Archived QMJHL Posts from 2012

Archived content I posted for HockeySense.

QMJHL- Updated Rankings

Posted on March 5, 2012 by Derek LeBlanc

Here are the updated QMJHL rankings for the upcoming 2012 NHL draft. My midterm January rankings can be found here. Because I haven’t seen every player equally, these rankings will be ever evolving. I’ll be updating every month or so and I’m sure my final rankings will be quite different. I’m really looking forward to the playoffs and hoping for some surprise performances along the way.

Hot & Cold-

▪ Mikhail Grigorenko- 21 points in last 16 games

▪ Christopher Clapperton- 20 points in last 16 games

▪ Sven Andrighetto- 19 points in last 16 games

▪ Raphael Bussieres- 2 points in last 16 games

▪ James Melindy- 2 points in last 16 games

▪ Luca Ciampini- 3 points in last 16 games

Updated Rankings- (Jan Rank)

Rank	Player	Team	Postion
1 (1)	Mikhail Grigorenko	Quebec	C
2 (2)	Martin Frk	Halifax	RW
3 (4)	Charles Hudon	Baie-Comeau	LW
4 (3)	Raphael Bussières	Chicoutimi	LW
5 (5)	Ryan Culkin	Quebec	D
6 (6)	Matej Beran	PEI	C
7 (7)	Taylor Burke	Gatineau	RW
8 (9)	Tomas Hyka	Gatineau	RW
9 (13)	Andrew Ryan	Halifax	LW
10 (8)	Dillon Fournier	Rouyn-Noranda	D
11 (11)	Francis Beauvillier	Rimouski	C
12 (12)	Justin Haché	Shawinigan	D
13 (14)	Christophe Lalancette	Acadie-Bathurst	RW
14 (10)	James Melindy	Moncton	D
15 (19)	Anton Zlobin	Shawinigan	LW
16 (16)	Liam O’Brien	Rimouski Oceanic	C
17 (15)	Raphael Couriveau	Quebec	RW
18 (24)	Vladivlav Shalimov	Val d’Or	LW
19 (NR)	Sven Andrighetto	Rouyn Noranda	RW
20 (25)	Christopher Clapperton	Blainville-Boisbriand	LW
21 (23)	Denis Kamaev	Rouyn-Noranda	RW
22 (17)	Dominic Poulin	Chicoutimi	D
23 (18)	Frederic Gamelin	Baie-Comeau	C
24 (21)	Lioc Leduc	Cape Breton	D
25 (22)	Luca Ciampini	Halifax	LW

Goalies

1 (2)	Etienne Marcoux	Blainville-Boisbriand	G
2 (1)	Francois Tremblay	Val d’Or	G
3 (3)	Brandon Whitney	Victoriaville	G
4 (4)	Francois Brassard	Quebec	G
5 (NR)	Roman Will	Moncton	G

http://hockeysense.ca/news/?p=6665

QMJHL- Falling or Flying

Posted on February 24, 2012 by Derek LeBlanc

Consistency and competiveness. Certain characteristics can differentiate a draft bust from a draft steal. Every player taken in the first round will have a lot of skill, but only a few of them will become impact players in the NHL. Determining a player’s mental drive or passion can be a difficult thing to do, and scouts do everything they can to get all the dirt about a player.

TSN recently had an article about the risers and fallers in this year’s NHL draft class. Top QMJHL prospect, Mikail Grigorenko, was one of the players that was considered a “faller” and a few scouts had less than stellar things to say about the big Russian.

“He’s a dog. Take a look at what games Grigorenko gets his points. He gets a handful the other night against PEI. none at Moncton, and one assist (in the nationally televised game) in Saint John. A couple of weeks ago in Rimouski he’s minus 6. He scares the (crap) out of me.” (TSN)

After reading the article, I was curious about how Grigorenko was performing against the top teams in the league compared to the worse. I broke down Grigorenko’s stats against the top three teams and against the bottom three teams in the QMJHL. Statistically speaking, his point production is pretty consistent but his plus minus drops big time against the top end of the league.

Take a look for yourself……

QMJHL Standings (Feb.23rd/2012)

Rank	QMJHL	GP	W	L	OTL	SL	PTS
1	x * – Shawinigan, Cataractes	59	40	12	3	4	87
2	x * – Saint John, Sea Dogs	58	42	14	0	2	86
3	x * – Blainville-Boisbriand, Armada	58	33	21	2	2	70
4	x Québec, Remparts	58	36	15	5	2	79
5	x Victoriaville, Tigres	58	37	17	1	3	78
6	x Rimouski, Océanic	60	36	23	1	0	73
7	x Halifax, Mooseheads	58	33	19	2	4	72
8	x Chicoutimi, Saguenéens	58	29	20	3	6	67
9	x Moncton, Wildcats	57	27	25	3	2	59
10	x Acadie-Bathurst, Titan	59	27	27	2	3	59
11	x Baie-Comeau, Drakkar	57	27	26	1	3	58
12	Drummondville, Voltigeurs	58	24	26	2	6	56
13	Gatineau, Olympiques	57	23	25	4	5	55
14	Val-d’Or, Foreurs	59	24	30	0	5	53
15	Cape Breton, Screaming Eagles	58	21	34	1	2	45
16	Rouyn-Noranda, Huskies	58	18	34	3	3	42
17	P.E.I., Rocket	58	17	37	2	2	38

Against Top 3 Teams: (SJ, SHA & BLB)

Game	G	A	Pts	+/-	SOG	S	PIM	PP	SH	FG	GW
BLB @ Que				-1		3
Que @ BLB		2	2	1	3	4
Sha @ Que	1	1	2	-1	2	3		1
Que @ Sha		1	1	-1	2	3
Que @ Sha						2
Que @ SNB				-2		3
Sha @ Que	1	1	2	-1	4	4
Que @ Sha	1	1	2	-2	2	4
Que @ BLB		1	1		2	4
SNB @ Que	3		3	2	3	4		1		1	1
Total 10	6	7	13	-5	18	34	0	2	0	1	1

Against Bottom 3 Teams: (CB, ROU & PEI)

Game	G	A	Pts	+/-	SOG	S	PIM	PP	SH	FG	GW
Que @ Cap		1	1	1	1	1
Que @ PEI		1	1			1
Rou @ Que		1	1	1		4
PEI @ Que	1	1	2	2	1	4
Que @ SNB		1	1	-1	1	1
Que @ PEI	1	1	2	2	2	2				1	1
Rou @ Que		1	1		1	3
Que @ Rou	1	1	2	3	3	3
Total 8	3	8	11	8	9	19	0	0	0	1	1

http://hockeysense.ca/news/?p=6398

QMJHL- Scoring Title Mentality

Posted on February 16, 2012 by Derek LeBlanc

Everyone loves stats. They help paint a picture of a player’s performance and provide quantifiable numbers to help determine the value of a player. One problem, they only tell part of the story. There are so many instances in a game that never show up on the score sheet. A diving play to break up a two on one, running the goalie or a bad line change can be crucial parts of a game and box score scouts will never see them. Does the box score show skating ability or hockey sense? Don’t think so.

I’ve heard so many arguments that claim a player is bad because of a certain stat or good because of another. Fantasy hockey has created a lot of statistic junkies who have that scoring title mentality. Great for pools, but teams are looking for championships, not scoring titles. Weak lines and weak teams can affect statistics, but not necessarily a players potential as a professional hockey player.

How a player performs in the second or third game of back to backs is an interesting statistical cluster to analyze. The QMJHL schedule is pretty tame compared to the AHL/NHL and teams need to know a player can handle the marathon. Playing tired and hurt is part of the job description. What do these stats mean? Depends who you ask.

My top ten QMJHL skaters and how they performed in back to backs so far this season. (Feb. 14th)

Player		GM	G	A	Pts	Pts/G	+/-	SOG
Mikhail Grigorenko	Season	45	29	37	66	1.46	18	73
Mikhail Grigorenko	B2B	11	7	8	15	1.36	4	16
Martin Frk	Season	21	9	7	16	0.76	-10	24
Martin Frk	B2B	9	4	3	7	0.77	-6	9
Raphael Bussieres	Season	46	16	22	38	0.83	8	76
Raphael Bussieres	B2B	14	4	6	10	0.71	5	22
Charles Hudon	Season	47	23	35	58	1.23	24	69
Charles Hudon	B2B	13	10	9	19	1.46	4	22
Ryan Culkin	Season	54	6	15	21	0.38	3	21
Ryan Culkin	B2B	12	1	5	6	0.50	3	7
Matej Beran	Season	55	20	36	56	1.02	-5	77
Matej Beran	B2B	19	8	15	23	1.21	2	34
Taylor Burke	Season	38	6	13	19	0.50	-1	43
Taylor Burke	B2B	11	1	1	2	0.18	-1	11
Dillon Fournier	Season	44	9	22	31	0.70	-10	23
Dillon Fournier	B2B	17	4	5	9	0.53	-3	10
Tomas Hyka	Season	43	17	34	51	1.19	7	64
Tomas Hyka	B2B	13	4	14	18	1.38	3	19
James Melindy	Season	54	9	16	25	0.46	-7	21
James Melindy	B2B	12	2	4	6	0.50	-4	3

http://hockeysense.ca/news/?p=6314

QMJHL- Patrick Roy is……

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Derek LeBlanc

Stirring the pot……again.

It wouldn’t be a normal week in the QMJHL without a fine for Patrick Roy. The Quebec bench boss was at it again and received a 5k fine for his public comments towards the QMJHL commissioner. Roy suggested Gilles Courteau pushed star centre, Mikhail Grigorenko, to participate in the Top Prospects game even though he was nursing an injury. Roy claimed the commissioner put his own interests ahead of Grigorenko’s. Its assumed Grigorenko and Roy were warned of a possible suspension if they decided not to participate. In the end, the Rempart’s star centre obliged and had a typical rock solid game. The CHL’s other Russian star, Nail Yakupov was suspended two games for missing the game even without medical clearance to play.

Most would disagree with Yakupov’s suspension and probably understand Roy’s issue, but clearly the league had to do something. They can’t have coaches and managers chirping them without any consequences. If the fines don’t work, can they suspend a coach?

Unlike the NHL All-Star snooze fest, the Top Prospects game can be just as exciting as a regular CHL game. I know it’s a showcase for the scouts but these fines and suspensions clearly show it’s a vital part of the CHL’s marketing and branding strategy. They recognize how difficult it is to leverage that swagger without their top two guns. The NHL did the exact same thing a couple years ago with Niklas Lidstrom and Pavel Datsyuk. Based on the TV broadcast, the building in Kelowna looked pretty empty. I’m not sure it was the big-ticket event they had hoped for.

QMJHL Game/Skills Comp Summary:

Ryan, Andrew C- Even

Fournier, Dillon D- 1 G

Frk, Martin RW- +1

Beauvillier, Francis C- Even

Grigorenko, Mikhail C- -1

Bussieres, Raphael LW- 5 PIM

Hyka, Tomas RW- -1

Whitney, Brandon G 1 GA 30:04 Min 11/12

Tremblay, Francois G 1 GA 29:55 Min 13/14

Fastest Skater

Francis Beauvillier (Rimouski Oceanic) – 14.132 (*Winner)

Tomas Hyka (Gatineau Olympiques) – 14.674 (4th)

Shooting Accuracy

Mikhail Grigorenko (Quebec Remparts) – 3 / 8 (6th)

Dillon Fournier (Rouyn-Noranda Huskies) – 4 / 8 (5th)

Andrew Ryan (Halifax Mooseheads) – 1 / 8 (8th)

Show-Down Breakaway

Raphael Bussieres (Baie-Comeau Drakkar) – 24 (4th)

Martin Frk (Halifax Mooseheads) – 19 (10th)

Follow me on Twitter @d_leb or email me at Derek.leblanc@hockeysense.ca

http://hockeysense.ca/news/?p=6237

QMJHL- Midterm Rankings

Posted on January 26, 2012 by Derek LeBlanc

Here are my midterm rankings of the QMJHL players eligible for the upcoming 2012 NHL Entry Draft. As I’ve said many times before, rankings are pretty much meaningless but still lots of fun to create. Most fans are familiar with the big boys like Grigorenko and Frk, but guys like Bussieres, Hudon and Beran have been impressive throughout the season and should be at the top of most QMJHL rankings. Feel free to chirp.

