QMJHL Report: Gatineau Olympiques

The Gatineau Olympiques have had to deal with a lot of injuries this season, however they have remained one of the better teams in the QMJHL due to the play of their younger players. Mckeen`s correspondent Rick Springhetti reports on three of these youngsters who are all eligible for the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.

Igor Levitsky (2011), LW, Gatineau

Drafted by Gatineau 21st overall at the 2010 CHL Import draft .. has a short skating stride but a strong lower body makes him a quick skater .. turns could be improved, as he seems to have slight problems with balance .. gives a good effort defensively, but still has to learn to make better reads .. has a tendency to keep his head down with the puck .. not a very smooth puckhandler .. can play defense if team needs him to .. hasn't shown too much offensive upside to his game, but is showing signs of untapped potential .. starting to hold on to the puck more and trying to be more creative with it .. will battle and go toward the net if he thinks there will be a scoring opportunity .. heavy shot when he has the chance to windup .. has been used in many different roles with the team and has not looked out of place.

Jean-Gabriel Pageau (2011), C, Gatineau

Born in Ottawa, Pageau has been a fan of the team since he was a young player .. Uncle Paul Pageau played one season for the Los Angeles Kings .. smart player in the offensive zone, he is dangerous if given time and space with the puck .. good anticipation at center ice and uses his speed to take advantage of turnovers .. stride is smooth and shifty .. low center of gravity makes it difficult for opponents to contain him when he is moving at top speed .. handles the puck ok, but does have a tendency to cough it up when pressured .. has a nasty shot with some movement on it .. takes advantage of scoring opportunities and relishes being a go-to player on the team .. does not engage physically very much due to his small stature (5-9, 164), but doesn't back down either .. willing to block shots when playing on the penalty kill .. responsible defensively .. covers his man well .. uses his body and feet to protect the puck .. has performed well in the faceoff circle for such a young player .. is improving very quickly as the season progresses.

Mathieu Gagnon (2011), D, Gatineau

Young defenseman has handled an increased workload very well .. doesn't seem to tire very much when faced with big minutes .. fluid skater in all directions .. angles his opponents well in one-on-one situations due to improvement when skating backward .. very quick to move the puck up the ice, although he still has to improve his decision-making at times .. starting to shoot the puck more, but he still has to learn to get it to the net more often .. last year, he would panic when the play broke down defensively, but he is now able to keep calm and safely get the puck out of trouble areas .. improved overall strength has made it possible for him to win more battles for the puck and clear the crease more efficiently .. has dropped the gloves a few times this season against tough opponents and held his own .. a fixture on special teams.