Trois-Rivières, July 16, 2025 – The Trois-Rivières Lions (affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens) will play the first preseason game in franchise history on October 11. Ron Choules’ team will head to the Cool Insuring Arena in Glens Falls to face the Adirondack Thunder (affiliate of the New Jersey Devils).
This game will allow the Lions’ coaching staff to evaluate several of the club’s off-season signings—such as Karl Bourdrias and Cédric Desruisseaux—in a competitive setting. It will also be a key opportunity to assess players attending training camp on tryouts who are aiming to earn contracts with the team.
The Lions’ front office has long hoped to add a preseason contest to the schedule. Team President Alex Cousineau expressed his excitement about the announcement: “We’ve worked very hard to make this happen. As the only Canadian team in the ECHL, we’re aware of the unique challenges we face, but we didn’t want to start the season at a disadvantage with just an intra-squad game. This preseason matchup will allow us to make some adjustments and evaluate players in a true game environment before opening night.”
Following this preseason matchup, the Lions will return to Trois-Rivières to complete preparations for their season opener on Friday, October 17, at Colisée Vidéotron. For the second year in a row, the Reading Royals (affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers) will visit for opening night of the franchise’s fifth season.
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