Rank	Player	Team	Postion
1	Mikhail Grigorenko	Quebec Remparts	RW
2	Martin Frk	Halifax Mooseheads	RW
3	Raphael Bussières	Baie-Comeau Drakkar	LW
4	Charles Hudon	Chicoutimi Sanguineens	LW
5	Ryan Culkin	Quebec Remparts	D
6	Matej Beran	PEI Rocket	C
7	Taylor Burke	Gatineau Olympiques	RW
8	Dillon Fournier	Rouyn-Noranda Huskies	D
9	Tomas Hyka	Gatineau Olympiques	RW
10	James Melindy	Moncton Wildcats	D
11	Francis Beauvillier	Rimouski Oceanic	C
12	Justin Haché	Shawinigan Cataractes	D
13	Andrew Ryan	Halifax Mooseheads	LW
14	Christophe Lalancette	Acadie-Bathurst Titan	RW
15	Raphael Corriveau	Quebec Remparts	RW
16	Liam O’Brien	Rimouski Oceanic	C
17	Dominic Poulin	Chicoutimi Sanguineens	D
18	Frederic Gamelin	Baie-Comeau Drakkar	C
19	Anton Zlobin	Shawinigan Cataractes	LW
20	Felix Girard	Baie-Comeau Drakkar	C
21	Loic Leduc	Cape Breton Eagles	D
22	Luca Ciampini	Halifax Mooseheads	LW
23	Denis Kamaev	Rouyn-Noranda Huskies	RW
24	Vladislav Shalimov	Val D’or Foreurs	LW
25	Christopher Clapperton	Blainville-Boisbriand Aramda	LW

Goalies

1	Francois Tremblay	Val D’or Foreurs	G
2	Brandon Whitney	Victoriaville Tigres	G
3	Etienne Marcoux	Blainville-Boisbriand Armada	G
4	Francois Brassard	Quebec Remparts	G
5	Maxime Lagace	PEI Rocket	G

http://hockeysense.ca/news/?p=6073

QMJHL- Grigo, Frk and ?

Posted on January 17, 2012 by Derek LeBlanc

Its a quiet week in the QMJHL with no games until friday night. The short break is a good time to review the latest midterm rankings from the top scouting organizations around. International Scouting Services (ISS) and NHL Central Scouting (CSS) recently released their respected midterm rankings. Like most other rankings, ISS and CSS both have Mikail Grigorenko and Martin Frk ranked number one and number two coming out of the QMJHL. After the top two spots, its not so cut and dry.

There is always risers and fallers, but unlike last year, it won’t be a first round heavy draft for the QMJHL. After Grigo and Frk, its wide open for the rest of the QMJHL draft eligible players. A lot guys that were passed over in last year’s draft are jumping up the rankings this year, which makes things interesting. I believe the second and third round is where most of the top Q players will be selected in 2012. The final stretch of the regular season and the playoffs should solidify the top five from the rest of the pack.

I’ll be releasing my own midterm rankings next week. You can take a look at my preliminary rankings here.

CSS Rankings-

QMJHL Skaters:

2nd – Mikhail Grigorenko – Quebec

25th – Martin Frk – Halifax

57th – Raphael Bussieres – Baie-Comeau

59th – Matej Beran – PEI

62nd – Francis Beauvillier – Rimouski

64th – Andrew Ryan – Halifax

65th – Tomas Hyka – Gatineau

87th – Vladislav Shalimov – Val-D’or

89th – Ryan Culkin – Quebec

93rd – James Melindy – Moncton

96th – Charles Hudon – Chicoutimi

102nd – Liam O’Brien – Rouyn-Noranda

105th – Denis Kamaev – Rouyn-Noranda

116th – Justin Hache – Shawinigan

124th – Christophe Lalancette – Bathurst

126th – Tomas Pavelka – PEI

128th – Anton Zlobin – Shawinigan

130th – Taylor Burke – Gatineau

138th – Dillon Fournier – Rouyn-Noranda

156th – Christopher Clapperton – Blainville-Boisbriand

168th – Loic Leduc – Cape Breton

173rd – Tomas Filippi – Baie-Comeau

177th – Raphael Corriveau – Cape Breton

186th – Sven Andrighetto – Rouyn-Noranda

190th – Alexandre Leclerc – Rouyn-Noranda

193rd – Jeremie Fraser – Bathurst

196th – Luca Ciampini – Halifax

207th – Dominic Poulin – Chicoutimi

QMJHL Goaltenders:

3rd – Brandon Whitney – Victoriaville

6th – Francois Tremblay – Val-D’or

13th – Etienne Marcoux – Blainville-Boisbriand

16th – Francois Brassard – Quebec

18th – Maxime Legace – PEI

25th – Jacob Brennan – Bathurst

30th – Roman Will – Moncton

33rd – Philippe Trudeau – Cape Breton

ISS Rankings-

1st – Mikhail Grigorenko – Quebec

32nd – Martin Frk – Halifax

34th – Tomas Hyka – Gatineau

49th – Charles Hudon – Chicoutimi

Follow me on Twitter @d_leb or email me at Derek.leblanc@hockeysense.ca

http://hockeysense.ca/news/?p=5989

QMJHL- Will He Get A Stamp?

Posted on January 10, 2012 by Derek LeBlanc

A lot has happened since my holiday hiatus…

The 2012 World Junior Championships and the World U-17 Challenge came to a close while a ton of big trades went down in the QMJHL.

Movers And Shakers-

Gormley, Pageau, Shaw, Ellis and Rose were some of the big names on the move last week. The Memorial Cup host Shawinigan Cataractes made the biggest impact by adding Gormley and Ellis while the Chicoutimi Sangueneens made a surprising move to get JG Pageau from Gatineau. COMPLETE LIST OF TRADES

U-17 Hockey Challenge-

Russia beat the USA in the finals and Ontario beat Sweden to capture the bronze in a great tournament that showcases the future stars of the game. Check out the results at Hockey Canada’s site.

How Swede It Is-

The beginning of the tournament was pretty dull with most of the games ending in blowouts with no real competitive games. Even the New Years Eve battle between USA and Canada was a dud. The quarterfinals were a lot more exciting and were highlighted by the goalie showdown between Czech Petr Mrazek and Russian Andrei Vasilevski. The Russians ended up winning 2-1 in an overtime thriller.

The semi finals were a treat for hockey fans. Sweden edged rival Finland 3-2 in overtime and Canada fell short 6-5 in an amazing comeback attempt against the Russians. In the finals, the Russian coaching staff took a gamble and replaced the tournaments top goalie, Vasilevski, with QMJHL alumni Andrey Makarov. The move almost paid with Makarov making more than 50 saves and would have been the star of the game if it wasn’t for Mika Zibanejad clinching the gold for the Swedes in overtime.

▪ Brandon Gormley had a great tournament and showed the rest of the country what most of the East already knew, this guy is damn good. He was relied upon in all situations for Team Canada and was named the tournaments best defenseman.

▪ Tomas Jurco is proving to be a steal for the Detroit Red Wings, who selected him in the 2nd round of last year’s draft. He was Slovakia’s best player and had a strong tournament for the 6th place Slovaks.

▪ Nathan Beaulieu struggled for the Canadians in his limited role. He was a utility man and even played a couple games at forward. He made a brutal mistake in the Semi’s as he failed to back check after he was called for a penalty and the Russians scored the deciding goal. Clearly he thought the whistle had been blown, as he is not the type of player to give up on a play.

▪ Mikhail Grigorenko was playing injured most of the tournament. He didn’t have that jump and energy we are used to seeing in Quebec. He was barely noticeable in some of the games and that is not normal for this potential top five pick.

▪ Charlie Coyle is going to make the Sea Dogs a very scaring team. He had a good tourney for the under achieving Americans. It is rumored Coyle will play on a line with Huberdeau and Phillips.

QMJHL players’ statistical breakdown:

Player	Team	Games	Goals	Assists	Points	+/-	PIM	QMJHL
Brandon Gormley*	Canada	6	3	3	6	4	2	Shawinigan
Nathan Beaulieu	Canada	6	0	1	1	-1	16	Saint John
Jonathan Huberdeau	Canada	6	1	8	9	+8	16	Saint John
Michael Bournival	Canada	6	0	1	1	-1	0	Shawinigan
Jakub Culek	Czech Republic	5	1	3	4	+2	0	Rimouski
Petr Straka	Czech Republic	6	0	1	1	+2	27	Rimouski
Tomas Filippi	Czech Republic	6	4	0	4	+1	2	Baie-Comeau
Tomas Hyka	Czech Republic	5	0	2	2	-1	2	Gatineau
Lukas Sedlak	Czech Republic	6	0	0	0	-3	0	Chicoutimi
Artem Sergeev	Russia	7	1	1	2	1	12	Val d’Or
Mikhail Grigorenko	Russia	6	2	3	5	2	0	Quebec
Sven Andrighetto	Swiss	6	1	1	2	-1	2	Rouyn-Noranda
Adam Janosik	Slovakia	6	0	1	1	0	2	Gatineau
Tomas Jurco*	Slovakia	5	1	7	8	4	4	Saint John
Charlie Coyle	USA	6	4	1	5	2	2	Saint John
Player	Country	Games	Wins	Losses	Save %	GAA		QMJHL
Christopher Gibson	Finland	2	1	1	.866	4.5		Chicoutimi

Follow me on Twitter @d_leb or email me at Derek.leblanc@hockeysense.ca

http://hockeysense.ca/news/?p=5938

QMJHL- Gold On The Ceiling

Posted on December 22, 2011 by Derek LeBlanc

This is the time of year when most Canadian hockey fans have their attention focused on the World Junior Championships. Its one of the most exciting hockey tournaments in the world and is a holiday tradition here in Canada. The QMJHL is well represented this year with four league players chosen to represent Canada. Brandon Gormley, Nathan Beaulieu, Jonathan Huberdeau and Michael Bournival will team up to take on the world.

Gormley and Huberdeau are expected to play major roles while Beaulieu and Bournival are considered depth on a deep team. Veteran forwards like Devante Smith-Pelley, Jaden Swartz and Brett Connolly will be leaned upon to provide grit, scoring and leadership. Ryan Murray, a potential top five pick in the upcoming NHL entry draft, joins a strong defensive unit that consists of five NHL first round picks. Canada should make the final but with debatable goaltending and a quick tournament, everyone knows winning won’t be easy.

USA, Russia and Sweden join Canada as projected medal contenders at this year’s tournament. Russia will have a lot of firepower including top 2012 prospects Nail Yakupov and Mikhail Grigorenko while Sweden will rely on their strong defence, staring Edmonton Oiler first rounder, Jonas Brodin. The Americans will look to their veterans like Jason Zucker, Emerson Etem and new Sea Dog, Charlie Coyle to lead their team to another gold. The USA took a big blow to their backend with a tournament ending injury to Seth Jones and the Carolina Hurricanes deciding not to release Justin Faulk.

Great teams on paper mean nothing. New heroes will emerge and favorites will fall in this truly amazing tournament.

