QMJHL: Adam Emerging From Fog

The St. John's Fog Devils and Acadie-Bathurst Titan recently played Games 3, 4 and 5of their best of seven, first-round QMJHL playoff series at Mile One Center. St. John's trailed the series 2-0 heading home, but managed to get back in the series by taking two of three at Mile One. The Fog Devils 2008 draft-eligible hopefuls Samuel Grenache, Chris Thorne, Taylor MacDougall, Luke Adam and Jake Allen were all in action. The latter two in particular have garnered a lot of attention from scouts in the last few months of the season, which is not surprising given their performance and progression during the 2007-2008 campaign. McKeen's was on hand and files this report.

Samuel Grenache (2008), RW, St. John's

Selected in the ninth round, 159th overall, in the 2006 QMJHL draft by the Acadie-Bathurst Titan .. the 6-foot, 182-pound right-winger hails from Windsor, QC .. was exchanged to the St. John's Fog Devils, along with rearguard Mathieu Labrie for forward Ryan Graham and rearguard Kyle Stanley (2007-12-17) .. was in the starting lineup for games one and two .. skated on the right wing on the second line with center Wes Welcher and LW Luke Adam in all three-games .. took a regular shift and was used on the penalty kill, but no time on the powerplay .. a good skater, skates low to the ice .. displayed speed on a number of occasions, but needs to do so on a more consistent basis .. provided team with jump, energy and hustle throughout the series, was the sandpaper on the second line, needs to be more consistent in these areas .. moved the puck well and used linemates effectively, as he displayed good chemistry with Welcher and Adam .. displayed ability to receive and make a pass at top speed .. displayed stickhandling ability, choppy at times, but effective .. does not possess a great shot, but does have a quick release .. involved offensively .. strong on the forecheck .. displayed willingness and ability to play along the boards and cycle the puck .. displayed good puck-protection skills .. displayed willingness and ability to backcheck .. willingness to get involved physically was evident .. was willing to play an agitator role, involved in scrums, yapping and jawing at the Titan top players .. finished the three-game set with one goal, a minus-two rating and four shots on goal.

Chris Thorne (2008), C, St. John's

The 5-foot-11, 201-pound pivot hails from Paradise, NL .. selected in the fifth round, 79th overall, in the 2006 QMJHL draft by the St. John's Fog Devils .. was used on the fourth line in all three-games .. started at center between LW Vincent Paiement and RW Matt Boland in game one, but also had time with Taylor MacDougall and Jean-Simon Allard .. started on the left wing with pivot Taylor MacDougall and RW Matt Boland in games two and three, but also had time with Mario Kempe and Jean-Simon Allard, as well as Luke Adam and Matt Fillier .. had limited icetime in game one, used solely in five-on-five situations .. had more icetime in game two playing five-on-five and on the penalty kill .. was used in all situations in game three: regular shift, powerplay, penalty kill and four-on-four .. definitely used as a role player and was extremely effective .. displayed ability to adapt with different linemates and in different situations .. a solid skater with quick strides and speed .. strong on his skates, strong upper-body strength clearly displayed .. moved the puck well overall, can play the dump-and-chance game, as well as the puck possession game .. not involved offensively with respect to direct shots on goal, but was involved in the play in the offensive zone by setting screens, and battling along the boards, in front of the net, and in the corners .. displayed ability to stickhandle and skate with the puck at top speed .. defensively responsible, not a liability on the ice at any point in the game .. worked hard, demonstrated a desire and ability to backcheck, and identify potential dangerous players .. active stick on the penalty kill, as he did a smart job of taking away shooting and passing lanes .. displayed willingness and ability to block shots .. was involved physically, looked to finish all of his checks and was willing to take a hit to make a play .. came to the aid of a teammate and ended up fighting Cameron Critchlow as a result .. finished the three-game set with no points, five PIM's, took three faceoffs (won all three) and threw a number of good hits.

