL regular season games, he scored 8 goals and added 34 assists, for a total of 42 points. Paquette-Bisson, 26, has been playing in the American Hockey League since the 2018-2019 season.