QMJHL players participating in the World Junior Championship:

**Unofficial rosters

Czech Republic

Jakub Culek- Rimouski

Petr Straka- Rimouski

Tomas Filippi- Baie-Comeau

Tomas Hyka- Gatineau

Lukas Sedlak- Chicoutimi

Finland

Christopher Gibson- Chicoutimi

Russia

Artem Sergeev- Val d’Or

Mikhail Grigorenko- Quebec

Anton Zlobin- Shawinigan

Switzerland

Sven Andrighetto- Rouyn-Noranda

Slovakia

Adam Janosik- Gatineau

Tomas Jurco- Saint John

Lukas Cingel- Baie-Comeau

USA

Charlie Coyle- Saint John

Enjoy the tourney!!

Follow me on Twitter @d_leb or email me at Derek.leblanc@hockeysense.ca

http://hockeysense.ca/news/?p=5692

QMJHL- About Frk’n Time

Posted on December 13, 2011 by Derek LeBlanc

Even with Nathan Mackinnon sustaining an shoulder injury, the Halifax Mooseheads got a big boost this week with a couple of highly touted players joining the team. Martin Frk finally returned to the lineup after missing the first 29 games with a concussion. After posting 50 points as a rookie, there are high expectations for the sniper from the Czech Republic. Frk is a dynamic, physical player that makes something happen on every shift. Even with the time he’s missed, most draft rankings still have Frk projected to go in the first round in next year’s NHL entry draft. As long as his concussion issues don’t linger, he should be among the top three guys coming out of the QMJHL this year.

Second overall pick in the 2011 QMJHL Entry Draft, Jonathan Drouin, has finally decided to join the Mooseheads after what seemed like a never-ending story. The 16 year old centre had 22 goals and 31 assist in 22 games with Lac St. Louis Midget AAA Lions this year. Drouin is currently nursing a minor groin injury and will make his debut once he’s cleared of his injury. With the addition of Drouin, the Mooseheads have a phenomenal young core that should only get better with time. Moosehead fans should expect big things from this team as they will certainly be fun to watch.

RDS mid-season rookie awards-

Acadie-Bathurst Titan – Christophe Lalancette

Baie-Comeau Drakkar – Alexandre Ranger

Blainville-Boisbriand Armada – Christopher Clapperton

Cape Breton Screaming Eagles – Jean-Simon Deslauriers

Chicoutimi Saguenéens – Jérémy Grégoire

Drummondville Voltigeurs – Nikolas Brouillard

Gatineau Olympiques – Alex Soumakis

Halifax Mooseheads – Nathan MacKinnon

Moncton Wildcats – Brandon Shea

P.E.I. Rocket – Matej Beran

Québec Remparts – Mikhail Grigorenko

Rimouski Océanic – Peter Trainor

Rouyn-Noranda Huskies – Sven Andrighetto

Saint John Sea Dogs – Oliver Cooper

Shawinigan Cataractes – Frédérick Gaudreau

Val-d’Or Foreurs – Matt Murphy

Victoriaville Tigres – Brandon Whitney

Hot 2012 prospects from week fourteen:

Mikhail Grigorenko-Quebec Remparts 2 GP 1 G 3 A 4 Pts

Denis Kamaev- Rouyn-Noranda Huskies 4 GP 2 G 2 A 4 Pts -2

Robert Pelletier- Gatineau Olympiques 2 GP 2 G 1 A 3 Pts

Raphael Bussieres- Baie-Comeau Drakkar 3 GP 3 A 3 Pts +1

Etienne Marcoux- Blainville-Boisbriand Armada 2 GP 2W 1SO .977 Sv% 0.50 GAA

Alex Dubeau- Shawinigan Cataractes 2 GP 1 W 1 SO .979Sv% 0.50 GAA

Follow me on Twitter @d_leb or email me at Derek.leblanc@hockeysense.ca

http://hockeysense.ca/news/?p=5579

QMJHL- Mistakes Will Be Made

Posted on December 6, 2011 by Derek LeBlanc

A lot of organizations have a social media policy nowadays and the QMJHL has decided to join in on the fun. This week, QMJHL commissioner Gilles Courteau announced a new policy to legislate the use of social media. “The QMJHL understands and appreciates the importance of social networking as it relates to the personal and professional lives of its stakeholders,” said the Commissioner. “Although social media represent an important forum so that our publics can establish relationships, share information and opinions, it also represents an unsupervised medium for inappropriate conduct to occur; conduct which can be detrimental to the welfare of the League and its actors. As such, the QMJHL holds its actors, which use or participate in social networking, to the same standards as it does for all forms of media.”

It’s surprising the league took this long to put a policy in place. Social media can be an amazing tool but it’s also a place where your mistakes are public. Social media usage will continue to climb around the league and putting a policy is a good idea. Considering most of these players are teenagers, it’s pretty easy to assume that one of them will eventually post something stupid, if they haven’t already. Whether it’s something offensive, breaking a trade or chirps to other players, these kids are human and mistakes will be made.

Violations of the QMJHL Social Media Policy:

– Statements which are critical of League personnel, its programs, employees, on-ice or off-ice officials, players, members, owners or operations staff, sponsors or any other actors.

– Divulging confidential information that may include, but is not limited to the following: trade talk or other player movement, medical history (injuries or other), game plans or strategies and any other information that is deemed confidential.

– Sharing or divulging photos, videos or comments which promote negative influences or criminal behavior, including but not limited to: drug use, alcohol abuse, public intoxication, sexual exploitation, etc.

– Online activity that contradicts the current policies of the QMJHL.

– Inappropriate, derogatory, racist or sexist comments of any kind that contradict the policies outlined by the QMJHL on these matters.

Zack Phillips is on FIRE!!

Phillips is having a fantastic season and currently sits 7 points behind the league leader in points. A lot of people, myself included, associated a lot of his success to his line mate, Jonathan Huberdeau. Phillips is proving he can hold his own, as Huberdeau has played in less than half of Saint John’s games this season. Phillips was named the first star of November and currently has a 22 game point streak going. During his streak, he has accumulated 13 goals and 28 assists for a total of 41 points and a plus 20. His play got Team Canada’s attention and they invited him to their U-20 selection camp this month. If Huberdeau returns from his injury and makes the team, Phillips’s established chemistry might give him the upper hand over some of the other bubble players.

Top 2012 prospects from week thirteen:

Mikhail Grigorenko-Quebec Remparts 3 GP 1 G 3 A 4 Pts +2

Robert Pelletier- Gatineau Olympiques 4 GP 1 G 3 A 4 Pts +3

Charles Hudon- Chicoutimi Sanguineens 3 GP 3 G 1 A 4 Pts +3

Ryan Culkin- Quebec Remparts 3 GP 2 G 2 A 4 Pts +3

Francois Brassard- Quebec Remparts 2 GP 2W .969 Sv% 1.00 GAA

Follow me on Twitter @d_leb or email me at Derek.leblanc@hockeysense.ca

http://hockeysense.ca/news/?p=5522

QMJHL- Canada Forgot One

Posted on November 29, 2011 by Derek LeBlanc

It was an interesting week in the QMJHL with the Canadian 2012 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge roster and the 2012 World Junior camp invitees announced. Not seeing Nathan MacKinnon’s name on the World Junior list surprised some that have watched him play this year. A lot of people, myself included, thought he should have been invited to to help him build for next year. Clearly his age was a major factor and the World Juniors are a big step from the QMJHL but that experience could have a bigger impact than they think.

Canada will have another strong team and I think a few QMJHL players have a good shot at making the team. Canada’s defence is extremely deep but I think Gormley and Beaulieu should be able to crack the lineup. Goalies are always a toss up but Domingue will get a long look as he’s having a great year. If healthy, Huberdeau will make the team but Phillips, Bournival and Danault will have to impress over the next month and have a great camp. The omission of Mackinnon and other top QMJHL players goes to show how deep Canada’s talent pool really is.

QMJHL 2012 World Junior camp invitees-

Louis Domingue- QUE G

Nathan Beaulieu- SJ D

Jérôme Gauthier-Leduc- RIM D

Brandon Gormley- MON D

Michaël Bournival- SHA F

Phillip Danault- VIC F

Jonathan Huberdeau- SJ F

Zack Phillips- SJ F

Last week I looked at CSS’s 2010 preliminary rankings and how they stacked up against the actual draft. This week, I’ll take a look at my 2010 rankings from Dec.8, 2010 compared to the draft. I got off pretty easy as I only did a top ten.

1. COUTURIER, SEAN DRUMMONDVILLE (1st, 8th)

**Big strong centre that rarely loses a puck battle. He dominates the boards and has a terrific shot. One of the favorites to go 1st overall in next year’s draft. Reminds me of Eric Staal.

2. HUBERDEAU, JONATHAN SAINT JOHN (1st, 3rd )

**A great player at both ends of the ice. A terrific playmaker with great vision. Not afraid to get physical but needs to fill out and get stronger.

3. OUELLET, XAVIER MONTREAL (2nd, 48th)

**Very steady defenseman. Not overly physical but can move the puck with ease. Great skater and plays in all situations.

4. BEAULIEU, NATHAN SAINT JOHN (1st, 17th)

**Very smart player with great hockey sense. Fantastic skater who can rush the puck with ease. Has a good shot and a great first pass.

5. JURCO, TOMAS SAINT JOHN (2nd, 35th)

**Strong player with a great shot. Has amazing hands with a cupboard full of moves. A lot of similarities to his countryman Marion Hossa.

6. DANAULT, PHILLIP VICTORIAVILLE (1st, 26th)

7. ARCHAMBAULT, OLIVIER VAL-D’OR (4th,108th)

8. PHILLIPS, ZACK SAINT JOHN (1st,28th)

9. LE SIEUR, MAXIMILIEN SHAWINIGAN (Undrafted)

10. GIBSON, CHRISTOPHER CHICOUTIMI (2nd,49th)

It’s still very early and they will definitely change but here are my 2012 QMJHL preliminary rankings.

1. Grigorenko, Mikhail- Quebec RW

2. Raphael Bussières- Baie Comeau LW

3. Hudon, Charles- Chicoutimi LW

4. Martin Frk- Halifax RW

5. Fournier, Dillon- Rouyn Noranda D

6. Haché, Justin- Shawinigan D

7. Beauvillier, Francis- Rimouski C

8. Culkin, Ryan- Quebec D

9. Burke, Taylor- Gatineau RW

10. Melindy, James- Moncton D

11. Gamelin, Frédéric- Baie Comeau C

12. Lalancette, Christophe- Acadie Bathurst RW

13. Beran, Matej- PEI C

14. Tremblay, François- Val D’or G

15. Girard, Félix- Baie Comeau C

16. Dominic Poulin- Chicoutimi D

17. Corriveau, Raphael- Quebec RW

18. O’Brien, Liam- Rimouski C

19. Ryan, Andrew- Halifax LW

20. Luca Ciampini- Halifax LW

Follow me on Twitter @d_leb or email me at Derek.leblanc@hockeysense.ca

http://hockeysense.ca/news/?p=5429

QMJHL- Preliminary Suggestions

Posted on November 23, 2011 by Derek LeBlanc

It was the week of the rankings with CSS and ISS both releasing their preliminary 2012 NHL draft rankings. Everyone loves rankings, I think it’s human nature to rank things in different order. Whether its the best song, the best Seinfeld episode or the best beer, everyone would have a different list. Ranking potential NHLer’s is no different.

Getting drafted doesn’t mean you will make the NHL and being ranked doesn’t mean you will be drafted. As everyone knows scouting is an opinion based business. Throughout the year, players climb and players fall, but none of it really matters in the end.

I’m going to take a look at the CSS preliminary rankings from last year to analyze where players were drafted compared to their rankings. This isn’t to show how off some rankings were, but to give an idea of how different rankings can be in comparison to the actual draft. (I’ll be showing how wrong I was next week) Every scout or team has their own list that they hold close to their chest with hopes of finding that sleeper that no one knows about. There are so many variables that take place during the draft that rankings become nothing more than suggestions. How many ever go down their fantasy draft list in perfect order?

