River Lions Announce Signing of Veteran Boucard
Boucard played three seasons for the River Lions before joining the Montreal Alliance last season, where he averaged 8.7 points and 5.6 rebounds in 18 games.
The Niagara River Lions announced today the signing of Canadian forward Guillaume Boucard ahead of the 2025 Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) season. The 6’6 Montreal, Quebec native returns to the River Lions for his sixth season in the CEBL after spending the 2024 season with his hometown team, the Montreal Alliance. Boucard is currently playing for CEP Lorient in France’s Nationale Masculine 1 de Basketball (NM1) league, where he is averaging 11.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.3 steals in 20.7 minutes per game.
Boucard’s signing represents the first addition from outside the 2024 championship-winning roster, joining previously announced players Jahvon Blair, Nathan Cayo, Kimbal Mackenzie, and Elijah Lufile for the 2025 season.
River Lions Head Coach and General Manager Victor Raso expressed excitement about Boucard’s return, “Welcome back to Niagara, G! As long-time River Lions fans know, Guillaume impacts winning in many ways. He is an elite defender, an excellent rebounder, and a versatile offensive player who can play on the perimeter and take advantage of matchups in the post. Most importantly, G is a great person and professional basketball player, and his commitment to winning is second to none.”
Before his professional career, Boucard spent five seasons with the Carleton Ravens, where he helped the team win five consecutive national championships from 2011 to 2016. Boucard averaged 14.1 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 25.6 minutes per game. He was named to the OUA second All-Start team and to the CIS All-Star Team, both during the 2015-16 season.
While Boucard first joined the River Lions organization in 2017-18, he had a standout campaign during the inaugural 2019 CEBL Season where he was named the Canadian of the Year, starting all 21 games and averaging 16.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.3 steals in 31.4 minutes per game. Aside from his time spent with the River Lions in 2020, 2021 and 2022, he has spent nearly a decade playing in France's NM1 league and the Ligue Nationale de Basket (LNB Pro B). In 2019-20 with FC Mulhouse Basket he averaged 16.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in 37.1 minutes per game.
Boucard is eager to make an immediate impact in the 2025 season and is determined to help the River Lions defend their championship title. "I'm back and couldn't be more excited to be a part of the hunt again!" said Boucard.
The Niagara River Lions are one of the original six teams of the CEBL and the reigning champions. Playing out of Meridian Centre in downtown St. Catharines, the River Lions represent the twelve municipalities of the Niagara Region while living up to the River Lions moniker of pride and strength of community. Season tickets, voucher packs, group tickets and single game tickets are on sale now. Visit
www.riverlions.ca/tickets for more information.
- CEBL -
About the CEBL
A league created by Canadians for Canadians with a mission to develop Canadian players, coaches, sports executives, and referees, the CEBL boasts the highest percentage of Canadian players of any pro league in the country with 75% of its rosters being Canadian and a record 12 players with NBA experience in 2024. Players also bring experience from the NBA G League, top international pro leagues, the Canadian National team program, NCAA programs, as well as U SPORTS and CCAA. More than 20 players have signed NBA contracts following a CEBL season, and numerous CEBL players attend NBA G League training camps every year. The CEBL season runs from May through August with games broadcast live on
CEBL+,
TSN, TSN+, RDS, Game+ and Next Level Sports & Entertainment. More information about the CEBL is available at
CEBL.ca and @cebleague on
Instagram,
Twitter,
TikTok,
LinkedIn,
Facebook &
YouTube.
