A Nashville Predators prospect has been suspended for 10 games by the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League following an incident in which he apparently shoved his stick at a fan while leaving the ice, the league announced Wednesday.
Zachary L’Heureux, a 19-year-old winger who was taken No. 27 overall in the 2021 draft, was originally suspended indefinitely after the Feb. 8 incident that was captured on a video shared on social media. L’Heureux plays for the Halifax Mooseheads of the QMJHL, and the incident occurred in Gatineau, Quebec.
‘The player’s gesture which occurred following the game simply cannot be tolerated by the QMJHL,’ said Eric Chouinard, the QMJHL’s director of player safety, in a press release. ‘Moreover, since the player has been suspended on several occasions, he is considered as a repeat offender.’
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Chouinard also said the league reviewed video of the incident and spoke to L’Heureux.
Holden Coulter, 16, told CBC he was the fan who was poked, and that the incident occurred after some heckling.
‘I had to back away or else he would have probably gotten me better,’ Coulter said.
L’Heureux has 18 goals and 37 points this season.