CSS 2011 QMJHL Preliminary Rankings-

RANK	PLAYER	DRAFTED
1	Sean Couturier	1st Round (8th)
2	Jonathan Huberdeau	1st Rnd (3rd)
3	Nathan Beaulieu	1st Rnd (17th)
4	Phillip Danault	1st Rnd (26th)
5	Olivier Archambault	4th Rnd (108th)
6	Tomas Jurco	2nd Rnd (35th)
7	Xavier Ouellet	2nd Rnd (48th)
8	Maximilien Le Sieur	Undrafted
9	Scott Oke	Undrafted
10	Ryan Tesink	6th Rnd (162nd)
11	Zack Phillips	1st Rnd (28th)
12	Jean-Francois LeBlanc	Undrafted
13	Jonathan Racine	3rd Rnd (87th)
14	Brent Andrews	7th (202nd)
15	Yannick Veilleux	4th Rnd (102nd)
16	Guillaume Cloutier	Undrafted
17	Logan Shaw	3rd Rnd (76th)
18	Samuel Henley	Undrafted
19	Gabriel Beaupre	6th Rnd (153rd)
20	Sean Girard	Undrafted
21	Josh Currie	Undrafted
22	Stephen Woodworth	Undrafted
23	Axel Rioux	Undrafted
24	Olivier Daoust	Undrafted
25	Olivier Jodoin	Undrafted
LV	Dylan Capstick	Undrafted
LV	Alexandre Lavoie	Undrafted
GOALIES
1	Christopher Gibson	2nd Rnd (49th)
2	David Honzik	3rd Rnd (71st)
3	Maxime Lagace	Undrafted
4	Andrei Makarov	Undrafted
5	Jeffrey Noonan	Undrafted
Unranked in Preliminary but drafted Alexandre Grenier- 3rd Rnd (90th) Jean Gabriel Pageau- 4th Rnd (96th) Troy Vance- 5th Rnd (135th) Samuel Noreau- 5th Rnd (136th) Ondrej Palat- 7th Rnd (208th) Dillon Donnelly- 7th Rnd (183rd)

CSS 2012 QMJHL Preliminary Rankings-

1. Mikhail Grigorenko C

2. Martin Frk RW

3. Raphael Bussieres LW

4. Francis Beauvillier LW

5. Charles Hudon LW

6. Justin Hache D

7. Christophe Lalancette RW

8. James Melindy D

9. Taylor Burke C

10. Tomas Hyka RW

11. Vladislav Shalimov RW

12. Denis Kamayev RW

13. Matej Beran C

14. Petr Sidlik D

15. Liam O’Brien LW

16. Gabriel Fortin D

17. Loic Leduc D

18. Raphael Corriveau RW

19. Dillon Fournier D

20. Dominic Poulin D

21. Ryan Culkin D

22. Felix Girard C

23. Alexandre LeClerc D

24. Sven Andrighetto RW

25. Luca Ciampini LW

*LV Andrew Ryan LW

*LV – Limited Viewing

Goaltenders

1. Francois Tremblay

2. Brandon Whitney

3. Francois Brassard

4. Maxime Lagace

5. Jacob Brennan

6. Philippe Trudeau

7. Alex Dubeau

Top 2012 prospects from week eleven:

Mikhail Grigorenko-Quebec Remparts 3 GP 3 G 4 A 7 Pts +4

Matej Beran- PEI Rocket 3 GP 3 G 3 A 6 Pts +2

Charles Hudon- Chicoutimi Sanguineens 2 GP 3 G 2 A 5 Pts +6

Kyle Farrell- Cape Breton Eagles 3 GP 4 A 4 Pts +3

Francois Tremblay- Val D’or Foreurs 2 GP 1W .931Sv% 2.00 GAA

Follow me on Twitter @d_leb or email me at Derek.leblanc@hockeysense.ca

http://hockeysense.ca/news/?p=5295

QMJHL- Make It Matter

Posted on November 15, 2011 by Derek LeBlanc

The Super Series has never really done it for me. Most of the time, teams are thrown together and spend very little time practicing as a team. Some say that by getting all these “stars” on the ice together, we get to see where they stand among the top players in their league. While that may be true, I believe the players treat these games differently as well. They understand there are a lot of scouts and people watching, but I don’t think they have the same passion they do when their playing with their regular teammates. It’s not that they don’t care, it’s just that the game means nothing, there is nothing on the line. I’ve never been a big fan of All-Star games in general, with the exception of Major League Baseball. MLB recently changed my mind when they made the game matter with home field advantage in the World Series on the line. The Super Series is a great way to promote the CHL and maybe someone will think of a way to make it more interesting than just bragging rights.

Maybe the QMJHL All-Stars were bored too. They failed to put a single goal past Russian goaltender Sergey Kostenko in game one of the Subway Super Series. Team Russia won the game 2-0 with Kostenko and Nathan MacKinnon named players of the game. Game two was a little more exciting with Team Russia defeating the QMJHL All-Stars 5-4 in a shootout. Acadie-Bathurst Titan, Matthew Bissonnette was named the player of the game for Team QMJHL and home town favorite, Mikhail Grigorenko got the player of the game honors for Team Russia. Adding salt to the wound, Team OHL swept their two game series and scored sixteen goals compared to four by Team QMJHL. Ah well, who has the Memorial Cup? Thats right.

Top 2012 prospects from week ten:

Francis Beauvillier-Rimouski Oceanic 3 GP 3 G 2 A 5 Pts +4

Charles Hudon- Chicoutimi Sanguineens 2 GP 1 G 3 A 4 Pts +3

Christophe Lalancette- Acadie-Bathurst Titan 1 GP 3 A 3 Pts +1

Follow me on Twitter @d_leb or email me at Derek.leblanc@hockeysense.ca

http://hockeysense.ca/news/?p=5185

QMJHL- Make It Hurt

Posted on November 8, 2011 by Derek LeBlanc

Last week, Patrick Roy made some comments regarding Raymond Bolduc’s ability to hand down the proper suspensions in order to protect the players in the league. It’s hard to say if Roy’s comments had any impact, but Bolduc did suspend Jonathan Lessard for fifteen games for his hit on Nick Sorenson. The QMJHL commissioner, Gilles Courteau was not impressed with Roy’s comments and fined the Quebec Remparts $2,500. “At no time will I permit that a staff member of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League make inappropriate comments toward League personnel, especially in regards to their capacity to accomplish a mandate which I have given them, “ said the commissioner.

Dangerous hits and suspensions have been a major topic of discussion throughout the hockey world over the past year. I know it’s a dangerous sport and we will never completely eliminate injuries but it seems to be getting worse. Obviously every “questionable” hit has to be looked at on a case by case basis but the consequence in any league has to be severe enough to deter the dangerous behaviour from reoccurring. The fifteen game suspension for Lessard is pretty serious as its about 22% of the QMJHL season. I believe a suspension of that length will force a player to reevaluate the way he plays. On the other end of the spectrum, the $2,500 fine Patrick Roy received, is not a great deterrent. Its about 0.00044% of what he made as a player in the NHL. Do you think Roy will be scared to speak his mind again?

Top 2012 prospects from week eight:

▪ Vladislav Shalimov-Val D’or Foreurs 3 GP 3 G 3 A 6 Pts +3

▪ Mikhail Grigorenko- Quebec Remparts 4 GP 3 G 2 A 5 Pts +2

▪ Taylor Burke- Gatineau Olympiques 2 GP 1 G 2 A 3 Pts +3

Follow me on Twitter @d_leb or email me at Derek.leblanc@hockeysense.ca

http://hockeysense.ca/news/?p=5104

QMJHL- Patrick Roy Is Right

Posted on November 1, 2011 by Derek LeBlanc

The long arm of the QMJHL law was busy this week with multiple suspensions and reviews. The most notable was the knee on knee hit on Quebec Remparts forward Nick Sorensen by Baie-Comeau’s Jonathan Lessard. It has been reported that Sorensen’s season is over. Quebec’s GM and coach Patrick Roy was furious about the hit and had some choice words for QMJHL officials. Roy believes Raymond Bulduc is too nice of a person to bring down the severe punishment required to improve the league and protect it’s players. Roy was shocked Vincent Arseneau only got an eight game suspension for his blind side hit to the head of Victoriaville’s Philippe Halley and thinks suspensions should be harsher. Roy is known for speaking his mind but I think he has a point here.

If the QMJHL expects to increase their European and American recruits, they better develop a reputation around the hockey community that takes a stand on illegal hits. The Q is not a professional league and most of these kids will not make millions playing hockey. I think the discipline handed down should be a lot more severe compared to the NHL. The league has yet to announce any suspension for Lessard and it should be interesting to see if Roy’s comments have any effect on the decision.

Suspension Review:

▪ Carl-Antoine Delisle- Shawinigan Cataractes (3 Games)

▪ Vicent Arseneau- Shawinigan Cataractes (8 Games)

▪ Matt Boudens- Drummondville Voltigeurs (3 Games)

▪ Jonathan Lessard- Baie Comeau Drakkar (TBD)

Top 2012 prospects from week eight:

▪ Alexandros Soumakis-Gatineau Olympiques 2 GP 3 G 1 A 4 Pts +1

▪ Christopher Clapperton- Blainville Boisbriand Armada 2 GP 3 G 1 A 4 PTS

▪ Mikhail Grigorenko- Quebec Remparts 2 GP 1 G 2 A 3 Pts

▪ Alex Dubeau- Shawinigan Cataractes 3 GP 2 W .915 Sv% 2.33 GAA

Follow me on Twitter @d_leb or email me at Derek.leblanc@hockeysense.ca

http://hockeysense.ca/news/?p=5005

QMJHL- Sean is Gone

Posted on October 25, 2011 by Derek LeBlanc

Sean Couturier, one of the best players in the league over the last few seasons, might have played his last game in the QMJHL. It’s coming close to decision time for Couturier and there are rumours that he will be staying in Philly for the remainder of the season. It would be an impressive feat for an 18 year old on a deep team. Like many others, I have watched Couturier a lot and I’m not overly surprised by his success. He is one of the smartest players I’ve ever seen and he impressed me every time I saw him play. If it wasn’t for Jonathan Huberdeau’s unbelievable year, he would have been the top dog out the Q in last year’s draft. Some think he should be sent back but I don’t think he has much more to learn in the Q. He has three seasons under his belt and has been dominant. He has elite level hockey sense and has the size to compete in the NHL. I believe he will develop more as a player if he continues to be challenged and he will certainly get that in the NHL. In my opinion, Sean is gone.

Despite winning five of their last six games, the Acadie-Bathurst Titan decided it was time to shake things up. They announced they will be reorganizing their hockey department. Sylvain Couturier is out as GM and will now act as a special consultant and oversee player development. Team owner, Leo-Guy Morrissette, will take over as the team General Manager. Morrissette claims this agreement was in place for some time and still has confidence in Couturier. This isn’t the first time Morrissette has stepped into the GM role and it might not be his last. The Titan currently sit 3rd in their Division and 10th Overall.

Sylvain Couturier was also involved in the selection process for this year’s Subway Super Series team which was announced this week. He was part of a selection committee which included Marcel Patenaude, Pierre Leduc, Patrick Roy and Jerome Mesonero. Head coaching duties for the series have been assigned to Yanick Jean of the Victoriaville Tigres and Patrick Roy of the Quebec Remparts who will split games for Team QMJHL. The first game is on November 7th in Victoriaville and game two in Quebec City on November 9th.

