TORONTO, ON – It didn’t take much convincing for Felix Lafrance to join the UQTR Patriotes after his QMJHL career ended. With his older brother, Simon Lafrance, winning U SPORTS and OUA titles the year before, linking up was the premier option for post-junior hockey.
Now, in his sophomore season and coming off his second OUA Queen’s Cup with UQTR, Felix follows in his brother’s footsteps, claiming silverware and scoring wherever he plays. As Simon looks ahead to a professional career following the 2024 University Cup, the family’s impact remains at UQTR, making the 2024 tournament significantly more special for the siblings.
“It’s emotional getting to play with him and win with him, too,” Lafrance told 49 Sports ahead of the 2024 tournament. “It’s our second year together; we won last year, and this year is my last. I love playing with him, and it’s been a dream come true since we were young; it’s a lifetime experience.”
In UQTR’s opening win at the U CUP, a Thursday 5-1 quarterfinal victory over the Moncton Aigles-Bleus, Simon scored a goal and had three assists, while Felix scored twice, both times assisted by Simon.
The two, albeit not twins, have shades of the Sedin twins and their dominance throughout their years with the Vancouver Canucks — “it’s a special chemistry they sometimes have out there,” said UQTR. head coach Marc-Ettiene Hubert.
With the win, UQTR advances to the U SPORTS final four, facing either the UBC Thunderbirds or McGill Redbirds in the semifinal before meeting one of the TMU Bold or UNB Reds in a championship or bronze medal game.
“When he’s having some success, I’m just happy for him,” Simon said after beating Moncton. “He’s a hell of a player, and he’s my little brother, so when he plays like that and gives us a chance to win, too, it’s great.”
While the Lafrance parents couldn’t attend this year’s U CUP, they were quick to text their boys after the game, impressed with the effort but knowing the two siblings have more significant goals in mind this weekend, saying it wasn’t all about points, but the focus on the team.
When both played in the QMJHL, Simon attempted to sway his general managers to trade for Felix—requests that came to no fruition. So, getting Felix to bring his talents to La Colisée in Trois Riviers became the focus, and the decision was never more straightforward, with Felix’s grades strong enough to earn acceptance to the school’s business administration program.
“It’s a nice school and program, and we always wanted to play together, so it was an easy decision,” Felix said. It’s our first time playing together, and it’s something we always wanted to do.”
In Felix’s first year with the Patriotes, he came into a veteran roster with nearly an entire returning class from the group that won the 2022 Queen’s Cup and U CUP. Yet this season, even as just a second year, he’s among the more experienced players, with 11 rookies settling into the Patriotes and now their first U CUP tournament.
Now a sudden veteran, he improved his play and scored 11 goals and 29 points through 28 regular season games, while Simon won his second OUA scoring title with 25 goals and 48 points in 26 games and left Thursday’s game with 171 career points in 124 games wearing Patriotes colours.
“When you come into a program with so many veterans like last year, you want to win, and we did that,” Felix said. “Now, with 11 rookies, they’ve all been good, and we want to do it again.”
The 2024 tournament marks a finality of sorts for UQTR and the Lafrance brothers, with Simon set to move to the professional ranks after he wraps up a teaching assistant internship in the spring and Felix to become a leader within the group.
With the importance of the next two days and playing three games in three days, there’s a clear goal of a national championship title, but also putting a cap on what could be the final time Felix and Simon take the ice together.
“We want to win again, and we have two more games together, so it’s something I’m going to enjoy over the weekend,” Simon said. “It’s the best feeling for our families, and winning another trophy would be very special.”
Their semifinal against either UBC or McGill drops the puck at 7:00 pm ET in Toronto on CBC Sports.