QMJHL: Bruce Almighty!

Moncton’s duo of Bruce Graham and Martins Karsums have impressed so far for Moncton in their drive for the QMJHL finals. Also read on for notes on the Wildcats’ Steve Bernier, Konstantin Zakharov and Nathan Saunders.

Bruce Graham (2004), C

A tall, graceful, rangy kid .. so much room for potential and shows plenty of willingness to suck in the experience .. smooth-skating, crafty pivot .. an effective forechecker due to his size and reach .. has a long, fluid stride .. pretty strong upper body; solid and improving on faceoffs .. quick first step and long arms get him considerable minutes on the PK .. I don’t get a sense he reacts to the movement of the puck quite well yet .. not as quick mentally as he is physically, but his instincts have gotten better all year .. doesn’t use size enough along the boards; too dependent on his stick .. must develop a mean streak to take the next step; something he doesn’t need all that terribly in the Q .. a bit too nice at times; a smaller playmaker in the body of a giant .. great attitude and takes the game seriously; was emotionally crushed after a disappointing team effort in game three of the QMJHL finals .. an intriguing, crafty player who has much to learn about using his body.

Martins Karsums (2004), RW

Gotta love this guy; a couple of more inches and he’s a first rounder .. not a weakling at all; pretty strong on his skates .. takes off flawlessly .. skates with short baby steps .. gets a bit outmuscled at the faceoff circle (took a few although a natural winger), but did that one thing like Bobby Clarke where when he would lose, he’d cross the sticks and not let you go - I liked this a lot .. a competitive little guy .. soft hands and quick release .. confident and reads offensive plays at an elite level .. slips by defenses like a snake - very serpentine .. terrific agility .. cool and smart.

Steve Bernier (San Jose), RW

Somewhat rough on his skates; lacks a quick takeoff .. once he turns on the jets, he has underrated speed .. turns fluidly .. an effective forechecker with his size and reach .. has not been the take-charge sniper people have expected in the final against Gatineau .. hasn’t stepped up; doesn’t fight for the puck, preferring to wait for it, but his teammates have been unable to set him up .. a strong boy who must learn to use his body effectively and accurately .. has the body of a power forward, but not the meanness .. good passing skills; above-average vision .. not as strong on the puck as I would like .. failed to control the puck effectively in several offensive odd-man rushes .. needs a big season to alleviate some concerns.

Nathan Saunders (Anaheim), D

Mature blueliner .. stays with his man well .. plays with a no-nonsense approach; bangs bodies, likes to trash talk .. a leader and a take-charge rearguard, but mostly in terms of defensive aspects .. the only Moncton rearguard who has stood his ground firmly thus far in the final against the powerhouse Gatineau .. solid back skater; moves smoothly laterally, effectively plugging holes .. uses stick wisely to knock down the puck .. vocal and reads the play at a pro level.

Konstantin Zakharov (St. Louis), RW

Swift-skating goalscorer .. has a tendency to overhandle the puck in his own end .. needs to learn to make quicker, safer plays offensively .. too often lazy and uninspired in his own end .. was behind the play on several forechecking plays .. creates space for himself very well due to his reach and good lower body strength .. excellent stickhandling skills .. scored a goal from the faceoff circle, releasing a quick, accurate wrister blocker-side .. not learning physical defensive aspects well at the QMJHL level .. looked disinterested, contributing to Moncton’s lackluster finals showing so far.