2011 QMJHL SUBWAY SUPER SERIES ROSTER:

Maxime Lagace, G- PEI

Louis Domingue, G- QUE

Brandon Gormley, D- MON

Morgan Ellis, D-CAP

Jerome Gauthier-Leduc, D-RIM

Xavier Ouellet, D-BLB

Pierre Durepos, D-SNB

Nathan Beaulieu, D-SNB

Martin Lefebvre, D- QUE

Samuel Carrier, D- BAC

Zack Phillips, F- SNB

Carl Gelinas, F- BAC

Charles Hudon, F- CHI (’12 eligible)

Jonathan Huberdeau, F-SNB

Jean-Gabriel Pageau, F-GAT

Yanick Dube, F VIC

Philippe Halley, F-VIC

Phillip Danault, F VIC

Nathan MacKinnon, F- HAL (’13 eligible)

Raphael Bussieres, F-BAC (’12 eligible)

Zach O’Brien, F- BAT

Matthew Bissonnette, F-BAT

Micael Bournival, F-SHA

Top 2012 prospects from week seven:

Mikhail Grigorenko- Quebec Remparts 3 GP 2 G 2 A 4 Pts -1

Vladislav Shalimov- Val D’or Foreurs 3 GP 1 G 2 A 3 Pts +1

Charles Hudon- Chicoutimi Sangueneens 2 GP 2 G 1 A 3 PTS +1

Follow me on Twitter @d_leb or email me at Derek.leblanc@hockeysense.ca

http://hockeysense.ca/news/?p=4862

QMJHL- Kabanov Returns

Posted on October 18, 2011 by Derek LeBlanc

In what seems like a weekly occurrence, Jonathan Huberdeau was in the news again. The St. John Sea Dogs announced that he will be their new captain. “Jonathan is going to be a great leader for our club. He’s done a lot for our team and we think he’s going to lead us forward,” Gallant said. Huberdeau has 2 goals and 6 assists in 6 games since his return to the QMJHL.

In another “groundhog day” type scenario, Kirill Kabanov is back. Anyone who follows the QMJHL knows all about Kabanov and his escapades. Last week, Kabanov was part of a trade that saw the Shawinigan Cataractes trade defenseman Nikita Kolesnikov, goaltender Storm Phaneuf and a 6th round pick in 2012 to the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada for Kabanov and defenseman Alexandre Gauthier. Kabanov played for the Lewiston MAINEiacs and the Moncton Wildcats during the 2010-2011 season.

This week’s three stars were Jerome Rayomond, Maxime Lagace and Philippe Halley. Raymond, the Drummondville Voltigeurs centre, is the first star. He finished the week with 3 goals, 4 assists and +3.   Lagacé, the P.E.I. Rocket goaltender, is the second star. He maintained a 2.40 goals-against-average and a .940 save percentage.   Victoriaville Tigres left-winger Philippe Halley is the third star. Halley finished the week with a total of 4 goals, 2 assists and +7.

Top 2012 prospects from week six:

Raphael Bussieres- Baie Comeau Drakkar 3 GP 1 G 5 A 6 Pts +2

Denis Kamaev- Rouyn Noranda Huskies 2 GP 3 G 3 A 6 Pts

Christopher Clapperton-Blainville-Boisbriand Armada 2 GP 2 G 2 A 4 Pts

Liam O’Brien- Rimouski Oceanic 2 GP 1 G 2 A 3 PTS +2

Follow me on Twitter @d_leb or email me at Derek.leblanc@hockeysense.ca

http://hockeysense.ca/news/?p=4756

QMJHL- Emulating Shanny

Posted on October 11, 2011 by Derek LeBlanc

It was an unusual start to week five in the Q. For the first time in a long time, the St. John Sea Dogs were not the number one ranked team in the CHL. Baie-Comeau, at number two, were the top ranked QMJHL team, followed by Victoriaville (5), St. John (6) and Shawinigan (8). The Sea Dogs are hoping to retain the number one status and their undefeated week should help. Gatineau, Halifax and Quebec were also undefeated this week while PEI and Cape Breton were winless.

The Sea Dogs clearly liked the way the last couple years have gone and announced three year extensions for head coach Gerald Gallant and hockey operations/associate coach Mike Kelly. Their superstar, Jonathan Huberdeau, also signed a three year contract with the Florida Panthers. Some are worried that the contract means Huberdeau will be recalled, but that will only happen with an injury emergency.

The commissioner of the QMJHL, Gilles Courteau, has decided to duplicate the NHL in regards to how their disciplinary sanctions will be announced. Brendan Shanahan, the NHL’s Senior Vice President of Player Safety and Hockey Operations has received a lot of attention in regards to his “Shana-ban” videos, but clearly a lot of people like them, including Courteau. Shanahan breaks down the play and explains why the player did or did not get suspended. The QMJHL will follow a similar route for suspensions of 3 games or more. The announcement will be accompanied by a video of the incident and an explanation. “We want to be more transparent and explain the reasons behind the disciplinary decisions,” Courteau explained. “With video becoming increasingly prominent, we must take the necessary steps to make sure that our process is better understood”. Suspensions of 1 or 2 games will continue with a basic announcement.

Top 2012 prospects from week five:

Alexandros Soumakis- Gatineau Olympiques 2 GP 3 G 2 A 5 Pts +4

Mikhail Grigorenko- Quebec Remparts 3 GP 3 G 2 A 5 Pts +2

Christophe Lalancette- Acadie-Bathurst Titans 2 GP 1 G 2 A 3 Pts +1

Taylor Burke- Gatineau Olympiques 3 GP 3 A 3 Pts +3

Francois Tremblay- Val D’Or Foreurs 3 GP 2 W 2 SO 1.30 GAA .956 SV%

Follow me on Twitter @d_leb or email me at Derek.leblanc@hockeysense.ca

http://hockeysense.ca/news/?p=4635

QMJHL- Huberdeau Returns

Posted on October 4, 2011 by Derek LeBlanc

We are a month into the QMJHL season and the reigning Memorial Cup MVP has finally returned. The Florida Panthers decided to return Jonathan Huberdeau to the QMJHL and continue his development with the Sea Dogs. I’m sure St. John’s management and coaching staff are fine with that decision and are visualizing another long playoff run. Huberdeau should make his return to the lineup on Saturday.

Huberdeau wasn’t the only game breaker to return to the Q this week. Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Michael Bournival returned from Ottawa and Montreal respectively, and had an immediate impact. Pageau had 3 goals and Bournival had 4 goals in their first two games back. Sean Couturier remains with the Philadelphia Flyers and looks like he will start the year with the big club.

With most of the “Big” guys back from NHL camps, we will start to see the true league standings take shape. Its like bizarro world in the Q with the three teams that finished 16th, 17th and 18th last year, currently sitting 1st, 2nd and 3rd in league standings. I’m not saying they will finish last again but Victoriaville, Shawinigan and St. John won’t be held back for long.

QMJHL players of the month:

Yanni Gourde-LW- Victoriaville Tigres 8 GP 9 G 13 A 22 PTS +6

Zach O’Brien-RW- Acadie-Bathurst Titan 8 GP 9 G 11 A 20 PTS +1

Alex Dubeau-G- Shawinigan Cataractes 7 GP 5 W 1 SO 1.96 GAA .933 SV%

Top 2012 prospects from week four:

Raphael Bussieres-LW- Baie-Comeau Drakkar 3 GP 3 G 4 A 7 PTS +6

Charles Hudon-LW- Chicoutimi Sangueneens 3 GP 3 G 3 A 6 PTS +3

Frederic Gamelin-C- Baie-Comeau Drakkar 3 GP 2 G 4 A 6 PTS +3

Mikhail Grigorenko-RW- Quebec Remparts 2 GP 2 G 2 A 4Pts +1

Alex Dubeau-G- Shawinigan Cataractes 2 GP 2 W 2.50 GAA .920 SV%

Follow me on Twitter @d_leb or email me at Derek.leblanc@hockeysense.ca

http://hockeysense.ca/news/?p=4463

QMJHL- Rise Up

Posted on September 27, 2011 by Derek LeBlanc

Week three came to a close with most teams now having complete rosters. Most players who were attending NHL camps have returned to their QMJHL clubs, including St. John Sea Dog stars, Stanislav Galiev, Zack Phillips and Nathan Beaulieu. Its still unclear whether Jonathan Huberdeau will be cut from the Florida Panthers. They might give him a couple games during the regular season before they make that call.

Even without Huberdeau, St. John should continue their improved play and rise up the standings. Baie Comeau and Victoriaville currently sit atop the standings but a handful of teams are within striking distance. Random hits this week; Alexandre Beauregard was traded and suspended and their was a hat trick in each of the four games on Sunday.

Top 2012 prospects from week three:

Forward

▪ Denis Kameav- Rouyn-Noranda Huskies 3GP 2 G 6 A 8 PTS

▪ Mikhail Grigorenko- Quebec Remparts 3GP 4 G 2 A 6 PTS +2

▪ Raphael Bussieres- Baie Comeau Drakkar 2GP 3 G 2A 5 PTS +4

Defense/Goalie

▪ Petr Sidlik- Victoriaville Tigres 2GP 1 G 1 A 2 PTS

▪ Brandon Whitney- Victoriaville Tigres 1 GP 1 W 1 SO 29 saves

▪ James Melindy- Moncton Wildcats 2 GP 1 G 1 A 2 PTS

Follow me on Twitter @d_leb or email me at Derek.leblanc@hockeysense.ca

http://hockeysense.ca/news/?p=4301

QMJHL- Pre-Season 2.0

Posted on September 20, 2011 by Derek LeBlanc

With week two in the books, its still difficult to quantify the season so far. It’s as if the preseason is still going. I understand that the Quebec school system begins early but can’t we hold off a little longer? NHL camp invitees are slowly coming back and like I said last week, we will finally get to see the “real” QMJHL.

Here are some quick hits and the top 2012 prospects from week two.

QUICK HITS:

▪ Acadie-Bathurst’s first line is one, two and three in league scoring. Led by undrafted Zach O’Brien with 8 goals and 8 assists in 6 games.

▪ Halifax’s Luca Ciampini (’12) and Nathan MacKinnon (’13) are lighting it up after the first four games. Just wait until Martin Frk (’12) comes back.

▪ Shawinigan’s Alex Dubeau (’12) and Blainville-Boisbriand’s Etienne Marcoux (’12) sit atop most goaltending statistics and are a big reason their teams are top five in the Q after two weeks.

▪ The Sea Dogs finally got a win and its not surprising since they finally got some players back from NHL camps. They still have ten players that can come back, and if they do, it will be scary.

Top 2012 prospects from week two:

Forward

▪ Charles Hudon (Chicoutimi, LW) 2 GP 1 G 3 A 4 PTS

▪ Luca Ciampini (Halifax, LW) 2 GP 2 G 2 A 4 PTS +3

▪ Francis Beauvillier (Rimouski, C) 2 GP 1 G 1 A 2 PTS +3

Defenseman/Goalie

▪ Justin Hache (Shawinigan, D) 2 GP 4 A 4 PTS +6

▪ Francois Brassard (Quebec, G) 1 GP 1 W 2.00 GAA .941 SV%

▪ Alex Dubeau (Shawinigan, G) 2 GP 2 W 2.00 GAA .941 SV%

Follow me on Twitter @d_leb or email me at Derek.leblanc@hockeysense.ca

http://hockeysense.ca/news/?p=4130

QMJHL- Crosby Who?

Posted on September 12, 2011 by Derek LeBlanc

With all the incomplete rosters around the league, its hard to make any real judgments after week one in the QMJHL. Mackinnon is outscoring Crosby’s rookie pace, Shawinigan’s Maillet & Gourde had 7 point games and Baie Comeau is undefeated while St. John is winless. It was a strange opening week in the Q as the only thing likely to continue is Nathan Mackinnon’s comparison to Sid the Kid. As NHL teams make their cuts in the coming weeks, we should slowly start to see the “real” QMJHL.

