QMJHL [Feb-06]: Chicoutimi Sags

Chicoutimi Sags (posted 2.25.06)

by Chris Parsley

The high-octane Chicoutimi Sagueneens made their first ever trip to St. John's last week to take on the expansion Fog Devils in back-to-back contests. Coming into the two-game series ranked number eight in the CHL, the Sags looked anything but powerful in squeaking out a 4-3 shootout win last Tuesday, before suffering an embarrassing 5-1 loss to the upstart Devils the following night.

Chicoutimi was expected to blow out a far less talented St. John's club, but big guns Maxime Boisclair, Stan Lascek, David Desharnais, Marek Zagrapan, and Patrick Coulombe were neutralized, due in large part to their own lackluster effort. Lascek was the only star who had any zip in his game at all. We've got notes on the Tampa draft pick, as well as a couple of his other teammates.

Stanislav Lascek (TB), RW, Chicoutimi

Lascek is an outstanding stick-handler and controlled the puck with ease in high-traffic areas while at top speed ... skated on what would be considered the Sags' second line with Buffalo first rounder Zagrapan, and second-year left winger Shayne Tremblay ... Lascek skated around three Fog Devils and circled the net to set up Tremblay for his team's only goal in the 5-1 loss ... scored the winning shootout goal in the first game, making it look easy as he went to his backhand and beat St. John's goalie Brandon Verge ... not all was great for Lascek though as he had a point-blank chance from the slot but hit Verge square in the chest ... also took a ridiculous penalty when he cross-checked a St. John's player into his own Sags teammate, goalie Alexandre Vincent ... Lascek looks every bit a professional with his skating stride and skill level, and appeared to be one of the few Chicoutimi players interested in putting out an effort.

Alexandre Vincent (Van), G, Chicoutimi

The first thing you notice with Vincent is his size, measuring in at 6'5", and reminding many of a much younger Ken Dryden with his uncomfortable-looking posture ... Vincent was excellent down low, making three or four outstanding pad saves in the first period Tuesday to keep his team in it early on ... an excellent positional goalie who looked very composed under pressure while his teammates left alone on many occasions ... he was perfect in the shootout, stopping all three shooters and giving them very little net to aim for ... perhaps the most impressive part of Vincent's game in St. John's was the fact he gave up almost no rebounds - the puck consistently hit him and died where he could easily cover it ... the Fog Devils seemed to adjust to Vincent and starting shooting high, which lead to a couple of goals ... Vincent looked a little shaky and awkward as he was beaten 5-hole on a short handed breakaway.

Mathieu Bolduc (2006), D, Chicoutimi

The 2006-eligible blue liner was one of his team's better players in St. John's ... a right-handed shot, Bolduc demonstrated plenty of poise and patience for such a young player ... his skating will need work as he had trouble turning and was beaten wide a couple of times ... Bolduc brings the size to his pairing with 19-year-old Julien Brouillette bringing the experience and skill ... Bolduc

showed some impressive strength as he threw a big hit and knocked over Devils' 235-pounder Marty Doyle.

Julien Ellis On Track Cataractes (posted 2.16.06)

by Chris McCluskey

Julien Ellis (Van), G, Shawinigan

A goaltender who appears to be on track to becoming a potential NHL No. 1, but needs to learn to play with the same composure he showed to begin the season .. tends to get over-enthusiastic and subsequently loses his bearings .. otherwise strong positionally .. can improve on his game-reading skills, particularly when to challenge shooters - was beaten over the shoulder in this contest while standing deep in his net .. boasts quick pads and some of the best lateral movement seen in the league .. doesn't follow the puck as well as some others and must upgrade his ability to see through traffic .. good rebound control .. will be on his way once he learns to relax and properly use the time available to think about his play.

Justin Vienneau (CBJ), D, Shawinigan

Those who questioned the wisdom of this draft selection are beginning to observe some of what Columbus believed could be accomplished .. a decent skater for a big man .. very efficient playing the body, especially on the one-on-one's .. can also contribute on the power play as he wastes no time firing off a hard shot from the point .. Vienneau has demonstrated impressive dedication, having worked very hard to improve his overall game .. by focusing on his shortcomings, he is starting to see results .. nevertheless, still a long-term project who will need a few years of seasoning before challenging for a position as a checking defenseman.

Francis Pare (2006), C, Shawinigan

Highly creative every shift, Pare conjures up some of the trickiest moves you're likely to witness at this level .. a finesse player with extremely smooth hands .. arguably the Cataractes' most naturally-gifted offensively .. a master of the 'off-speed' shot, which really catches opposing netminders off guard .. very patient in possession, and also shows excellent urgency away from the puck as he always exerts pressure on opposing d-men .. quick feet and above-average intelligence .. if only he wasn't so small (listed at 5-9/175), a drawback which kept him from NHL draft consideration .. will have to work his way up the pro ranks the hard way.

QMJHL Players of the Week (posted 2.13.06)

Drummondville Voltigeurs forward Guillaume Latendresse and Quebec Remparts goaltender Cedrick Desjardins were named offensive and defensive players of the week for the period extending from February 6th to 12th.

Wanting More Sheppard (posted 2.10.06)

by Derrick LeBlanc

James Sheppard (2006), C, Cape Breton

For a player projected to be drafted within the top 10, he left everyone wanting more - a lot more .. facing the top-ranked team in the country (Moncton Wildcats), but didn't show much to the dismay of the numerous scouts in attendance .. of the few good things, he did stand out in the faceoff circle, winning 9 of 13 for the night .. also, his long powerful stride shows the foundation to progress into a very hard player to knock off the puck .. threw a few big hits and played with a bit of an edge for most of the game, although he never got too dirty .. expected to carry Cape Breton, however was just part of the scenery .. showed little interest in doing what was necessary to compete .. took a checking-from-behind penalty with three minutes to go in the game with his team down by three goals, and was also goaded into taking penalties by the opponents fourth line .. this was a chance for him to showcase some leadership to the scouts, who went away instead questioning his heart and work ethic.

