QMJHL: Fog Devils Sweep Sea Dogs

The St. John's Fog Devils closed out their 2006-07 regular season with a weekend sweep over their expansion cousins- the Saint John Sea Dogs, at Mile One Centre. St. John's came away with a 5-1 win in the first game and followed that up with a close 5-4 win in the second game to complete the sweep. Combined, the teams have fourteen 2007 draft-eligible players (most of whom were in action). McKeen's was on hand for the two-game set and files this report.

Jean-Simon Allard (2007), C, St. John's

The Alma, QC native averaged 18-minutes of icetime while centering the second line between Matt Fillier and Mario Kempe .. played in all situations and was used on the point on the power play .. finished with three assists, a minus-two rating, two PIM's, three shots on goal and took 29 face-offs, winning 15 .. displayed his stickhandling ability and creativity with the puck .. also demonstrated his vision and ability to pass the puck as on many occasions he looked to pass first and shoot second .. demonstrated bursts of speed and energy, but not on a consistent basis .. needs to bear down offensively, especially when in scoring position .. needs to increase his intensity as the team heads into the playoffs and use his 6-foot-2 frame to his advantage.

Mario Kempe (2007), RW, St. John's

The Kramfors, Sweden native averaged 16-minutes of icetime while skating on the second line with Matt Fillier and Jean-Simon Allard .. played in all situations recording two assists, a minus-one rating and fired seven shots on goal .. demonstrated his stickhandling ability .. displayed second effort, determination and competitiveness, drawing a couple of penalties as a result .. was involved offensively but played more on the outside than usual .. displayed his passing ability however, he usually looks to shoot first, but gave up the puck more in this series .. demonstrated his speed throughout the series but still needs to get stronger on his skates in traffic .. does not shy away from physical contact .. has numerous chances per game, but needs to learn how to finish on a more consistent basis.

Nick Layton (2007), C, St. John's

The Wheaton Settlement, NB native replaced Fog Devils goal-scoring leader Ryan Graham (injury) on the first line and the rookie did not disappoint .. averaged 20-minutes of icetime skating on the RW with Nicolas Bachand and Wes Welcher .. played in all situations finishing with a goal (game-winner in Game 2) and two assists, a plus-one rating, eight shots on goal and was involved in the hit department on a few occasions .. was a perfect 3-0 in the face-off circle .. displayed more jump and hustle then previous games .. was skating and moving more than usual .. was more involved offensively and was skating and moving more than usual .. made some strong defensive plays as well .. displayed his quick release .. competes every shift, showing a glimpse of the type of player Layton can be at the QMJHL level with increased minutes.

Matt Boland (2007), D, St. John's

The Gander, NL native played in Game 1, but was a scratch in the second game .. played eight minutes (an increase over his usual time) while paired with rookie Francis Grise-Leclair on the third unit .. finished with no points, a plus-one rating, two shots on goal, one solid hit and a fight .. never made any glaring mistakes and seemed to be more comfortable with and without the puck .. played better positional hockey then previous games .. continues to drop his gloves and that seems a part of his game here to stay .. needs to continue to work on both his skating and positional play.

Matt Fillier (2007), LW, St. John's

The New Glasgow, NS native skated on the second line with Jean-Simon Allard and Mario Kempe .. averaged 18-minutes of icetime and played in all situations .. finished with one goal, a minus-two rating, three shots on goal, took three face-offs (winning two) and dished out six good hits .. a solid skater and forechecker .. was able to create turnovers by routinely finishing off his checks and created room for his linemates .. solid work along the boards and in front of the net providing screens and causing havoc for the opposition .. a strong penalty killer who seemed to be gearing up for the playoffs as it was a business like approach every shift.

T.J. Brennan (2007), D, St. John's

The Willingbord, NJ, USA native was paired with Maxime Dubuc on the clubs first unit .. played in all situations and averaged 22-minutes of icetime .. finished with two goals and one assist, a plus-two rating and four shots on goal .. played a solid and simple game making the right decisions more often then not in the first game .. pinched, joined and rushed with the puck all at the right time in the first game .. played more of a free wheeling game in the rematch and pinched too often getting caught up ice on a few occasions .. rushed with the puck and joined the rush way too often .. displayed his great shot and his ability to shoot from either the left or the right point .. offensive instincts are evident, is still raw overall defensively, but that is to be expected and something that he can continue to work on.

Alex Grant (2007), D, Saint John

Saint John selected the 6-foot-2, 175 pound Antigonish, NS native first overall in the 2005 QMJHL draft .. was paired on the third unit with Yann Sauve in the first game and paired with David Stich on the second unit in the second .. played on the power play and the penalty kill .. finished with just one assist, two PIM's and five shots on goal .. looked smooth skating backwards, but not forward .. made some nice outlet passes but was not involved offensively (scoring chances), although he did distribute the puck well on the power play .. played solid positional hockey in the defensive zone and blocked a number of shots in both games .. turned the puck over on a number of occasions while skating with the puck in the neutral zone .. decision-making is suspect at times and will need to pick his spots better while pinching in .. was not overly physical and will need to add more weight and muscle.

David Stich (2007), D, Saint John

The 6-foot-2, 215 pound Czech Republic native was selected fourth overall in the 2006 CHL draft by Saint John .. was paired on the third unit with Pascal Amyot in the first game and paired with Alex Grant on the second unit in the second .. saw time on the power play and penalty kill .. finished with no points, a minus-two rating and four PIM's .. a good skater who is solid on his skates .. was aware and alert defensively playing strong positional hockey in his own zone .. more of a stay at home rearguard who made simple plays, but was not overly physical for a defenseman with his size.

Christopher DiDomenico (2007), C, Saint John

The 5-foot-11, 165 pound Toronto, ON native was an invitee to the Sea Dogs training camp in 2006 .. started and centered the first line between Matthew Stoddard and Steve Bellefleur in both games .. played in all situations and logged a ton of icetime .. finished with one goal and one assist, five shots on goal and took 31 face-offs, winning fifteen .. is solid on his skates .. displayed his stickhandling skills, his ability to pass the puck and was creative in the offensive zone .. has a quick release, but does not possess an overly hard shot .. demonstrated his capacity to protect the puck .. played strong along the boards and in front of the net .. shifty player down low and in the corners .. seems to have the capability to find open ice and always seems to give himself options in the offensive zone .. his overall skating needs work as he seems to have just one speed and does not appear to have the ability to switch gears .. seems to try to slow the game down to his speed.

Anthony Bergin (2007), RW, Saint John

The 5-foot-10, 180 pound Ajax, ON native was an invitee to the Sea Dogs training camp in 2006 .. listed as a RW, but skated on the LW on the second line with Ryan Sparling and Bruce Crawford .. was not very noticeable in either game .. finished with no points, a minus-two rating, two PIM's, three shots on goal and called upon to take 16 face-offs, winning just five .. saw limited ice time but played on the penalty kill and was used more in a defensive role .. offensive game was non-existent…displayed some quickness skating, and showed good anticipation on the penalty kill .. finishes his checks, and definitely a role player in the two-game set.