QMJHL: Champagne Fountain of Youth

The Chicoutimi Sagueneens appear to have a bright future with 15 players under the age of 19. The Sagueneens recently earned a split with the St. John's Fog Devils at Mile One Center. McKeen's correspondent Gerald Gosse reports on several 2008 NHL draft eligibles including big pivot Joel Champagne.

Matthew Whitaker (2008), LW, Chicoutimi

The Pierrefonds, QC native was selected in the sixth round, 102nd overall, in the 2007 QMJHL draft by Chicoutimi .. the 5-foot-8, 151-pound winger skated on the first line in both games .. played in all situations - regular shift, powerplay and penalty kill .. a decent skater .. solid on the forecheck .. second efforts clearly displayed .. made solid passes and moved the puck extremely well .. displayed good vision .. not involved directly in the offence, failing to generate much in the way of scoring chances .. knocked off the puck easily at times, usually by bigger players .. finished the two-game set with a single helper, a minus-one rating and two shots on goal.

Jacob Lagace (2008), LW, Chicoutimi

The Beloeil, QC native was selected in the third round, 54th overall, in the 2007 Q draft by Chicoutimi .. the 5-foot-11, 196-pound winger skated on the first line in both games .. played in all situations - regular shift, powerplay and penalty kill .. skates with speed, but not grace .. wasn't involved offensively on a consistent basis, but was a threat on a few occasions .. seemed to relax on defense and intensity decreased without the puck .. used his 196-pound frame to get involved physically and did not shy away from the scrums .. finished the series with one goal, four PIM's, a minus-two rating and four shots on goal, three of a dangerous nature.

Derek Famulare (2008), LW, Chicoutimi

The Montreal, QC native was selected in the fourth round, 71st overall, in the 2006 QMJHL draft by Chicoutimi .. the 6-foot-2, 186-pound winger skated on the third line in both games .. took a regular shift and saw time on the powerplay .. a hunched over skater with wide strides .. solid defensively and plays his position well .. worked hard each shift .. never produced much in the way of offence that resulted directly in goals, but gave the coaching staff important minutes .. managed to take advantage of turnovers because of his strong positional play, but was unable to finish .. finished the two-game set with one assist, two PIM's, a plus-one rating and four shots on goal.

Olivier Ouellet (2008), C, Chicoutimi

The Drummondville, QC native was selected in the second round, 24th overall, in the 2007 QMJHL draft by Chicoutimi .. the 5-foot-8, 163-pound center was a healthy scratch in Game 1, but centered the fourth line in Game 2 .. the diminutive pivot was one of the better Sagueneens players in the second game .. provided the team with energy and jump .. icetime increased throughout the game, but was used more on the wing .. spotted time on the powerplay and penalty kill .. displayed skating ability (speed and quickness) .. showed great anticipation in the offensive (soft hands) and defensive zones (active stick) .. finished with one goal, one assist, two PIM's, a plus-two rating, one shot on goal and won two of the three faceoffs that he took.

Nicolas Deschamps (2008), C, Chicoutimi

The Delson, QC native was selected in the first round, 12th overall, in the 2007 Q draft by Chicoutimi .. the 6-foot, 175-pound center skated on the third line in Game 1, but was promoted to first line duty in Game 2 .. played in all situations - regular shift, powerplay and penalty kill .. a good skater who displayed better than average speed to the outside and a willingness to battle in and through the high traffic areas .. an energy player .. aggressive on the forecheck and solid work along the boards .. demonstrated stickhandling ability and creativity .. failed to produce offensively .. made some questionable decisions in the offensive zone (blind passes and drop passes) .. despite a minus-two rating, he was active defensively and provided support for the defense .. struggled in the faceoff circle in both games .. took 25 draws overall (7W, 18L) .. definitely needs to work on faceoffs.

Antoine Roussel (2008), LW, Chicoutimi

The Roubaix, France native was a 2006 invitee to Chicoutimi's training camp and the 5-foot-11, 167-pound left-winger has found a home with the Sagueneens .. started both games .. skated on the second line with Joel Champagne as his center .. a smooth skater who displayed speed and agility .. strong on the forecheck .. played in all situations - regular shift, powerplay and penalty kill .. demonstrated a solid work ethic and second efforts .. involved in the physical play and in the middle of scrums .. responsible defensively .. displayed excellent discipline in a number of situations, which led to powerplays .. despite possessing a good hard shot, he looked to pass first and forced the issue at times .. finished the two-games with four PIM's and four shots on goal.

Mikael Lemieux (2008), LW, Chicoutimi

The Pittsburgh, PA native is only one of five players on the roster that hails from outside of the Province of Quebec .. a 2007 invitee to training camp, the 5-foot-11, 180-pound left-winger skated on the fourth line in Game 1, but was a healthy scratch in Game 2 .. limited icetime, but was inserted onto other lines throughout the game .. played a simple game .. an up-and down winger who paid particular attention to his defensive responsibilities .. definitely used as a role player.

Francois Levesque (2008), G, Chicoutimi

Selected in the fourth round, 68th overall, in the 2006 QMJHL draft by Chicoutimi .. the 6-foot, 168-pound puck stopper hails from Baie-Comeau, QC .. started both games against St. John's, as regular starter Bobby Nadeau was out with an injury .. butterfly-style goaltender .. demonstrated quickness (up/down, post-to-post), steady glove and active pads .. displayed ability to challenge shooters, but too often was caught deep in his crease .. rebound control was solid in close, but he had some problems controlling shots from outside the slot .. committed too early on a number of occasions giving shooters too much room upstairs .. came off the post easy and failed to get square to the shooters on a few occasions .. tentative playing the puck .. despite some minor mistakes, he definitely competed hard in both games .. gave his team a chance to win each night and in the end that is all that can be asked from any goaltender ..

Luc-Olivier Blain (2008), C, Chicoutimi

Drafted by Val-d'Or in the 2006 Q-draft in the 10th round, 167th overall and was exchanged to Chicoutimi from Val-d'Or on 2007-01-03 .. the 6-foot-2, 175-pound pivot is from Lemoyne, QC .. skated on the fourth line in Game 1, but was a healthy scratch in Game 2 .. limited icetime .. has a lumbering skating style .. involved in the physical play and scrums .. responsible defensively.

Joel Champagne (2008), C, Chicoutimi

Selected in the first round, 10th overall, in the 2006 QMJHL draft by Chicoutimi .. the 6-foot-3, 205-pound LaSalle, QC native started both games and centered the second line .. logged a ton of icetime (significant and effective minutes overall) .. played in all situations - regular shift, double shifted, powerplay and penalty kill .. the Sagueneens offence seemed to focus around the big man in the middle .. skates well for a big pivot, but there is always room for improvement .. displayed willingness to skate into high traffic areas .. big, strong and smart, with soft hands - a dangerous combination .. works hard and displayed toughness and discipline .. solid with the puck, good puck protection .. used his reach and size to his advantage .. active stick .. puck seemed to find him .. involved more offensively in Game 1 .. was held in check in Game 2 .. needs to battle more and create room for himself .. improving his skating would benefit the rest of his overall game .. outstanding in the faceoff circle, winning 60% of his faceoffs .. finished the series with two goals, a plus-two rating and five shots on goal .. definitely looking forward to following his progress this season, but disappointed that the Sagueneens and Fog Devils do not meet anymore this season.