As a youth, Coulombe played in the 1998 and 1999 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournaments with the Rimouski Océanic minor ice hockey team.\n', '

Coulombe played junior ice hockey with the Rimouski Océanic of the QMJHL, joining them in 2001. In his draft year of 2002–03, he emerged as a key component of the Océanic blueline and was selected to represent Canada at the IIHF World U18 Championships. However, he was passed over in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft as he was judged to be too small to play defence effectively at the pro level. This would be the first of three times he would be passed over in the draft.[citation needed]\n', '

For the 2003–04, Rimouski added junior phenom Sidney Crosby to their roster and instantly became one of the top teams in the QMJHL. Coulombe was a beneficiary of this, as he became a fixture on the Océanic powerplay and his numbers skyrocketed. By 2004–05, Coulombe was one of the highest scoring defenders in the league, finishing with 8 goals and 68 points as Rimouski romped to both the regular-season and playoff QMJHL championships before losing in the Memorial Cup to the London Knights.[citation needed]\n', '

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