QMJHL: Champion Titan

The Acadie-Bathurst Titan and the St. John's Fog Devils recently played a two-game set at Mile One Center. The Titan swept the series and as a result finished in third place in the Eastern Division standings. The weekend set was a preview of the first-round playoff match-up to come between the Titan and the Fog Devils. Le Titan 2008 draft-eligible hopefuls Remi Blanchard, Olivier Jannard, Vincent Couture and Nicolas Champion, along with 2010 draft-eligible hopeful Cameron Critchlow were all in action. McKeen's correspondent Gerald Gosse was on hand and files this report.

Remi Blanchard (2008), D, Acadie-Bathurst

The 5-foot-9, 178-pound blueliner hails from Bas-Caraquet, NB .. was paired on the second-defense unit with Lucas Lang in both games .. logged significant and effective minutes throughout the series .. played in all situations: regular shift, on the powerplay (extensive use), on the penalty kill and while skating four-on-four .. small, compact stature .. skated well, moved with ease around the ice in all three zones .. made solid outlet passes, moved the puck extremely well, and puck distribution was especially strong on the powerplay .. ability to get teammates involved was clearly demonstrated .. displayed stickhandling ability on numerous occasions .. solid, steady overall .. strong positionally, not overly physical or aggressive, but smart and effective .. demonstrated great vision and poise with the puck under pressure .. solid decision-making with respect to pinching and not pinching, switching assignments/help defense and deciding when to lead, join, jump into or back off the play .. seemed to skate at one speed and does not seem to have a second gear, but at the same time controlled the play with the puck .. reluctant to shoot the puck on a number of occasions .. lack of size could be an obstacle to overcome at the next level, but it is the belief here that he could potentially make up for his lack of size with his hockey sense and smarts .. finished the series with no goals, one assist, a plus-two rating and four PIM's.

Olivier Jannard (2008), D, Acadie-Bathurst

The 5-foot-10, 180-pound rearguard hails from McMasterville, QC .. was selected in the third round, 53rd overall, in the 2006 QMJHL draft by the Drummondville Voltigeurs .. exchanged to Acadie-Bathurst on 2008-01-07 .. was paired on the third-defense unit with Daniel Tanel in both games, but also skated with different partners throughout the series .. took a regular shift and had limited time on the powerplay, no time on the penalty kill .. strong skater, with speed and mobility .. skated well with his head-up, moved the puck quick and made solid passes .. displayed excellent vision, and read the ice extremely well .. displayed stickhandling ability on more than one occasion .. displayed willingness to take a hit to make a play - the right plays in most cases .. did a great job of meeting attacking forwards at the blueline, as he was rarely beat to the outside and displayed ability to defend the middle of the ice as well .. decision-making (forcing play) and positioning (pinching, not pinching, running around on defense) was suspect at times, but not on a consistent basis .. does not possess, at least never displayed a hard shot, and attempted mostly wristshots from the point .. finished the two-game set with no goals, two helpers, a minus-two rating and two shots on goal.

Cameron Critchlow (2010), LW, Acadie-Bathurst

Selected in the first round, 14th overall, in the 2007 QMJHL draft by the Acadie-Bathurst Titan .. the 5-foot-9, 174-pound left-winger hails from Fredericton, NB .. centered the fourth line between LW Vincent Couture and RW Kyle MacNeil in both games .. limited icetime overall, but did see some time on the powerplay and penalty kill .. skated well, displayed speed and agility .. provided team with energy, hustle and second efforts .. strong on the forecheck and displayed willingness and ability to backcheck .. persistent puck pursuit .. used wingers effectively and moved the puck well .. does not have much size and was overmatched physically at times .. finished the two-game set with no points, one shot on goal, two PIM's and won five-of-six faceoffs.

Vincent Couture (2008), C, Acadie-Bathurst

The 6-foot-2, 182-pound pivot is from Sorel, QC .. skated on the fourth line on the left wing in both games with pivot Cameron Critchlow and RW Kyle McNeil .. limited icetime at even strength, no time on the PP or PK .. tall, lanky/skinny lower body, some upper-body size .. skated with wide strides, strong on skates, but does not possess speed .. displayed stickhandling ability .. displayed a soft touch on a couple of passes that led to direct scoring chances .. strong along the boards, on the cycle and in front of the net .. upper-body strength was evident, as he was able to push opposing players off the puck with relative ease on a number of occasions .. willing to pay the price (taking hits, blocking shots) to be effective .. responsible defensively, not much in the way of offensive instincts .. definitely used as a role player and excelled in that role .. finished the two-game set with no points and one shot on goal.

Nicolas Champion (2008), G, Acadie-Bathurst

The 5-foot-11, 156-pound goaltender hails from Labrador City, NL .. was selected in the

12th round, 205th overall, in the 2007 QMJHL draft by the Acadie-Bathurst Titan .. Scholastic Player of the Month for the Month of December 2007 .. Champion tended goal for the Northern Huskies (Labrador) in the NL AAA Midget Hockey League in 2006-2007 .. interesting to note: Champion was the Northern Huskies only goaltender .. has been a great addition to the Titan this season and has provided the Titan with stellar goaltending in the absence of starter Antoine Tardif, whom remains sidelined with a high ankle sprain, expected return date is second round of the QMJHL playoffs .. started both games against the Fog Devils, both wins, 5-3 and 3-2 respectively .. butterfly-style goaltender .. played deep in his net .. solid rebound control overall .. active between the pipes, aware of the play in front of him and displayed ability to track the puck through traffic .. displayed a quick glove on a number of occasions .. was cool, calm and focused throughout the series .. tends to commit too early on occasion .. does not handle or play the puck well .. made the key saves when called upon and that is all that can be asked from your starting goaltender .. surrendered three goals on 27 shots in game one, 24 saves (goal one was a result of a scramble in front of the net and a loose rebound, goal two was a result of a turnover that lead to a 2-on-1, no chance on shot to low blocker and goal three was a result of some suspect defensive zone coverage, no chance on the shot stick side) .. surrendered two goals on 29 shots in game two, 27 saves (goal one, shot from side of the net beat him five-hole and goal two was a semi breakaway, although pressured, backhand flip shot low blocker side) .. finished the two-game set with a 2-0 record, surrendered five goals on 56 shots (12 considered dangerous shots), made 51 saves.