Mimar Shooting for the Stars

The last two seasons have been difficult for the Baie-Comeau Drakkar both on and off the ice. Things may get more difficult for the Drakkar, as rumors suggest star forward Gabriel Bourque will be traded to the Moncton Wildcats after his stint for Team Canada at the World Junior Championships. McKeen's correspondent Rick Springhetti reports on some younger Drakkar, who will likely take on more important roles.

Marc-Olivier Mimar (2010), RW, Baie-Comeau

Average skater who uses his lower body well to pick up speed .. good passing ability, likes to spin and pass the puck using his backhand, often successfully .. has trouble receiving passes when he is in movement .. will need to learn to corral passes and plant his feet as to improve the release on his shot .. keeps his feet in motion in the offensive zone, especially on the powerplay where he is a moving target .. understands his role when playing with talented players .. keeps his game simple by distributing the puck to more talented linemates and go hard to the net .. would like to see him try and position himself better in the slot, as he is too often in a position where he can't get a good shot toward the goaltender .. most of his scoring chances come when he does manage to get himself open near the net .. has a fairly hard shot but needs to hit his target with more regularity .. still has to learn to cut down passing lanes in his own zone but he won't hurt you defensively either .. all-around play has shown regular improvement since last season.

Simon Darveau (2010), RW, Baie-Comeau

Protects the puck fairly well along the boards, wins a good deal of his battles, but seems unsure what to do once he does get possession of the puck.. often will just shoot it to the front the net hoping a teammate could get in the net .. works hard on the forecheck, which is why he is used on the PK at times, but does not anticipate plays well enough to be very effective once opponents gain control of the puck in his zone .. not a very fast skater, he has a difficult time generating power from his legs .. balance and pivots are especially difficult .. could be due to his habit of keeping his upper body crouched over a little making it hard to use his waist and hips to turn .. will hit opponents hard if he has a chance .. doesn't nearly get himself open enough to get decent scoring chances.

Antoine Letourneau (2010), D, Baie-Comeau

Defenseman who basically plays like an extra forward on the ice .. quick skater who can make sharp turns .. finds open spaces and can take advantage of them .. sees a lot of time on the powerplay due to his ability to distribute the puck on either side of him and make effective stretch passes to an open teammate .. too often, he loses possession of the puck so he has to start playing a safer game, especially in his own zone .. will play the puckcarrier too aggressively at times but this may be necessary for him as he does not have the size (5-7, 155) to clear the front of the net if opponents manage to position themselves in the crease .. has to be used in certain situations to be effective, something that the coaching staff seems very aware of.

Simon Giroux (2010), G, Baie-Comeau

Flexible goaltender with decent size .. moves laterally fairly well .. does not challenge shooters very much preferring to let the puck hit him .. has trouble keeping track of opponents when they cut to the inside .. rebound control needs to improve, especially when shots are high .. not a very adept puckhandler but doesn't try to do more that he should .. resiliency is being tested, as he does have a 1-10 record, but he seems to be holding up about as well as can be expected.