2004-05 QMJHL Atlantic Division Preview

Acadie-Bathurst Titan:

2003-04: With former Acadie-Bathurst forward Patrice Bergeron entering the Boston Bruins lineup at the age of 18, the 2003-04 season was yet again underwhelming for the team. After considerable success in years prior, the Titan began to experience growing pains in a transformation year, finishing with a 18-49-3-0 record - dead last in the league.

Key Losses: Bruno Gervais will experience his first professional action this fall, as will Adam Russo and Nicholas Laplante. Chris Hodgson has signed on to play in the ECHL while defenseman Juraj Liska was dealt to Drummondville.

Returning Core: Bathurst will look towards the future and depend mostly on second year players to step up and prove they are ready to carry this team to success. Look for the likes of Mathieu Roy, Marc-Andre Cote and Jordan Clendenning to lead the charge; Thomas Beauregard and Jon Tremblay will be the only notable returning veterans to provide leadership and grit. Blueliners Mathieu Carle, Philippe Poirier and Marc-Andre Dorion will be the sophomores expected to step up and perhaps mature into leaders faster than originally intended. The addition of former Gatineau netminder Gabriel Bouthillette solidifies the Titan in goal.

Young Guns: The Titan rookie class is thin, but boasts one of the more talented newcomers in 6-foot-3 rearguard Alex Lamontagne who was the second overall pick in the 2004 Midget Draft. Third overall Import selections Artem Artemiev and Pavel Borysenko are expected to provide an injection of skill - both are only 17 years old are should stick around for a while.

NHL Selections: Gabriel Bouthillette (Anaheim 2004) and

Jonathan Tremblay (San Jose 2003).

Outlook: The Titan seem destined for yet another long season, potentially the team's third consecutive losing campaign. However, do not be surprised if GM Leo-Guy Morrisette pulls off a few trades to help the team out immediately should the Titan get off to a strong start. Morrisette is not the type to tolerate losing and was trigger happy on trades in the past.

Projected Division Finish: 3rd Overall

Cape Breton

Screaming Eagles:

2003-04: Stacked on talent and loaded to make a run for the Memorial Cup, all looked to be in place last year when Marc-Andre Fleury returned to the team after a successful NHL stint with Pittsburgh. The Eagles blazed their way to a 49-16-2-3 record in the regular season - second overall in the league - earning a first round bye. However, things came crashing down after the layoff when Chicoutimi shocked the Eagles in five games (4-1), bringing an end to a promising season.

Key Losses: Many key players are gone after what appeared to be a one-shot run last year, including Marc-Andre Bernier, Alexandre Picard (the defenseman) and Francois-Pierre Guenette who have all been dealt back to Halifax, while Fleury is likely to advance to at the very least minor pro. Jean-Francois Cyr, Steve Villeneuve and Nicolas Corbeil all wrapped up their junior careers; Tim Ramholt has a contract to play this season out in Switzerland, while Michel Tessier was not invited back to camp.

Returning Core:

All-star goalie Martin Houle - probably the only Screaming Eagle last year not thrilled with Fleury's return - is back and is solid between the pipes. Up front the returnees include Stephen Dixon, Kevin Asselin, Samuel Beland and Guillaume Demers who will be counted to produce offensively and provide the largest chunk of leadership on a young team. Jean-Claude Sawyer, Adam Pardy and Vincent Zaore-Vanie lead the d-man corps.

Young Guns: Plenty. James Sheppard, the number one overall selection in the 2004 Midget Draft, is an exciting player who should sell some tickets. Joining him is the team's first import pick Egor Zharkov - a hot prospect for the upcoming NHL draft. Vladimir Kubus and Chris Culligan are green but highly talented.

NHL Selections: Stephen Dixon (Pittsburgh 2003), Jean-Claude

Sawyer (Minnesota 2004), Adam Pardy (Calgary 2004) and Martin Houle (Philadelphia 2004).

Outlook: All signs are pointing to a rebuilding stage, but there will not be a lack of talent. Look for the Eagles to eventually move some of the vets, such as Dixon, to make room for the likes of Sheppard and Zharkov.

Projected Division Finish: 4th Overall

Halifax

Mooseheads:

2003-04: The Mooseheads' 10th QMJHL season was not cause for celebration as the team dealt away most of its assets for youth and finished a dismal 17-43-7-2 - fifteenth overall and out of the playoffs for the first time in their history.

Key Losses: Overagers George Davis, Randy Upshall and Bobby Clarke are out. Jared Vokey was released at training camp.

Returning Core: The most skilled of the Mooseheads are back and are older and better. Aside from the return of Marc-Andre Bernier, Alexandre Picard and Francois-Pierre Guenette from Cape Breton, Daniel Sparre, David Brine and Petr Vrana will provide the outmost offensive spark with Jan Steber and Frederik Cabana adding excellent depth. A strong blueline features Jimmy Sharrow, Alexandre Picard, Pierre-Olivier Beaulieu and Jeff Macauley, who was acquired from P.E.I. This June's NHL draftee Jason Churchill takes control between the pipes, while Kenzie Sheppard and Justin Saulnier are the team's most promising 2005 draft-eligible players.

