Jeffrey Truchon-Viel (born January 28, 1997) is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward for the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Boston Bruins in the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously played for the San Jose Sharks.

Jeffrey Viel
Born (1997-01-28) January 28, 1997 (age 27)
Rimouski, Quebec, Canada
Height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight 205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb)
Position Winger
Shoots Left
NHL team (P)
Cur. team
Former teams
Boston Bruins
Providence Bruins (AHL)
San Jose Sharks
NHL draft Undrafted
Playing career 2018–present

Early life

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Viel was born on January 28, 1997, in Rimouski, Quebec, Canada.[1]

Playing career

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Amateur

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Growing up in Quebec, Viel played Midget AAA ice hockey with the Gauls from Collège Antoine-Girouard alongside Anthony Beauvillier. As a result of his physical style of play, he finished his rookie campaign on the team's second line and was drafted in the fourth round of the 2013 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) Draft by the Sherbrooke Phoenix.[2] Upon entering the league, Viel admitted to being "immature" and not maintaining healthy eating habits.[3]

Following his rookie season, Viel was traded to the Acadie–Bathurst Titan in the summer of 2014, where he remained for the remainder of his major junior career.[4] He made his debut with the team during the first week of the 2014–15 regular season against the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles, where he also scored his first goal of the season.[5] In his first season with the Titans, Viel was the second-leading scorer on the team with 45 points although they finished 19 points out from a playoff spot.[4]

Near the beginning of the 2017–18 season, Viel received his first suspension of the season after charging an opponent during a game.[6] On February 20, 2018, Viel was suspended four games for shoulder-checking an opponent in the head during a game against the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles.[7] In spite of his suspension, Viel helped the team win the President's Cup as the QMJHL's Champions and earn the Guy Lafleur Trophy as the tournament's most valuable player.[8] During Game 1 of the semi-final round of the 2018 Memorial Cup, Viel two goals and assisted on two more as the Titan beat the Victoriaville Tigres 6–3.[9] He continued to assist the team is scoring and entered Game 3 of the Memorial Cup finals with 23 points across 20 post-season games.[3] During Game 3, Viel scored one goal to help lift the Titan to their first Memorial Cup in franchise history.[10] As a result of his successful season, Viel was also named to the tournament's All-Star Team.[11]

Professional

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Following his Memorial Cup win, Viel joined the San Jose Barracuda, the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the San Jose Sharks. In his first season with the team, he recorded 22 points, 94 penalty minutes, and 116 shots on goal. As a result, he was signed to a two-year, two-way contract with the Sharks on May 29, 2019.[11]

In the pandemic delayed 2020–21 season, Viel made his NHL debut with the Sharks against the Minnesota Wild on March 29, 2021. In his first NHL shift, he recorded his first fight against Luke Johnson, finishing scoreless in a 4–3 shootout victory.[12][13] During the 2021 offseason, Viel signed a two-year extension to remain with the Sharks.[14] He scored his first NHL goal on December 28, 2021, in 8–7 shootout victory over the Arizona Coyotes.[15]

On July 1, 2023, having left the Sharks as a free agent Viel was signed to a one-year, $775,000 contract with the Winnipeg Jets for the 2023–24 season.[16] Viel played the entire season in the AHL with the Manitoba Moose.

After a lone season within the Jets organization, Viel left the club without featuring at the NHL level. As a free agent, Viel was signed to a league minimum two-year contract with the Boston Bruins on July 1, 2024.[17]

Career statistics

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2012–13 Collège Antoine-Girouard Gaulois QMAAA 41 10 9 19 44 13 4 6 10 12
2013–14 Collège Antoine-Girouard Gaulois QMAAA 42 22 23 45 80 3 1 0 1 12
2013–14 Sherbrooke Phoenix QMJHL 8 0 0 0 2
2014–15 Acadie–Bathurst Titan QMJHL 64 8 10 18 121
2015–16 Acadie–Bathurst Titan QMJHL 66 33 23 56 132 5 2 5 7 4
2016–17 Acadie–Bathurst Titan QMJHL 63 35 25 60 117 11 10 5 15 16
2017–18 Acadie–Bathurst Titan QMJHL 58 39 23 62 127 20 14 9 23 34
2018–19 San Jose Barracuda AHL 68 11 11 22 94 4 1 0 1 6
2019–20 San Jose Barracuda AHL 54 13 17 30 103
2020–21 San Jose Barracuda AHL 17 2 2 4 31
2020–21 San Jose Sharks NHL 11 0 0 0 23
2021–22 San Jose Barracuda AHL 13 4 2 6 20
2021–22 San Jose Sharks NHL 34 3 2 5 114
2022–23 San Jose Barracuda AHL 60 15 16 31 150
2022–23 San Jose Sharks NHL 4 0 0 0 2
2023–24 Manitoba Moose AHL 69 17 23 40 142 2 0 0 0 6
NHL totals 49 3 2 5 139

Awards and honours

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Award Year
QMJHL
Guy Lafleur Trophy 2018 [8]
President's Cup (Acadie–Bathurst Titan) 2018
CHL Memorial Cup All-Star Team 2018 [11]
Memorial Cup (Acadie–Bathurst Titan) 2018

References

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  1. ^ "Jeffrey Viel". Elite Prospects. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  2. ^ "Selection 2013: Jeffrey Truchon-Viel". Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. July 25, 2013. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  3. ^ a b Nugent-Bowman, Daniel (May 22, 2018). "Jeffrey Truchon-Viel's actions speak as loud as his words for Titan". Sportsnet. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  4. ^ a b Landry, Nicolas (April 27, 2018). "Jeffrey Truchon-Viel attendait ce moment depuis longtemps" (in French). RDS. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  5. ^ "Warrior of the Week: Jeffrey Truchon-Viel". Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. September 15, 2014. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  6. ^ "Truchon-Viel suspended 4 games". Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. October 24, 2017. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  7. ^ "Jeffrey Truchon-Viel suspended 4 games". Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. February 20, 2018. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  8. ^ a b "QMJHL's Acadie-Bathurst Titan win President's Cup, head to Memorial Cup". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. May 14, 2018. Retrieved July 20, 2021.
  9. ^ "QMJHL Playoffs: Truchon-Viel leads Titan in Game-1 win over Tigres". Sportsnet. April 20, 2018. Retrieved July 20, 2021.
  10. ^ McKenna, Ryan (May 28, 2018). "Acadie-Bathurst Titan win first Memorial Cup in franchise history". CTV News. Retrieved July 20, 2021.
  11. ^ a b c "Sharks Sign Forward Jeffrey Viel". National Hockey League. May 29, 2019. Retrieved July 20, 2021.
  12. ^ "Sharks rookie Jeffrey Viel fights Wild player in debut". thereporter.com. March 29, 2021. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  13. ^ "Karlsson leads Sharks past Wild in shootout". ESPN. March 29, 2021. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  14. ^ "Sharks Re-Sign Forward Jeffrey Viel". National Hockey League. June 14, 2021. Retrieved July 20, 2021.
  15. ^ "Seven score for Sharks in shootout win against Coyotes". National Hockey League. December 28, 2021. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
  16. ^ "Jets sign forward Jeffrey Viel to a one-year, one-way contract". NHL.com. Winnipeg Jets. July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  17. ^ "Bruins announce July 1 transactions". Boston Bruins. July 1, 2024. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
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