Top 2012 prospects from week one:

Forward

▪ Frederic Gamelin (Baie-Comeau, C) 2 GP 3 G 3 A 6 PTS +2

▪ Matej Beran (PEI, C) 2 GP 3 G 2 A 5 PTS +2

▪ Christophe Lalancette (Acadie-Bathurst, RW) 2 GP 3 A 3 PTS +3

Defenseman/Goalie

▪ Loic Leduc (Cape Breton, D) 2 GP 2 A 2 PTS +4

▪ Etienne Marcoux (Blainville Boisbriand, G) 2 GP 1.50 GAA .930 SV% 2 W

▪ Alex Dubeau (Shawinigan, G) 2 GP 0.67 GAA .973 SV% 1 W 1 SO

Follow me on Twitter @d_leb or email me at Derek.leblanc@hockeysense.ca

http://hockeysense.ca/news/?p=4039

QMJHL- It’s Finally Here

Posted on September 8, 2011 by Derek LeBlanc

The CHL released it’s Top 10 Rankings yesterday and the defending QMJHL and Memorial Cup Champions remain the team to beat. The Sea Dogs came in at #1 with fellow QMJHL squads, Shawinigan (4), Quebec (6) and Victoriaville (10) filling out the top ten.

The regular season kicks off tonight with the top ranked Sea Dogs taking on the Moncton Wildcats at Harbour Station in the first game of the Rivalry Cup Challenge. The Wildcats took both games against the Sea Dogs during the preseason which concluded on Monday night. The preseason doesn’t mean a whole lot as teams play alot of younger players but the leading scorers and final standings are below.

I’ll be posting my top NHL prospects from the QMJHL within the next couple weeks. It’s shaping up to be an interesting year in the Q and I can’t wait to see how it all plays out. Thank god it’s finally here, hockey is back!

TOP SCORERS

	Player	Team	GP	G	A	P	PIM
1	Matthew Bissonnette	Acadie-Bathurst, Titan	3	3	7	10	2
2	Luca Ciampini	Halifax, Mooseheads	6	2	8	10	0
3	Nicklas Jensen	– DENMARK U20 –	4	6	3	9	12
4	Sébastien Trudeau	Acadie-Bathurst, Titan	3	4	5	9	0
5	Vladislav Shalimov	Val-d’Or, Foreurs	4	5	3	8	0
6	Zven Andrighetto	Rouyn-Noranda, Huskies	4	5	2	7	4
7	Nicolas Larocque-Marcoux	Val-d’Or, Foreurs	3	4	3	7	0
8	Alexandre Lemieux	Blainville-Boisbriand, Armada	6	4	3	7	4
9	Angelo Miceli	Victoriaville, Tigres	5	3	4	7	4
10	Troy Vance	Victoriaville, Tigres	5	2	5	7	8

TOP GOALIES

	Player	Team	GP	SO	GAA	SV%	W	L	OTL	SOL
1	Simon Giroux	Drummondville, Voltigeurs	3	0	1.68	0.932	1	1	0	1
2	Carl Hozjan	Rimouski, Océanic	3	0	1.71	0.937	2	0	0	0
3	Anthony Terenzio	Halifax, Mooseheads	3	0	2.02	0.922	1	0	0	1
4	Brandon Whitney	Victoriaville, Tigres	4	0	2.18	0.920	3	0	0	0
5	Maxime Lagacé	P.E.I., Rocket	3	0	2.30	0.904	1	0	0	0

STANDINGS

	Maritimes Division	GP	W	L	OTL	SL	PTS	PCT	GF	GA	PIM
1	Halifax, Mooseheads	6	5	0	0	1	11	0.917	30	13	149
2	Moncton, Wildcats	6	4	2	0	0	8	0.667	20	18	150
3	Acadie-Bathurst, Titan	6	3	3	0	0	6	0.500	29	32	131
4	P.E.I., Rocket	6	2	2	0	2	6	0.500	28	34	159
5	Saint John, Sea Dogs	5	2	2	0	1	5	0.500	21	20	126
6	Cape Breton, Screaming Eagles	6	2	4	0	0	4	0.333	17	26	171
	. TELUS East Division	GP	W	L	OTL	SL	PTS	PCT	GF	GA	PIM
1	Victoriaville, Tigres	6	4	2	0	0	8	0.667	22	15	169
2	Rimouski, Océanic	5	4	1	0	0	8	0.800	17	14	93
3	Shawinigan, Cataractes	7	3	2	0	2	8	0.571	22	28	153
4	Québec, Remparts	5	3	2	0	0	6	0.600	17	15	124
5	Baie-Comeau, Drakkar	4	2	2	0	0	4	0.500	16	13	49
6	Chicoutimi, Saguenéens	6	1	3	0	2	4	0.333	16	26	134
7	– Ottawa, 67′s (OHL) –	1	1	0	0	0	2	1.000	3	2	47
	. TELUS West Division	GP	W	L	OTL	SL	PTS	PCT	GF	GA	PIM
1	Blainville-Boisbriand, Armada	7	4	2	0	1	9	0.643	33	24	159
2	Drummondville, Voltigeurs	6	4	1	0	1	9	0.750	23	17	141
3	Gatineau, Olympiques	4	2	2	0	0	4	0.500	10	10	90
4	Val-d’Or, Foreurs	5	2	3	0	0	4	0.400	21	25	114
5	Rouyn-Noranda, Huskies	5	2	3	0	0	4	0.400	21	28	105
6	– DENMARK U20 –	4	0	3	1	0	1	0.125	15	21	64

Follow me on Twitter @d_leb or email me at Derek.leblanc@hockeysense.ca

http://hockeysense.ca/news/?p=3939

QMJHL SUMMER RUNDOWN

Posted on July 19, 2011 by Derek LeBlanc

. .

QMJHL PRE-SEASON

The QMJHL announced its 2011-12 pre-season schedule and 46 games are scheduled with a number of teams playing outside of their home rink. Games are going to be played in Magog, La Tuque, Trois-Rivières, Ottawa and Port Hawkesbury. The pre-season opens on Friday, August 19 and ends on Monday, September 5. The full pre-season schedule can be found here. (QMJHL) .

Seven games are scheduled on pre-season’s opening night: .

Saint John vs. Moncton (7 pm) Chicoutimi vs. Baie-Comeau (7:30 pm) P.E.I. vs. Acadie-Bathurst (7:30 pm) Blainville-Boisbriand vs. Drummondville (7:30 pm) Québec vs. Rimouski (7:30 pm) Val-d’Or vs. Rouyn-Noranda (7:30 pm) Victoriaville vs. Shawinigan (7:30 pm) .

QMJHL REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE .

The QMJHL released the 2011-12 regular season schedules. A total of 578 games will be played between the seventeen QMJHL teams; 34 home and 34 away games for a total of 68 games per team. The regular season kicks off on Thursday, September 8 as the Moncton Wildcats travel to Saint John to face the defending President Cup and MasterCard Memorial Cup champions. The full schedule can be found here. (QMJHL) .

NO MORE JUNIOR .

The Montreal Junior are done and the new franchise will be the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada. President and General Manager, Joel Bouchard unveiled the franchise colours and logo they will be using next season. . .

THE NEXT ONE? .

The rights to Nathan MacKinnon, the first overall pick in the 2011 QMJHL Draft, have been traded to the Halifax Mooseheads. In return, Baie-Comeau acquires forwards Carl Gélinas and Francis Turbide as well as Halifax’s 2012 and 2013 first round picks. The Drakkar also added Quebec Remparts’ first selection in 2013. .. .

2011 NHL ENTRY DRAFT .

The excitement from the 2011 NHL Entry Draft is over and most players have already taken part in development camps for their respected teams. The QMJHL had a similar result as last year with 22 players being selected. The round by round breakdown along with my pre draft rankings are below. .

Round #1 3 – Jonathan Huberdeau (SNB) – Florida (MY QMJHL Rank #1)

8 – Sean Couturier (DRU) – Philadelphia (#2)

17 – Nathan Beaulieu (SNB) – Montreal (#3)

26 – Phillip Danault (VIC) – Chicago (#6)

28 – Zack Phillips (SNB) – Minnesota (#7) .

Round #2 35 – Tomas Jurco (SNB) – Detroit (#4)

48 – Xavier Ouellet (MTL) – Detroit (#5)

49 – Christopher Gibson (CHI) – Los Angeles (#12) .

Round #3 71 – David Honzik (VIC) – Vancouver (#20)

76 – Logan Shaw (CAP) – Florida (#13)

87 – Jonathan Racine (SHA) – Florida (#41)

90 – Alexandre Grenier (HAL) – Vancouver (#54) .

Round #4 96 – Jean-Gabriel Pageau (GAT) – Ottawa (#17)

102 – Yannick Veilleux (SHA) – St. Louis (#10)

108 – Olivier Archambault (VDO) – Montreal (#8) .

Round #5 135 – Troy Vance (VIC) – Dallas (#36)

136 – Samuel Noreau (BAC) – New York (R) (#34) .

Round #6 153 – Gabriel Beaupré (VDO) – Colorado (#26)

162 – Ryan Tesink (SNB) – St. Louis (#15) .

Round #7 183 – Dillon Donnelly (SHA) – Colorado (#42)

202 – Brent Andrews (HAL) – Nashville (#14)

208 – Ondrej Palat (DRU) – Tampa Bay (NR) .

CANADA U-18 .

Hockey Canada announced the 42 players who have been invited to attend its U-18 team selection camp, which runs from July 30 to August 2 in Calgary. 22 players will be selected for Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team, which will play in the 2011 Memorial of Ivan Hlinka tournament, scheduled for August 8-13 in Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Here are the QMJHL players that were invited. .

Domenic Graham	G	Drummondville	2013 Eligible
François Tremblay	G	Val d’Or	2012
Dominic Poulin	D	Chicoutimi	2012
Luca Ciampini	F	Halifax	2012
Félix Girard	F	Baie-Comeau	2012
Charles Hudon	F	Chicoutimi	2012

QMJHL DRAFT .

The 2011 QMJHL draft took place on June 4th and here is how the first round shaped up. The full list of results can be found here. (QMJHL website) .

Rank	Team	Player	Last Team
1	Baie-Comeau	MacKinnon, Nathan	Shattuck U16
2	Halifax	Drouin, Jonathan	Lac St-Louis
3	Rimouski	Gauthier, Guillaume	St-Eustache
4	Rouyn-Noranda	Guenette, Justin	St-Eustache
5	Val-D’Or	Murphy, Matt	Frédéricton
6	Chicoutimi	Gregoire, Jeremy	Magog
7	Rimouski	Morin, Samuel	Lévis
8	Rimouski	Boudreau, Simon	Jonquière
9	P.E.I.	Graves, Ryan	South Shore
10	Chicoutimi	Desbiens, Simon	St-François
11	Halifax	Fucale, Zachary	St-Eustache
12	Cape Breton	Deslauriers, Jean-Simon	Trois-Rivières
13	Moncton	Shea, Brandon	Noble & Greenough
14	Victoriaville	Veilleux, Tommy	Beauce-Amiante
15	Victoriaville	Sweeney, Jacob	Québec Cyclones
16	Val-D’Or	Dunn, Vincent	Gatineau
17	Chicoutimi	Dauphin, Laurent	Esther-Blondin
18	Rouyn-Noranda	Belanger, Alexandre	Magog

CHL IMPORT DRAFT .

The Canadian Hockey League import draft took place on June.29th and here are the selections from the QMJHL teams. Full results can be found here. (CHL website) .

Pick	Team	Name
2	Rouyn-Noranda	Mikhail Grigorenko
5	Baie-Comeau Drakkar	Petr Sidlik
8	Cape Breton Screaming Eagles	Tomas Hyka
11	Quebec Remparts	Zven Andrighetto
14	Shawinigan Cataractes	Lucas Sedlak
17	Chicoutimi Sagueneens	Nikita Kolesnikovs
20	Rimouski Oceanic	Nick Sorensen
23	Victoriaville Tigres	Vladislav Shalimov
26	PEI Rocket	Tomas Pavelka
29	Moncton Wildcats	Roman Will
32	Lewiston MAINEiacs	Sebastian Dyk
35	Shawinigan Cataractes	Matej Beran
38	Acadie-Bathurst Titan	Nicolas Krammer
41	Gatineau Olympiques	Denis Kamaev
44	Drummondville Voltigeurs	Adrian Saxrud-Danielsen
47	Quebec Remparts	Emil Sylvegard
50	Blainville-Boisbriand	Ilya Nikolaev
53	Saint John Sea Dogs	Pass

. .

