The good season that Theo Rochette just had with the Quebec Remparts ultimately did not allow him to get a contract with an NHL team. The forward therefore made the decision to join HC Lausanne in the National League A in Switzerland.
The Lausanne club announced this a few days ago and published an interview with the young center player on its Facebook page on Wednesday.
“Coming back to Lausanne is a real pride. It is very special for me to be able to return to the club that welcomed me with open arms at the age of 12. The LHC was always with me when I was young, with great coaches who taught me a lot on and off the ice. Lausanne really is a special city, an ice hockey city with extraordinary fans who are passionate about the LHC. I can’t wait to find her and give everything for the club and for her,” said the man who will wear the number 90 in the first team.
A treaty or Switzerland
Rochette was originally slated to join Lausanne last season but ultimately opted to return to Quebec as a 20-year-old player to help the Remparts in their quest for a championship.
As captain of the formation, Rochette had helped the Remparts win the Gilles Courteau Trophy and then the Memorial Cup.
He had hoped that another demonstration of his offensive talent would open doors for him in the NHL, but that didn’t seem to be happening. According to our information, Rochette and her clan were hoping for a contract with a Bettman Circuit formation. The opportunity to return to training camp as a guest player — like he did with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2021 and the Philadelphia Flyers last year — was not in sight.
A first-round pick by the Chicoutimi Saguenéens in 2018, Rochette had a successful junior career. In 271 games he collected 317 points. He was traded to the Remparts midway through the 2019–20 season, where he scored 258 of his 317 points in the Red Devils shirt, becoming the third-best scorer in team history since his return in 1997.