QMJHL: Sagging Sagueneens

After having a very impressive record last season, the Chicoutimi Sagueneens have had it tougher this time around. Having lost a few veterans in key positions due to injury or trades has caused the team to rely on youngsters that may have not been ready to fill-in some of the holes. Mckeen's correspondent Rick Springhetti looks at several Chicoutimi Sagueneens including NHL draft picks Nicolas Deschamps and Jacob Lagace.

Nicolas Deschamps (Ana), LW, Chicoutimi

Very smart player that does the little things for this team to succeed .. fine skater who should get quicker as he gets stronger .. has the ability to make smart decisions in all three zones .. started showing more imagination in his passing game as the season wore on .. always keeps his feet moving .. makes quick decisions once he has the puck .. work ethic is a strong point .. keeps moving at all times giving himself the opportunity to get open .. does not always initiate contact but will instead use his speed and anticipation to defend .. will go to the net hard if a scoring chance is available.

Jacob Lagace (Buf) RW, Chicoutimi

Smart player that has goal-scoring skill due to his ability to get open .. shows feistiness on the ice .. not a great skater, but good enough to get himself open, especially when he is near the net .. playing on the off-wing gives him the opportunity to use his abilities at its full advantage .. is smart about playing to his strengths by going to the net hard whenever his team gets a scoring chance in the offensive zone .. very quick release on his shot that he is not afraid to use .. not a very big player, he will have to gain some strength to be able to take his game to the next level.

Michael Belanger (2009) LW, Chicoutimi

Big player that does not have very good speed, but compensates by always knowing where he and his opponents are on the ice .. very good work ethic in his own zone .. very difficult to remove from the front of the net once he plants his feet .. makes it even more difficult for opposing defensemen, as he does not quit on a play .. could really improve his play if he could work on his hands, both his stickhandling and shot.

Michal Hlinka (2009) LW, Chicoutimi

Season ended in early March due to a serious shoulder injury .. tricky stickhandler who has good speed once he gets going .. should work on his first few steps .. not shy to shoot the puck but too often, they are low percentage shots .. this is not surprising, as he tends to stay on the perimeter too often .. has to start competing harder on defence .. has a frustrating tendency of giving up on the play .. not too much of a difference between his play at home and on the road .. this may be surprising, as the rink in Chicoutimi is an Olympic-sized one.

Mathieu Leduc (2009) D, Chicoutimi

Tries to play an aggressive game in front of his own net, yet other times, he doesn't seem to know what kind of player he is .. will play the body when he has the chance but needs to be careful not to take himself out of the play .. has to make quicker decisions in the defensive zone .. needs to get his shot out quicker when he has the puck in the offensive zone .. has a tendency to stand still making him easy to defend against and limiting the options for his teammates on the powerplay.

Mathieu Populus (2009) RW, Chicoutimi

Forward with an offensive mindset .. gets some good velocity on his shot that would be dangerous if he could improve on his release .. tends to make doubtful decisions with the puck due to rushing his plays .. choppy skater that doesn't seem balanced on his feet, especially along the boards .. needs to improve on the physical side of the game.

Yousseff Kabbaj (2010) D, Chicoutimi

Plays a strictly defensive game .. tends to lose focus at times during the game .. not a very smooth skater, he does not pick up much speed when pushing with his legs .. is often on the losing end of puck battles along the boards.. tries to remove opponents from the front of the net, but lack of upper-body strength makes him lose those battles .. tries to play within his limits and supports his defence partner well.