CAMPBELLTON, New Brunswick – The Edmundston Blizzard focused on defense by selecting five defensemen and two goaltenders out of a total of 10 players during the Maritime Junior Hockey League (MHL) draft, held on Saturday, June 20, 2026, at the Campbellton Civic Centre.
The Blizzard also selected three forwards to round out their draft day, which included all 12 MHL teams.
General Manager Steve MacPherson took the microphone twice during the first round. Sixteen-year-old Jamie Jaillet was the Blizzard’s first pick and the sixth overall. Last season, the 6’0’’, 165 lbs defenseman from Moncton played for the Moncton Flyers, where he recorded 2 goals and 6 assists in 35 games. Two picks later, the Blizzard wrapped up the first round by selecting Carter Giberson, a Woodstock native who will turn 16 on September 20. In 36 games with the Fredericton Caps last year, the 6’0’’ defenseman, who weighs 190 lbs, recorded 3 goals and 8 assists. Giberson and the Caps won the past NBPEI Midget Hockey League playoffs.
In the third round (31st overall), the Blizzard selected forward Jaxon Fraser of the Fredericton Caps, who recorded 9 goals and 7 assists in 26 games last season. In the fourth round (43rd overall), the Blue and White selected goaltender Dax Doiron from Shediac, who posted the best goals-against average with Bishop’s College School, a team based in Sherbrooke, Québec.
The Blizzard’s other picks were Cole Toms of Bishop’s Falls, Newfoundland (forward, 5th round, 49th overall), Kale Leard of Moncton (defenseman, 5th round, 55th overall), Alex Coles of Stephenville, Newfoundland (defenseman, 6th round, 67th overall), Xavier LeBlanc of Dieppe (goaltender, 7th round, 79th overall), Jacob Gouchie of Moncton (defenseman, 8th round, 91st overall), and Ethan Fitzpatrick of St. John’s, Newfoundland (forward, 9th round, 103rd overall).
Blizzard General Manager Steve MacPherson was very pleased with his team’s selections. “It was once again a very good draft for the Blizzard. We selected a lot of the players we were targeting,” he noted.
The Blizzard had the luxury of two first picks in the opening round: Jamie Jaillet and Carter Giberson, both defensemen.
“Jamie (Jaillet) is a versatile player with great size. Carter (Giberson) is a similarly built defenseman who skates well and uses the full 200 feet of the rink,” explained Steve MacPherson.
All players drafted by the Blizzard today will be invited to participate in the team’s training camp next August.
The MHL first overall pick was Alexandre Peterson, a big forward (6’3’’ and 163 lb) from New Maryland, N.B., who will turn 18 next August. He was selected by the Valley Wildcats, who had the first pick for the second consecutive draft. Peterson tallied 42 points (16 goals, 26 assists) in 37 games with Fredericton last season, in addition to recording 13 points (4 goals, 9 assists) in 11 playoff games.
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Photo
Jamie Jaillet, from Moncton, was the Blizzard’s first draft pick on Saturday in Campbellton. Photo courtesy Normand A. Léger
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Source: Hugues Chiasson, vice-president communications – The Edmundston Blizzard; (506) 253-7741 – cell phone