Taylor MacDougall (2008), C, St. John's

Selected in the second round, 25th overall, in the 2006 QMJHL draft by St. John's .. the 6-foot-3, 200-pound center hails from The Pas, MB .. was used on the third and fourth lines throughout the three-game set .. skated on the left wing with center Chris Thorne and RW Matt Boland in game one on the third line .. centered the fourth line between LW Chris Thorne and RW Matt Boland in games two and three .. also had time with Mario Kempe and Jean-Simon Allard .. was used in five-on-five situations and on the penalty kill in games one and two .. played in all situations in game three: regular shift, powerplay, penalty killing and four-on-four .. was used extensively on the PK throughout the series .. size and strength clearly evident .. a good skater with strong strides .. offensive instincts not overly strong with respect to creating chances and finishing around the net .. displayed willingness and ability to forecheck, worked hard along the boards and cycled the puck down low .. strong defensively, solid positionally .. displayed good anticipation on the penalty kill and ability to close the gaps .. big body presence in the faceoff circle and smart defensively on a lost draw .. finished the three-game set with no points, a plus-one rating, four shots on goal, took 19 faceoffs (winning 12) and had two PIM's.

Luke Adam (2008), C, St. John's

The 6-foot-1, 210-pound pivot hails from St. John's, NL .. selected in the first round, seventh overall, in the 2006 QMJHL draft by the St. John's Fog Devils .. was in the starting lineup for games one and two .. skated on the left wing with center Wes Welcher and RW Samuel Grenache in all three-games .. took a regular shift and was used extensively on the powerplay in the series, also saw time four-on-four in game three .. no time on the penalty kill in either game .. Luke Adam and Jean-Simon Allard were the Fog Devils best two forwards in this three-game set .. seemed to create offence every time he was on the ice .. skating has always been a question mark with Adam and it is true that he is not the most graceful skater, but he is effective and is always in the right position .. the puck and play seemed to follow him around the ice .. distributed the puck extremely well, used linemates effectively .. hockey sense and a strong understanding of the game were evident in his play .. possesses a great shot, with a quick release and has the ability to get the puck up extremely quick, as he does not need much room .. used size and strength to his advantage in the offensive zone and was able to create room with physical play .. exceptional puck-protection skills .. displayed ability to work down low, along the boards and on the cycle .. displayed determination and willingness to get to the net .. was involved on the forecheck and in the physical play in this series .. definitely an offensive player (strong from the blueline in, dominated at times) .. displayed willingness to backcheck on a number of occasions .. not a great two-way player, but has definitely improved that area of his game .. finished the three-game set with one goal, three assists, a minus-one rating, 14 shots on goal (six considered of a dangerous nature), took three faceoffs (winning one), threw three good hits and picked up two PIM's.

Jake Allen (2008), G, St. John's

Selected in the third round, 40th overall, in the 2007 QMJHL draft by the St. John's Fog Devils .. the 6-foot-1, 175-pound goaltender hails from Fredericton, NB .. was the backup goaltender to Timo Pielmeier in game one, but came on in relief at the 8:03 mark of the second period, picked up the win in relief stopping eight of ten shots fired his way .. never had a chance on either goal in game one (goal one came on a powerplay and goal two was a result of a turnover) .. was the starting goaltender in game two, named the games third star, making 27 saves to pick up his second win of the series .. the only goal surrendered in game two came as a result of a scramble in front and poor defensive zone coverage .. was the starting goaltender in game three, but was pulled at the 16:23 mark of the first period after surrendering three goals on just nine shots .. two of the three goals given up in game three were weak goals, one five-hole and one far side blocker .. a butterfly style goaltender .. displayed a quick glove hand on more than one occasion .. extremely quick down low with his pads .. strong post-to-post, ability to read the play evident .. rebound control was solid overall .. strong playing the puck, acting like an extra defenseman .. has confidence of teammates, allowing them to play more of an offensive game .. cool, calm and in control between the pipes, as he does not get rattled or show emotion .. handled traffic and crease-crashing, good discipline .. other than the blip in game three, Allen gave his team a chance to win .. definitely has the potential to be a starter in the QMJHL, but has shown that he is well prepared if used in a backup role .. finished the three-game set with a 2-1 record, surrendered six goals against, faced 47 shots and made 41 saves.