Huskies Puck Stop

The Rouyn-Noranda Huskies were considered contenders for the Presidents Cup this season, but one moment basically put a damper on those plans - the Patrice Cormier hit on Mikael Tam and they seemed unable to focus on their game as well as they would have liked. Nonetheless, the team has solid prospect for the upcoming NHL Entry Draft in Jerome Gauthier-Leduc. McKeen's correspondent Rick Springhetti has notes on Gauthier-Leduc as well as several other young Huskies.

Jerome Gauthier-Leduc (2010), D, Rouyn-Noranda

Strong, fluid skater who can pivot well even while handling the puck, although he needs to improve his acceleration .. gets a lot of goals on his slapshot, which he keeps low and more importantly, on net .. corrals passes and releases his shot very quickly so opponents have to be aware of him when he is on the ice .. will not play an overwhelming physical game but will do what needs to be done, which is to separate opponents from the puck .. uses his physical skills well in his own zone and is especially effective in one on one battles where he uses his stick to maneuver opposing forwards into the corners .. has to make better reads when play is transitioning back to his end of the ice .. confident puckhandler who can make quick decisions .. tends to go on the offense a little too quickly, leaving his defense partner vulnerable if the play breaks down .. has a lot of tools to work with, now has to learn to think the game a little better.

Antoine Quevillon (2010), LW, Rouyn-Noranda

Hard-working forward now battles hard to give his linemates extra time and space .. average speed, although he does have a surprising first few steps .. turns are a little wide .. is more effective skating when he keeps his strides a little shorter .. has questionable hockey sense in the defensive zone but compensates very well by his willingness to support his linemates, sacrifice his body and outwork the opposition .. needs to better take advantage of opportunities to take a shot on net .. he does have a decent wristshot that he should use a little more often .. understands and accepts his role as a player that will forecheck hard and do the ugly things that his team needs him to do.

Jerome Raymond (2010), C, Rouyn-Noranda

Average skater with a choppy style .. seems to lack lower-body strength .. willing to crash the net if need be .. feisty player who will stand up for himself .. can get a little reckless with his stick .. makes short and safe passes but generally will dump the puck and chase after it hard .. stickhandling is a little choppy and not quick enough to give him time and space to be creative with the puck .. will come to support his defensemen in his own zone .. tries to play the angle but runs around a little against quicker opponents .. willing to use his body if need be .. doesn't see that much icetime with a stacked Rouyn team but that could very well change next season, as a few veterans will probably be traded during the off-season to complete past trades.

Sean Girard (2011), D, Rouyn-Noranda

Defenseman has average speed but very good mobility .. moves well laterally and stops are very crisp .. needs to play the angles better when defending one on one .. currently, he has a tendency to face the shooter straight ahead giving him the opportunity to cut to the inside .. plays the body well, but because he is a regular scratch in teams of overall depth, he tends to run around a little, as if he is trying to make an impression .. can make a crisp breakout pass through traffic .. has to be careful when he tries to skate the puck out of his zone, as he can make risky decisions at times and he does not have the skating ability to get himself out of trouble if he is pressured .. will be seeing a lot of minutes next season when the Huskies begin a rebuilding process and could very well show some interesting improvements.