Ondrej Pavelec (Atl), G, Cape Breton

His play is somewhat erratic as he doesn't seem to fit a specific style .. makes some saves look hard or overly spectacular due largely to his subpar positioning .. quick laterally and possesses a lightning-fast glove hand that robbed the opponents numerous times .. however, he showed very poor rebound control in this contest .. more than once, he failed to absorb the puck on shots that hit his chest and fell to the ice for easy tap-in's .. plays too deep in his net and doesn't challenge the shooter frequently enough .. could also learn to rely less on his reflexes to bail himself out of jams.

Lewiston Report: Paiement, Denny, Cliche (posted 2.6.06)

by Chris McCluskey

Jonathan Paiement (NYR), D, Lewiston

A player who has been in the 'Q' for too long and is in need of a challenge .. plays a calm, dominant defensive game and is able to create opportunities offensively .. seldom makes mistakes .. ability to see teammates no matter where they are, and hit them with flawlessly placed passes .. not flashy, but will make some surprising plays that shows marvellous intelligence .. sleek wristers from the point take goaltenders by surprise .. if a man gets behind him, he has the speed to catch up .. feistiness sometimes leads to undisciplined penalties, but he is also able to draw them .. looking forward to his transition to pro.

Chad Denny (Atl), D/W, Lewiston

Now listed as being a winger, but spent most of the game on the blueline including special teams .. dominant ability to play the body, manhandles even 6-foot-3, 200-pound opponents like ragdolls .. strong in one-on-one situations without the puck .. impossible to stop in full flight with the puck because of his size, but lacks any semblance of offensive ability like a Steve Bernier .. otherwise a project player who barely gets by in junior .. will not want him launching the outlet game at the next level unless there is drastic improvement .. made a number of textbook errors, including trying to stickhandle out of his own zone .. below average instincts with the puck .. a number of awful first passes .. fired the puck like a hot potato once under forechecking pressure .. booming shot from the point, but needs to work on getting it off a lot quicker .. could be third-line NHL material long term on size alone, but is unlikely to put up the points he has this season for Lewiston unless he shows stark improvements in hockey sense.

Marc-Andre Cliche (NYR), RW, Lewiston

One of those players it is a pleasure to watch skate .. strong stick handler, keeping control even when being pushed around .. Lewiston's go-to face-off man .. needs to add some urgency to his game .. certainly not into taking any risks, and was not by any means exciting to watch.

QMJHL Players of the Week (posted 2.6.06)

Forward Derick Brassard of the Drummondville Voltigeurs and defenseman Michal Sersen of the Quebec Remparts were named offensive and defensive players of the week for the period extending from January 30th to February 5th, 2006.

Lewiston Report: Aubin, Bernier, Chaput (posted 2.2.06)

by Chris McCluskey

Mathieu Aubin (Mtl), C, Lewiston

Not an exciting player to watch, but has racked up 52 points in 35 games for the Maineiacs .. a stealthy player who you never see rushing the puck .. finds his office at the side of the opposition net .. knows when he's in trouble and always has an escape plan for the puck .. dishes the puck off before being hit, does not have a physical dimension or ability to protect the puck along the boards .. hangs out in the offensive zone where a defenseman won't challenge him .. picks corners on the goaltender with his quick, accurate release .. has good instincts as to where to throw the puck so it is dangerous to the other team .. not an intense fore checker, but rather calculates opportunities to get hold of loose pucks and pick off passes .. scored Lewiston's third goal by picking off a dangerous pass across the goal mouth by Halifax's Jean-Francois Brault and burying it .. logs much time on the special teams.

Jonathan Bernier (2006), G, Lewiston

The first team needing a goaltender in the NHL Draft will be taking Jonathan Bernier .. could be the Q's best netminding prospect since Marc-Andre Fleury .. lightning quick lateral movement .. plays angles extremely well .. a butterfly-style goaltender without the habit of going down on his knees too early .. the only time he is on the ground is when the puck is in close, and was beat twice on the glove side this way (not his fault) .. takes up a lot of space in the net, even when he's backed up into it .. rebounded well after surrendering a goal on the first shot .. stole several no-chance scoring opportunities from Halifax with quick pads, keeping his team in the game .. run over at the side of his net by Justin Saulnier, kept a cool head and didn't embellish .. for a player his age, has little to improve on at the junior level .. not seeing well through traffic, shots from point seemed to handcuff him .. could stand to play the puck a lot better .. future NHL #1, and Canada's next netminder at the World Juniors.

Stefan Chaput (2006), C, Lewiston

A dynamic player who shows great work ethic at both ends .. not afraid to rush, and shows good puck control .. sometimes falls short trying to get by the defense (better off trying to beat them to the outside with his speed) .. an excellent skater who can change speeds instantaneously .. great first step and always has his feet moving, which makes him difficult to contain in front of the net .. ability to beat opposition to loose pucks .. carried coast-to-coast twice, beating defenseman to the outside for a shot .. strong finisher .. excellent fore checking led to a turnover at his own blue line, leading to a breakaway .. sees teammates well .. sometimes a pest, poking other players with his stick instead of playing the body

QMJHL Players of the Month (posted 2.2.06)

The offensive player of the month is Olivier Latendresse of the Val-d'Or Foreurs.

The defensive player of the month award winner is Josh Tordjman of the Moncton Wildcats.

Among rookies, goalkeeper Bobby Nadeau of the Val-d'Or Foreurs takes home the hardware.