QMJHL: Huskies Showing some Teeth

The Rouyn-Noranda Huskies started the season as one of the better teams in the league before trading some of their veterans for prospects and draft picks. Although the results were noticeable in the win-loss column, the organisation feels that they have a nucleus of young players ready to make some noise in the upcoming seasons. Mckeen's correspondent Rick Springhetti has notes on several Rouyn-Noranda Huskies looking to make an impact next season.

Jean-Sebastien Berube (NJ) LW, Rouyn-Noranda

Hard-working, physical player who doesn't let up in the intensity department .. draws lots of penalties when he plays the body and keeps his feet moving .. used in all situations .. not a quick skater but thinks the game well to compensate .. does not seem to be able to spot open players unless they are open and ahead of him ..very choppy stickhandler .. not afraid of playing physical and is always willing to get his hands dirty when battling for the puck .. goes to the net hard where he manages to get some garbage goals .. does not have a very good, as it lacks accuracy and his windup could be a little better .. defensively, he does not let go of his man .. blocks shots effectively, knowing when to do so or when to get out of the way and let his goaltender make the save .. will stand up for his teammates when need be.

Mickael Audette (2009) G, Rouyn-Noranda

Young goaltender who made his first start in the QJMHL in January after being acquired in a trade with Quebec .. was often asked to play important games behind a very young defence .. beat out veteran netminder Antoine Lafleur for the starting job by the end of the season .. very good lateral movement but has a tendency to lose his balance and fall forwards .. very quick glove hand .. not afraid to come out and challenge the shooter .. tends to lose focus when letting in a bad goal .. anticipates the play very well but just needs his technique to catch up to his mind.

Nicolas Deslauriers (2009) D, Rouyn-Noranda

Physical defenseman that can show some flashes of an offensive game .. not afraid to go into the corners and do the dirty work .. willing to block shots .. very fluid skating style .. controls his pivots very well with good balance .. picks up speed in only a few strides… passing could use some improvement .. takes a second too long to spot the open teammate, especially when trying to move the puck out of his own zone leaving his opponents too much time to setup their defence .. has some decent power behind his slapshot .. could improve the precision though .. defensively, he tries to make the safe play getting the puck off his opponent and quickly moving it up .. excellent upper-body strength.

Alex Emond (2009) C/RW, Rouyn-Noranda

Crisp skater who moves well in all directions and does so while keeping his head up .. puckhandling and vision need improvement .. works hard in all three zones .. defensively, is willing to battle for the puck .. long reach, he protects the puck well .. plays the body but does not hit very hard .. this could improve as he gains some lower-body strength .. tends to lose the man he is covering at times .. was moved to the wing during the season, a position he is better suited for .. faceoffs are an especially big weakness with only a 37% winning percentage.

Brad Yetman (2009) D, Rouyn-Noranda

Can move around very well even when controlling the puck .. keeps his head up and moving around at all times .. can get the puck out of his own zone quickly by passing the puck to the right man .. knows when to pinch in every zone .. calm under pressure, but one would like to see a little more urgency when opponents are circling his net .. does not get much power behind his shot, which is likely the reason he does not use it much .. no physical game to speak of, he is basically a positional defenseman.

Jerome Gauthier-Leduc (2010) D, Rouyn-Noranda

Young defenseman who sees a lot of icetime for the Huskies .. smooth skater with some good lateral mobility for such a young player .. does well when he keeps his game simple but tries to make risky passes .. covers his man well one on one but tends to run around a little in his own zone .. this makes it difficult to play any sort of physical game because he often is not in good position to do so .. should be able to improve his overall game as he grows into his body.