Young Guns: Unlike last year, the Mooseheads will feature an older, experienced lineup this season. Ryan Hillier is the rookie with most promise and should mesh well with veterans. Goaltender Roger Kennedy is expected to backup Jason Churchill and tough guy Kevin Cormier provides a no-nonsense physical style. Impressing at camp was Bryce Swan who will likely see regular shifts this season.

NHL Selections: Petr Vrana (New Jersey 2003), Marc-Andre

Bernier (Vancouver 2003), Alexandre Picard (Philadelphia 2003), Jimmy

Sharrow (Atlanta 2003), Francois-Pierre Guenette (Vancouver 2003),

Frederik Cabana (Philadelphia 2004), Jason Churchill (San Jose 2004)

Kevin Cormier (Phoenix 2004) and Jan Steber (Toronto 2004).

Outlook: Halifax may be the top contender to go to the Memorial Cup among the QMJHL teams this season. Loaded with talent from top to bottom, the only concern currently surrounds the team's toughness and physical presence. The key to the team's success is goalie Jason Churchill who was the last line of defense for the Mooseheads last year, but must prove he can play with consistency and poise.

Projected Division Finish: 1st Place

P.E.I.

Rocket

2003-04: The Rocket are coming off a strong 2003/2004 season, where they finished fourth overall in the league with a 40-19-5-6 record, but had a relatively short playoff run, bowing out in the second round.

Key Losses: A lot of the team's veterans are gone, including overagers Tyler Noye and Brent MacLellan and key European Milan Hruska. Jeff Macauley was dealt to Halifax in the off-season, while sniper Michel Lambert will play in the AHL, joining Cory Urquhart who recently signed with the Montreal Canadiens.

Returning Core: Fairly thin, aside from goaltending. With Jonathan Boutin and budding star Ryan Mior, the team is rock solid between the pipes, but Boutin is almost certain to be moved to get Mior more playing time. Up front, forwards Maxim Lapierre, Pierre-Andre Bureau and David Laliberte will provide the bulk of the offense, while second year standout Tyler Hawes will fill the void created by the leave of the overagers. Defense should be the glowing weakness on the team, as only Marc-Andre Gragnani and Julien Beaulieu are returning and both were rookies last year.

Young Guns: The one way the Rocket could surprise this season is if the rookie crop blossoms and there will be much to see out of this group. Import Slava Truhno is an exciting NHL draft-eligible forward out of Denmark. Recent midget draft additions Pascal Boutin and Michael Dubuc brim with exciting potential as well as the other European addition Riku Korpinen. Also keep an eye on Billy Bezeau who could make a surprise splash.

NHL Selections: Cory Urquhart (Montreal 2003), Maxim Lapierre

(Montreal 2003), Jonathan Boutin (Tampa Bay 2003), Jimmy Bonneau

(Montreal 2003) and David Laliberte (Philadelphia 2004).

Outlook: Overall the team is green and there is a strong lack of depth, so look for them to nourish the youth and ultimately deal away some of the veterans.

Projected Division Finish: 5th Overall

Moncton

Wildcats:

2003-04: After having to put up with being the middle child of the league for many seasons, Moncton exploded with an exceptional year, finishing with a 46-19-3-2 record, third best in the league. After rolling through three rounds of the playoffs, the Wildcats were hammered by Gatineau in the league championship series.

Key Losses: Karl Gagne was the team's leading scorer last year, but was dealt to Quebec in the off-season, while Russian Konstantin Zakharov is AHL-bound. On his way out as well is Eric Betournay, while James Sanford is expected to play in University in the Maritimes.

Returning Core: The bulk of the offense is still there with older and improved Steve Bernier, Bruce Graham, Stephane Goulet and Martins Karsums leading the way. All have the potential to lead this team, although most of the veteran leadership should come from Ryan Salvis and Kevin Globe. The blueline, on the other hand, is not nearly as impressive as with the loss of Sanford, more pressure will be on Nathan Saunders and Francois Caron to carry the load. Corey Crawford is back to fill in between the pipes, which should alleviate the blueline concerns a little bit. 2003 first round selection Jean-Christophe Blanchard is backing him up, so consider Crawford to be on the hot seat, especially after struggling in the finals.

Young Guns: After giving up on college, Adam Pineault opted to take the QMJHL route where he will automatically become a go-to guy. The Columbus pick in the 2004 NHL draft, along with Brad Marchand, highlights the rookie class for the Wildcats. Blanchard, along with Euro import Oskars Bartulis and gritty forward Wesley Welcher round out the rookie names.

NHL Selections: Corey Crawford (Chicago 2003), Francois Caron

(Anaheim 2003), Steve Bernier (San Jose 2003), Nathan Saunders

(Anaheim 2003), Adam Pineault (Columbus 2004), Martins Karsums

(Boston 2004), Bruce Graham (NY Rangers 2004) and Stephane Goulet

(Edmonton 2004).

Outlook: Steve Bernier will have to step up and prove that he can carry this team, which he was not able to do in the final against Gatineau last spring. Regardless, offense is not going to be a problem this season and Crawford will stop the pucks, so expect Moncton to finish with one of the better records in the league. It is important, however, to keep in mind that if the team is off on the wrong foot to begin the year, it would not be surprising if they sell and build for 2005/2006 when Moncton is rumoured to be making a serious bid to host the Memorial Cup.

Projected Division Finish: 2nd Overall