Follow me on Twitter @d_leb or email me at Derek.leblanc@hockeysense.ca

http://hockeysense.ca/news/?p=3224

QMJHL WEEKLY RUNDOWN

Posted on June 3, 2011 by Derek LeBlanc

May. 17th-31st

MEMORIAL CUP CHAMPIONS- .

They did it, the St. John Sea Dogs became the first Maritimes based team to lift the MasterCard Memorial Cup with their win over The Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors on Sunday. They were the number one team in the country for the better part of the year and proved just how good they were throughout the QMJHL playoffs and Memorial Cup. Draft eligible superstar Jonathan Huberdeau was named MVP and was also named to the tournament All Star team along with teammate Nathan Beaulieu. This team is young and could be back at the big dance next year. They also have added motivation with Shawinigan beating them as host for next year’s tournament.  .

MOVING ON UP- .

Here is the list of QMJHL players that have signed professional contracts over the last week.  .

David Gilbert– Acadie-Bathurst Titan- 7th round (209th) in 2009 by Chicago. Three year entry level deal with Chicago Blackhawks.  .

Philip-Michael Devos– Gatineau Olympiques- Two year deal with Norfolk Admirals. .

Nicolas Deslauriers– Gatineau Olympiques- 3rd round (84th) in 2009. Three year entry level with Los Angeles Kings. .

Louis Domingue– Quebec Remparts- 5th round (138th) in 2010. Three year entry level with Phoenix Coyotes.  .

Andrej Nestrasil– 3rd round (75th) in 2009. Three year entry level with Detroit Red Wings.  .

CHL AWARDS- .

The CHL awards took place last week during the MasterCard Memorial and the QMJHL took home two awards with Philip-Michael Devos of the Gatineau Olympiques winning the FRAM Sportsman of the Year and Gerard Gallant of the Saint John Sea Dogs won the Old Dutch Brian Kilrea Coach of the Year Award.  .

LEWISTON NO MORE-  .

The Lewiston MAINEiacs franchise will be dissolved and a special dispersal draft will take place today at noon where players and draft picks will be available. Any player that is not chosen in the dispersal draft will be available for selection during the QMJHL draft on June 4th. The Lewiston ownership group stated that they can no longer handle the mounting financial losses and the situation became no longer viable. The Commissioner of the QMJHL also announced that an expansion team will be joining the league after next season. A group of investors led by former QMJHL and NHL goalie Jocelyn Thibault have been awarded a team that will play out of the city of Sherbrooke. .

Here is the order of selection for both rounds.  .

Round 1

1 – Rouyn-Noranda

2 – Baie-Comeau

3 – Cape Breton

4 – Halifax

5 – Val-d’Or

6 – Chicoutimi

7 – Rimouski

8 – Victoriaville

9 – P.E.I.

10 – Moncton

11 – Shawinigan

12 – Acadie-Bathurst

13 – Gatineau

14 – Drummondville

15 – Québec

16 – Montréal

17 – Saint John .

Round 2

1 – Saint John

2 – Montréal

3 – Québec

4 – Drummondville

5 – Gatineau

6 – Acadie-Bathurst

7 – Shawinigan

8 – Moncton

9 – P.E.I.

10 – Victoriaville

11 – Rimouski

12 – Chicoutimi

13 – Val-d’Or

14 – Halifax

15 – Cape Breton

16 – Baie-Comeau

17 – Rouyn-Noranda .

DRAFT COMBINE- .

The 102 best draft-eligible players from North America and Europe are at the NHL draft combine this week where they will go through a vigorous round of physical, medical and psychological tests that could effect their draft status.  .

Here are the fourteen QMJHL players that will be attending the combine. .

NAME	TEAM	LEAGUE		HT	WT
Olivier Archambault	Val d’Or	QMJHL	LW	5-foot-11	170
Nathan Beaulieu	Saint John	QMJHL	D	6-foot-2	174
Sean Couturier	Drummondville	QMJHL	C	6-foot-4	197
Phillip Danault	Victoriaville	QMJHL	LW	6-foot	170
Jonathan Huberdeau	Saint John	QMJHL	C	6-foot-1	170
Tomas Jurco	Saint John	QMJHL	RW	6-foot-2	187
Maximilien LeSieur	Shawinigan	QMJHL	RW	6-foot-2	203
Scott Oke	Saint John	QMJHL	LW	6-foot-3	185
Xavier Ouellet	Montreal	QMJHL	D	6-foot	174
Zack Phillips	Saint John	QMJHL	C	6-foot-1	178
Jonathan Racine	Shawinigan	QMJHL	D	6-foot-1	182
Logan Shaw	Cape Breton	QMJHL	RW	6-foot-3	197
Ryan Tesink	Saint John	QMJHL	C	5-foot-11	157
Christopher Gibson	Chicoutimi	QMJHL	G	6-foot-1	193

QMJHL DRAFT- .

The QMJHL draft will take place this Saturday, June 4th in Victoriaville. Here is the list of the top 10 players available ranked by CSR.  .

1. Nathan MacKinnon– 5’ 10.5” 170lbs-Winger

2010-11 Regular Season: Shattuck St. Mary’s

40gp 45g 48a 93pts 72pim .

2. Jonathan Drouin– 5’ 8.5” 153lbs- Centre

2010-11 Regular Season: Lac-St.Louis Midget AAA

38gp 22g 36a 58pts 38pim .

3. Anthony Duclair– 5’10” 155lbs- Centre

2010-11 Regular Season: Lac-St.Louis Midget AAA

34gp 25g 32a 57pts 36pim .

4. Jeremy Gregoire– 5’11” 187lbs- Centre

2010-11 Season: Magog Midget AAA

38gp 28g 25a 53pts 42pim .

5. Guillaume Gauthier– 5’9.5” 161lbs- Centre

2010-11 Season: St.Eustache Midget AAA

40gp 23g 21a 44pts  .

6. Alexandre Belanger– 5’11.5”, 171lbs- Goalie

2010-11 Regular Season: Magog Midget AAA

26gp 14-91-2 record 0.885 save % 3.36gaa .

7. Anthony Deluca– 5’ 8” 186lbs- Winger

2010-11 Regular Season: St.Eustache Midget AAA

39gp 27g 26a 53pts 78pim .

8. Matt Murphy– 6’ 0.5” 186lbs- Defenceman

2010-11 Regular Season: Fredericton Major Midget

33gp 4g 19a 23pts 10pim .

Justin Vanier-Guenette– 5’ 10.5” 176lbs- Defenceman

2010-11 Regular Season: St.Eustache Midget AAA

38gp 5g 25a 30pts 76pim .

10. Frederik Gauthier– 6’ 4” 201lbs- Centre

2010-11 Regular Season: CollegeEsther-Blondin Midget AAA

37gp 7g 14a 21pts 6pim . .

Follow me on Twitter @d_leb or email me at Derek.leblanc@hockeysense.ca

http://hockeysense.ca/news/?p=2948

QMJHL WEEKLY RUNDOWN

Posted on May 20, 2011 by Derek LeBlanc

May. 10th-16th

PRESIDENTS CUP CHAMPIONS- .

The St. John Sea Dogs are the 2011 Presidents Cup Champions. Alexandre Beauregard scored the winning goal in double overtime to cap off a remarkable season for the QMJHL powerhouse. Potential top five pick, Jonathan Huberdeau was named most valuable player of the playoffs, having scored 16 goals and 14 assists in 19 games. The Sea Dogs will be competing against Mississauga, Owen Sound and Kootenay at the 2011 MasterCard Memorial Cup which begins tonight.  .

GATINEAU (5) VS. ST.JOHN (1)- Sea Dogs win series 4-2 .

My Prediction- Sea Dogs in 5 .

Thursday, May 5 – Gatineau at Saint John (2-1 SJ)

Saturday, May 7 – Gatineau at Saint John (5-0 SJ)

Monday, May 9 – Saint John at Gatineau (3-2 GAT)

Wednesday, May 11 – Saint John at Gatineau (4-3 SJ OT2)

Friday, May 13 – Gatineau at Saint John (3-2 GAT)

Sunday, May 15 – Saint John at Gatineau (3-2 SJ OT2) .

Top Scoring 2011 Draft Prospects- .

Jonathan Huberdeau 19 GP 16G 14A 30 Pts +13

Jean Gabriel Pageau 22 GP 12G 15A 27 Pts +9

Zack Phillips 17 GP 9G 15A 24 Pts +8

Tomas Jurco 19 GP 6G 12A 18 Pts +9

Nathan Beaulieu 19 GP 4G 13A 16 Pts +6 .

2011 MEMORIAL CUP- .

2011 MasterCard Memorial Cup Schedule (All times are Eastern): .

Round-Robin Game 1 – QMJHL vs. Mississauga on Friday May 20 at 7:00 pm

Round-Robin Game 2 – OHL vs. WHL on Saturday May 21 at 7:00 pm

Round-Robin Game 3 – Mississauga vs. WHL on Sunday May 22 at 7:00 pm

Round-Robin Game 4 – OHL vs. QMJHL on Monday May 23 at 7:00 pm

Round-Robin Game 5 – WHL vs. QMJHL on Tuesday May 24 at 7:00 pm

Round-Robin Game 6 – Mississauga vs. OHL on Wednesday May 25 at 7:00 pm

Tie-Breaker (if necessary) – Thursday May 26 at 7:00 pm

Semi-Final – Friday May 27 at 7:00 pm

Championship Final – Sunday May 29 at 7:00 pm .

NEW ROCKET- .

The PEI Rocket officially announced that Gordie Dwyer has been named the new Head Coach. Gordie will be leaving his post as the Head Coach and Associate Director of Hockey Operations for the Summerside Western Capitals. He had a very successful year as he led his team onto capture the KENT CUP MHL Championship.  . .

Follow me on Twitter @d_leb or email me at Derek.leblanc@hockeysense.ca

http://hockeysense.ca/news/?p=2834

QMJHL WEEKLY RUNDOWN

Posted on May 12, 2011 by Derek LeBlanc

May.3rd-9th

PRESIDENTS CUP FINAL- .

2011 prospect Ryan Tesink scored the game winning goal in double overtime last night that ended the longest game in the history of the President’s Cup finals. The win gave the Sea Dogs a 3-1 series lead and a chance to punch their ticket to the Memorial Cup tomorrow night at Harbour Station.  .

GATINEAU (5) VS. ST.JOHN (1)- Sea Dogs lead series 3-1 .

My Prediction- Sea Dogs in 5 .

Schedule-

Thursday, May 5 – Gatineau at Saint John (2-1 SJ)

Saturday, May 7 – Gatineau at Saint John (5-0 SJ)

Monday, May 9 – Saint John at Gatineau (3-2 GAT)

Wednesday, May 11 – Saint John at Gatineau (4-3 SJ 2OT)

Friday, May 13 – Gatineau at Saint John

Sunday, May 15 – Saint John at Gatineau**

Monday, May 16 – Gatineau at Saint John** .

Top Scoring 2011 Draft Prospects- .

Jonathan Huberdeau 17 GP 15G 13A 28 Pts +13

Jean Gabriel Pageau 22 GP 12G 15A 27 Pts +9

Zack Phillips 17 GP 9G 15A 24 Pts +8

Tomas Jurco 17 GP 6G 11A 17 Pts +10

Nathan Beaulieu 17 GP 4G 12A 16 Pts +4 .

