QMJHL: Deschamps Rising Fast
When McKeen's contacted Chicoutimi Sagueneens' left winger Nicolas Deschamps and told him that he was a top 20 candidate for the 2008 NHL entry draft, the young man's humility soon became evident.
"Top 20...... in the world?" asked Deschamps with incredulity. "Wow!
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That's great to hear."
It's been a meteoric rise for Deschamps from midget hockey and a fourth-line
spot on Quebec's Canada Winter Games' representative last February to strong
consideration for the first round of this year's NHL entry draft.
"I was not thinking at the beginning of the year that things would go this
well," admitted Deschamps, who is already a first-line player on the
Sagueneens. "My objective was to score 30 points and to make the third
line. If I was drafted...great. But now it's looking a lot better. If I
get drafted in the first round, it would be great."
He has met those modest objectives and then some, with 20 goals and 52
points in 55 QMJHL games, and his hope of making the third line was realized
in September. By November, Deschamps was lining up next to one of the best
centers in the league, Francis Pare, and the two have had great chemistry
together.
A natural center, the switch to left wing seemed to come naturally as well,
and Deschamps is already considered by some to be one of the top left
wingers in the QMJHL.
"He looks like he could play a power forward game," said one scout when
asked if he thought Deschamps would be better suited playing center at the
pro level. "I think he may be better on the wing. He's adapted quite
nicely."
Mighty high praise for a QMJHL rookie passed over completely at the 2006
draft.
"I don't think I was drafted because I was playing midget hockey (in
2005-06) and didn't switch to midget AAA until the middle of the year,"
explained Deschamps. "I was 5-9, 145 pounds at 15-years old."
Deschamps ended up being one of the leading scorers in Quebec midget hockey
last season, and QMJHL teams didn't make the same mistake twice, as
Deschamps was Chicoutimi's first round pick in the 2007 draft, 12th overall.
Asked why Deschamps wasn't picked in the draft the year before, Sagueneens'
GM/coach Richard Martel didn't have an easy answer.
"It's a good question," said Martel. "This year he's pretty good. He's a very good skater, very agile. He plays both ends of the rink and plays with
a lot of maturity. He's a good feeder, passes the puck very well."
Deschamps is quick to credit Martel for developing his game at the junior
level.
"Work ethic," said Deschamps when asked why he has improved so rapidly. "I
got it from the coach. I was working hard, but not that hard. The coach
helped me with that. Martel - he likes to win a lot...and when we lose..."
Chicoutimi is in the running for the Memorial Cup in 2009. With the field
narrowed down to two, the other being a struggling Shawinigan team,
Chicoutimi stands a good chance of hosting the CHL championship next spring.
"That would be awesome; a great opportunity," said Deschamps. "Next year
we're going to be pretty strong."
Deschamps, 185 pounds and just a shade under 6-1, isn't worried about
filling out, pointing out that his father weighs about 290 pounds. He grew
up in Montreal on the south shore, where his father Roger worked as an
armored truck guard and coached him in summer hockey.
"My dad when he played was a fighter, said Deschamps. "He's pretty big. He
didn't play very high (calibre) though. Me....I'm not really a fighter."
NHL scouts don't want him to be a fighter either; he does too many other
things well.
"This is a well-rounded kid," noted a scout who changed his opinion on
Deschamps after seeing him play recently. Earlier in the season he had been
lukewarm about his NHL upside, but after a strong Top Prospects Game and
another solid showing soon after, the scout now considers him to be one
of the top prospects from the QMJHL.
"Last time I saw him....his first shift he was dominant," said the scout.
"He went in and initiated contact, got the puck, made a couple of nice
plays and scored a goal. He's got a lot of character, sees the ice well and
makes smart plays."
Even though he's impressing lots of scouts with his smarts and two-way
abilities, the 18-year-old admits that he has a lot of work to do.
"I have to work on everything," contended Deschamps. "My shot, my skating,
my physical play. Strength-wise, I'm not that bad. I work out three times a
week. In the summer it's like every day."
He covers a lot of territory on the ice with a long wingspan that he owes in
large part to his stick. "I use a longer stick than others," said the soft
spoken Deschamps, whose favourite player is Jarome Iginla even though he
cheers for the Habs and the Red Wings. "I like to play with a longer stick."
The Sagueneens will hope that he continues to skate hard, talk softly and
carry a big stick.