The Blainville-Boisbriand Armada, a ice hockey team that has been competing in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League since the 2011-2012 season, recently announced that Pointe-Fortune-born left winger Rafaël Cloutier has joined its roster for the remainder of the 2024-2025 season. Néomédia spoke with the 17-year-old. 

The six-foot-three, 187-pound lad has been playing in the United States in recent months. “I joined the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada a little after the holiday season, after a stint at the South Kent School in Connecticut. It was a small school with around a hundred student-athletes who played field hockey, soccer and basketball. I returned to Quebec following a November 2024 rule change within the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It now allows players from the Canadian Hockey League to join. It took me two or three weeks to make my decision, and I decided to join the Armada, the team that already owned my rights,” he says on the phone. 

Before moving to the United States, Rafaël played for Collège Bourget. “I left because I was playing in the U17 and U18 and I wanted to play against guys my own age, which I couldn't do here.”  

Last summer, several QMJHL teams invited Rafaël to take part in their training camp. Among them was the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada, Rafaël's childhood team. 

“When I was a kid, I dreamed of playing with this sports team. Luckily, the team had put my name on their protection list for the draft, and that's why I'm wearing their colors today,” he adds. 

The sports team led by Olivier Picard asked Rafaël to choose his number before officially taking to the ice. “ At first, I wanted the numbers I'd had in my youth, like 9 or 10, but they were already taken. Then I was aiming for 27 for the same reason. But it was also taken by our goalkeeper. In the end, I opted for the 34, which was available,” he confides. 

Since his arrival with his new team, Rafaël has been boarding with another Armada player. “Things are going well, despite the fact that I have to carpool with teammates, since I don't have my driver's license. Game-wise, things are going well. I'm still learning the game system, but the guys are helping me a lot.” 

Like all players who lace up their skates, Rafaël has the ultimate dream of reaching the National Hockey League. “I know it can be difficult, so I just want to get as far as I can. This passion for field hockey comes from my father, who I saw play a lot when I was young. He didn't make a career out of field hockey, but just watching him play made me want to do it too. He inspired me and passed on his love of the game. Even today, he's incredible with me. He carries me everywhere for training and practice. I'm lucky to have him,” shares the young man whose family still lives in Pointe-Fortune. 

During the season, it's difficult for the athlete, without a permit, to visit his family in Vaudreuil-Soulanges. He plans to pick up where he left off in the off-season, or when he can move around as he pleases. 

In closing, Rafaël has a word of advice for young people who would like to follow in his footsteps. “You shouldn't do it for the rewards or the glory, but just for the fun of it and for the love of the sport above all,” he concludes. 

To date, the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada has some twenty regular-season games remaining before the playoffs.