QMJHL: Nickerson Roaring Tigre

The Victoriaville Tigres may lack scoring bite, but there's no shortage of blueline toughness around with Matt Nickerson. Here are game notes on the Dallas third-rounder and a number of other players from a recent game against the Halifax Mooseheads including a player who might even scare Nickerson.

Matt Nickerson (Dal), D, Victoriaville

NCAA defector is a fierce competitor with surprising mobility for his size .. plays with great emotion and enthusiasm .. excellent work along the boards and in the corners .. always looking for the big hit every shift out .. strictly defensive minded, but will help out and pinch in on occasion .. handles the puck reasonably well, flashed some smooth puckhandling by deke-ing out a Mooseheads defenseman while catching the opposition on a change .. rarely shoots, instead opting to make the safe, easy play .. despite good mobility, he still could still use an extra step of quickness .. gets beaten by faster opponents due to his average backwards skating, although he compensates with his competitiveness .. works hard to catch his man and invariably recovers and bats the puck away .. did a good job of controlling his emotions after losing a one-sided fight to powerhouse Kevin Cormier in the first period, though it may have been more out of preservation that he didn't challenge the Halifax enforcer to a rematch.

Alexandre Imbeault (2005), C, Victoriaville

Former Midget AAA scoring champion might finally be coming around .. his work ethic has improved significantly and he looks more aware of what's going on in his second year with the Tigres .. gradually starting to find his hands and scoring touch .. currently sits second in scoring on a Victoriaville team that has scored the second fewest goals in the league .. must work hard to put on more weight .. still faces an uphill battle if he wants to play pro.

Renaud Des Alliers (2005), LW, Victoriaville

Once considered a potential NHL Draft prospect, however he has been plagued by inconsistency and, at times like tonight, appears to be a player who simply never improved .. expected to break out after being traded from a deep Gatineau club, but that hasn't materialized .. his skating is still rough and his balance poor .. another concern is his lack of desperation as he is no longer driving to the net as he had shown in previous viewings .. also trying to make moves except he's not strong enough on the puck to pull them off.

Brant Miller (2005), G, Victoriaville

'87-born goalie possesses very quick pads .. relies heavily on his reflexes and his fast, smooth lateral movement .. likes to aggressively challenge the shooter, but is not big enough to take away the entire angle .. whenever he is unable to see the puck through traffic, he must count on his last second reactions, hoping to get a glimpse of the shot and making a move in time .. boasts superb rebound control and is usually square positionally .. a good skater .. however, he goes down far too early, even on shots that go over the net, a style which, given his size, he can't afford to play.

Kevin Cormier (Phx), RW, Halifax

The convincing manner in which Cormier has been dominating with his fists this season is downright sickening .. reaffirmed his status as the QMJHL's undisputed heavyweight champion by flattening 6-foot-4 Dallas Stars' draftee Matt Nickerson with just two punches .. Cormier leads the team in penalty minutes and carries the worst plus-minus, however the rest of his game is gradually coming along .. still, it is tough for him to work a lot on his finesse skills as he doesn't see much icetime.

Jason Churchill (SJ), G, Halifax

Effectively managed to keep the opposition in the game with his poor play in this contest .. his teammates played with little confidence in front of him, which contributed in this loss to a dismal Victoriaville Tigres team .. seemingly has absolutely no ability to corral rebounds and struggles even to deflect them into the corners .. he is enduring a rough season and always seems to be fighting the puck not unlike a former Mooseheads netminder and Tampa prospect Jonathan Boutin .. Churchill's work ethic has all but disappeared and, judging from recent performances, he might be more suited for the Canadian university ranks rather than professional hockey.

Justin Saulnier (2005), C, Halifax

Underutilized pivot was finally starting to see ample icetime before the Mooseheads blew a 2-0 lead .. a fearless player who doesn't appear to be afraid of anything or anyone .. will drop the gloves and plays a solid two-way game .. possesses good finishing skills and displayed some crafty moves with the puck in this game .. still considered draft material, though it is difficult to get an accurate read on his potential given there's simply too much depth on Halifax.

Alexandre Picard (Phi), D, Halifax

Fourth-year defender has really come alive this season and is playing like one of the premier defensemen in the league .. solid defensively .. working hard and effective in the corners .. very efficient at rubbing out opponents along the boards .. possesses a good shot from the point that he is able to get to the net through traffic .. a responsible player who is displaying a lot of confidence in his abilities and is no longer making careless mistakes.