KINGSTON, Ont. (Feb. 20, 2024) - Former Queen's Men's Hockey defenceman Jacob Paquette signed a professional contract with the ECHL's Trois-Rivières Lions on Monday.

Paquette (Ottawa, Ont.) recently completed his third season with the Gaels, helping them clinch an OUA Playoffs spot after a program record-tying 19 wins in the regular season.

Paquette finished the year with three goals and 11 assists in 26 games for the Gaels.

"Paq is going to go down as one of the top defensive defensemen I have had the pleasure to coach at Queen's," said Queen's Men's Hockey head coach Brett Gibson. "Winning a gold medal at FISU with him will be a memory that lasts a lifetime. One of our commitments during recruiting is to help players reach their goals and he has done so by signing his first pro contract."

The former Kingston Frontenacs player finished his Queen's career with four goals and 18 assists in 61 regular season games.

Also during his time at Queen's, Paquette represented Canada at the FISU Games in early 2023, helping the team win gold, and played on the U SPORTS All-Stars team that competed against Canada's World Juniors squad late last year.

Paquette was named an OUA East Second Team All-Star after the 2022-23 season.