NEW MOOSE- .

The Halifax Mooseheads named Dominique Ducharme as their new head. He spent the past three seasons as an assistant coach with the QMJHL’s Montreal Junior under head coach Pascal Vincent. Ducharme is also the head coach of Team Quebec for the upcoming World Under 17 Hockey Challenge in Winnipeg.  .

2011 DRAFT COMBINE- .

Sixty one CHL players have been invited to the 2011 NHL Combine held May 30 to June 4 in Toronto, ON. The 2011 NHL Combine features the top 102 prospects eligible for the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. The first round of the draft will take place on Friday, June 24 and the subsequent rounds on Saturday, June 25.  .

Here are the fourteen QMJHL players that will be attending the combine.

NAME	TEAM	LEAGUE		HT	WT
Olivier Archambault	Val d’Or	QMJHL	LW	5-foot-11	170
Nathan Beaulieu	Saint John	QMJHL	D	6-foot-2	174
Sean Couturier	Drummondville	QMJHL	C	6-foot-4	197
Phillip Danault	Victoriaville	QMJHL	LW	6-foot	170
Jonathan Huberdeau	Saint John	QMJHL	C	6-foot-1	170
Tomas Jurco	Saint John	QMJHL	RW	6-foot-2	187
Maximilien LeSieur	Shawinigan	QMJHL	RW	6-foot-2	203
Scott Oke	Saint John	QMJHL	LW	6-foot-3	185
Xavier Ouellet	Montreal	QMJHL	D	6-foot	174
Zack Phillips	Saint John	QMJHL	C	6-foot-1	178
Jonathan Racine	Shawinigan	QMJHL	D	6-foot-1	182
Logan Shaw	Cape Breton	QMJHL	RW	6-foot-3	197
Ryan Tesink	Saint John	QMJHL	C	5-foot-11	157

Christopher Gibson	Chicoutimi	QMJHL	G	6-foot-1	193

. .

Follow me on Twitter @d_leb or email me at Derek.leblanc@hockeysense.ca

http://hockeysense.ca/news/?p=2798

QMJHL WEEKLY RUNDOWN

Posted on May 4, 2011 by Derek LeBlanc

Apr. 26th- May.2nd

COMEBACK KIDS- .

The third round of the QMJHL playoffs ended last night with the Gatineau Olympiques holding on to win game seven and finishing off a remarkable comeback against the Quebec Remparts. The Olympiques came back from a 3-1 series deficit to defeat the favoured Remparts.  .

GATINEAU (5) VS. QUÉBEC (3)- Olympiques win series 4-3 .

My prediction- Quebec in 6 .

Game One- 2-1 Gatineau

Game Two- 3-2 Quebec

Game Three- 2-1 Quebec

Game Four- 2-1 Quebec

Game Five- 5-3 Gatineau

Game Six- 4-0 Gatineau

Game Seven- 5-2 Gatineau .

PRESIDENTS CUP FINAL- .

The Presidents Cup final will begin tomorrow at Harbour Station with the high powered Sea Dogs taking on the underrated Olympiques. I’m predicting the Sea Dogs to win in five games. I think Gatineau will have an emotional let down after that thrilling series against Quebec and the Sea Dogs have been pretty much unbeatable all year.  .

GATINEAU (5) VS. ST.JOHN (1)-  .

Season Series- 2-0 SJ (5-2, 4-3)

My Prediction- Sea Dogs in 5  .

Schedule- .

Thursday, May 5 – Gatineau at Saint John

Saturday, May 7 – Gatineau at Saint John

Monday, May 9 – Saint John at Gatineau

Wednesday, May 11 – Saint John at Gatineau

Friday, May 13 – Gatineau at Saint John

Sunday, May 15 – Saint John at Gatineau

Monday, May 16 – Gatineau at Saint John .

Top Scoring 2011 Draft Prospects- .

Jonathan Huberdeau 13 GP 13G 12A 25 Pts +9

Jean Gabriel Pageau 18 GP 12G 13A 25 Pts +18

Zack Phillips 13 GP 8G 14A 22 Pts +7

Tomas Jurco 13 GP 6G 10A 16 Pts +9

Nathan Beaulieu 13 GP 3G 11A 14 Pts +3 .

2011 QMJHL DRAFT- .

QMJHL Central Scouting (CSR) released its final prospects list for the upcoming entry draft in Victoriaville. Here are the first round rankings.  .

Rank	Name	First Name	Height	Wgt	DOB	Pos	Team
1	MacKinnon	Nathan	5′ 10 1/2	170	1995-09-01	A	Shattuck St. Marys
2	Drouin	Jonathan	5′ 08 1/2	153	1995-03-28	C	Lac St-Louis
3	Duclair	Anthony	5′ 10	155	1995-07-26	C	Lac St-Louis
4	Grégoire	Jérémy	5′ 11	187	1995-09-05	C	Magog
5	Gauthier	Guillaume	5′ 09 1/2	161	1995-09-12	C	St-Eustache
6	Bélanger	Alexandre	5′ 11 1/2	171	1995-08-19	G	Magog
7	Deluca	Anthony	5′ 08	186	1995-02-11	A	St-Eustache
8	Murphy	Matt	6′ 00 1/2	186	1995-05-01	D	Frédéricton
9	Guénette	Justin	5′ 10 1/2	176	1995-05-22	D	St-Eustache
10	Gauthier	Frédérik	6′ 04	201	1995-04-26	C	Esther-Blondin
11	Beaton	Bronson	6′ 00	170	1995-02-06	A	Pictou
12	Gravel	Maxime	6′ 00 1/2	178	1995-02-12	D	Esther-Blondin
13	Desrosiers	Philippe	6′ 01	165	1995-08-15	G	Antoine-Girouard
14	Morin	Samuel	6′ 05	173	1995-07-12	D	Lévis
15	Graves	Ryan	6′ 02	200	1995-05-21	D	South Shore
16	Tremblay	Carl	6′ 01 1/2	186	1995-02-15	D	St-François
17	Cooper	Oliver	6′ 02	189	1995-03-27	A	Frédéricton
18	Dauphin	Laurent	5′ 11 1/2	153	1995-03-27	C	Esther-Blondin

. .

Follow me on Twitter @d_leb or email me at Derek.leblanc@hockeysense.ca

http://hockeysense.ca/news/?p=2757

QMJHL WEEKLY RUNDOWN

Posted on April 28, 2011 by Derek LeBlanc

Apr. 19th- Apr.25th

ROUND THREE- .

LEWISTON (8) VS. SAINT JOHN (1) – Sea Dogs win series 4-0 .

My prediction: Sea Dogs in 5 .

Game 1- 5-4 OT St. John

Game 2- 4-1 St. John

Game 3- 5-2 St. John

Game 4- 6-5 St. John .

Jonathan Huberdeau 13 GP 13G 12A 25 Pts +9

Zack Phillips 13 GP 8G 14A 22 Pts +7

Tomas Jurco 13 GP 6G 10A 16 Pts +9

Nathan Beaulieu 13 GP 3G 11A 14 Pts +3 .

GATINEAU (5) VS. QUÉBEC (3)- Remparts lead series 3-1 .

Game 1- 2-1 Gatineau

Game 2- 3-2 Quebec

Game 3- 2-1 Quebec

Game 4- 2-1 Quebec .

Jean Gabriel Pageau 15 GP 9G 11A 20 Pts +7 .

U-18 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS- .

The U-18 World Championships wrapped up last week with the USA winning the Gold medal over Sweden and Russia defeating Canada for the Bronze. Here are the final rankings and the QMJHL players’ statistics. .

Final Rankings-

1 USA

2 Sweden

3 Russia

4 Canada

5 Finland

6 Germany

7 Switzerland

8 Czech Republic

9 Norway

10 Slovakia .

Charles Hudon– Chicoutimi Sagueneens- (2012 eligible)

7 GP 1A 2 PIM -1

Brent Andrews– Halifax Mooseheads- (2011 eligible)

7 GP 1A 14 PIM -3

Martin Frk– Halifax Mooseheads- (2012 eligible)

6 GP 1G 4A 2 PIM -2 .

SANCTIONS & SUSPENSIONS- .

Patrick Roy, the GM of the Quebec Rempart was fined two thousand dollars for inappropriate comments made towards Shawinigan’s GM Martin Mondou. Quebec also lost a player due to suspension as Guillaume Rousseau was suspended for one game for an illegal hit to the head in Friday’s game. .

UNDER ARMOR COMBINE- .

The 2011 Under Armour Combine took place last week at the Centre d’Excellence Sports Rousseau. Eighty of the top-ranked prospects were on hand to be tested by Under Armour and to participate in games, skill development sessions and conferences. This was one of the last events before the 2011 QMJHL draft in Victoriaville on Saturday, June 4. . . .

Follow me on Twitter @d_leb or email me at Derek.leblanc@hockeysense.ca

http://hockeysense.ca/news/?p=2694

QMJHL WEEKLY RUNDOWN

Posted on April 20, 2011 by Derek LeBlanc

Apr. 12th- Apr.18th

ROUND TWO- .

The second round of the QMJHL playoffs ended last night with Quebec blowing out Shawinigan 9-2 in a lopsided game seven. Here is how the rest of the round finish and some of the top scoring 2011 eligible prospects.  .

VICTORIAVILLE (11) VS. SAINT JOHN (1)- Sea Dogs win series 4-1 .

My prediction- Sea Dogs in 5  .

Jonathan Huberdeau 9 GP 10G 11A 21 Pts +11

Zack Phillips 9 GP 7G 9A 16 Pts +9

Phillip Danault 9 GP 5G 10A 15 Pts +4

Philippe Maillet 9 GP 4G 10A 14 Pts +6

Tomas Jurco 9 GP 4G 8A 12 Pts +7

Nathan Beaulieu 9 GP 1G 10A 11 Pts +7

David Honzik 9 GP 5W 3A 3.28GAA .919Sv% .

LEWISTON (8) VS. MONTRÉAL (2)- Maineiacs win series 4-2 .

My prediction- Juniors in 5 .

Xavier Ouellet– 10 GP 8A 8 Pts +5 .

SHAWINIGAN (7) VS. QUÉBEC (3)- Quebec wins series 4-3 .

My prediction- Remparts in 6 .

Yannick Veilleux– 12 GP 2G 5A 7 Pts +1 .

GATINEAU (5) VS. DRUMMONDVILLE (4)- Olympiques win series 4-2 .

My prediction- Voltigeurs in 6 .

Jean Gabriel Pageau– 11 GP 8G 11A 19 Pts +9

Sean Couturier– 11 GP 6G 5A 11 Pts +3

ROUND THREE- .

Round three starts on Friday and here are my predictions.  .

LEWISTON (8) VS. SAINT JOHN (1)-  .

Season Series- 1-1

My prediction- Sea Dogs in 5 .

GATINEAU (5) VS. QUÉBEC (3)- .

Season Series- Que 3-1

My prediction- Remparts in 6 .

U-18 World Championships- .

The 2011 IIHF U-18 World Championships are taking place in Crimmitschau / Dresden Germany and here is how the QMJHL players are performing.  .

Charles Hudon– Chicoutimi Sagueneens- (2012 eligible)

4 GP 1A 2 PIM -1 .

Brent Andrews– Halifax Mooseheads- (2011 eligible)

4 GP 1A 12PIM .

Martin Frk– Halifax Mooseheads- (2012 eligible)

4 GP 1G 4A -1 .

MOVING ON- .

Another QMJHL coach has been let go and this time its Cape Breton’s General Manager and Head Coach Mario Durocher. The Screaming Eagles will now begin the process of finding a replacement for Durocher in preparation for the upcoming season. . . .

Follow me on Twitter @d_leb or email me at Derek.leblanc@hockeysense.ca

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http://hockeysense.ca/news/?p=2675

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