QMJHL: Sauve Standout Sea Dog

Expansion cousins, the Saint John Sea Dogs and St. John's Fog Devils recently clashed for a rare three-game set at Mile One Center. Despite sitting atop the Eastern Division standings, the Sea Dogs dropped two of three to the Fog Devils. McKeen's correspondent Gerald Gosse was on hand and has notes on several 2008 draft-eligible Sea Dogs that were on display.

Scott McDonald (2008), D, Saint John

The 5-foot-11, 180-pound Waverly, NS native dressed for games one and two against the Fog Devils, but was scratched for the rubbermatch .. was paired on the third defense unit with Jeff McNeil .. limited icetime overall, but increased icetime compared to his last visit to Mile One Center .. only played at even strength, no time on the PP or PK .. was on the receiving end of two thunderous hits and both times, it was clear the young rearguard felt the effects .. not a graceful skater by any stretch, slow skating backwards, lacks mobility .. decisions with the puck were rushed .. a non-factor offensively and defensively .. there is no doubt that the blueliner worked hard when his number was called and he definitely competed, but clearly overmatched speed wise and physically in this his rookie season .. finished the series with no points.

Michael Kirkpatrick (2008), C, Saint John

The 5-foot-11, 170-pound Hammonds, NS native played in all three games .. was in the starting lineup for games one and two, while centering the second line in all three games between LW Francois Gauthier and RW Alexandre Leduc .. played in all situations: regular shift, powerplay (limited time) and penalty kill .. a good skater, skates low to the ice, kept his feet moving and managed to find open ice.. displayed quickness and was shifty with the puck .. demonstrated stickhandling ability on a number of occasions .. displayed speed to the outside and a willingness to drive to the net .. failed to create much in the way of direct offensive chances and his shots came mostly from the outside .. was easily knocked off the puck on more than one occasion .. lacks puck protection strength .. finished the three-game set with no points, a minus-one rating, three shots on goal and struggled in the faceoff circle, winning just seven of 21 draws.

Matthew Stoddard (2008), RW, Saint John

The 6-foot, 175-pound Porter's Lake, NS native centered the fourth line in all three games between LW Brett Gallant and RW Mike Thomas .. limited icetime overall: played at even strength, was used on the penalty kill, but no powerplay time .. skates well, is solid on his skates and provided team with energy .. solid on the forecheck and strong puck pursuit .. demonstrated willingness to play without the puck and was strong on the backcheck, provided support and options for rearguards .. worked well along the boards and on the cycle .. puck protection skills were evident, as he was able to fend-off defenders and create room down low .. not involved offensively in this series .. finished the series with no points, a minus-one rating, two shots on goal and was one of the Sea Dogs better faceoff men, winning 14 of the 23 draws taken, split evenly in the offensive and defensive zones.

Mike Thomas (2008), RW, Saint John

The 6-foot, 171-pound New Maryland, NB native played in all three games .. skated on the fourth line in games one and two with LW Brett Gallant and center Matthew Stoddard .. was used on defense in game three paired with Jeff McNeil, but was also spotted time up front as well on the fourth line .. skated at even strength and on the penalty kill, no powerplay time .. a good skater, ability to change speeds was evident .. managed to find open ice .. displayed a quick release, but was unable to finish .. extremely active on the penalty kill .. good anticipation and ability to read and react was clearly displayed on more than one occasion .. finished the three games with no points, a minus-one rating and five shots on goal.

Pascal Amyot (2008), D, Saint John

The 6-foot-3, 202-pound Ste-Foy, QC native was selected in the second round, 20th overall, in the 2006 QMJHL draft by the Sea Dogs .. paired with David Stich for the three-game set on the second defense unit .. in the starting lineup for games one and two .. played in all situations: regular shift, powerplay, penalty kill and four-on-four .. not an overly fast skater .. not extremely mobile, but demonstrated willingness to lead and join the rush and is comfortable skating with the puck .. definitely has size, but not physical or aggressive .. used his long reach to his advantage .. had an active stick, but depended on the stickcheck too much.. was slow moving the puck at times, almost tentative, looked for help from his partner and forwards more often then not .. outlet passes were inconsistent because of his tentative play .. made smart decisions in the offensive zone with respect to pinching and not pinching at the right times .. demonstrated willingness and ability to shoot the puck and to get shots through from the point on a consistent basis .. used slapshots and snapshots at the appropriate times, hardly ever had his shots blocked .. used the center of the ice effectively on the powerplay and displayed passing ability and ability to find the open man with the man advantage .. was definitely involved offensively in the series and was steady defensively, but a negative would be the fact that he was too passive for a rearguard with a 6-foot-3, 202-pound frame .. finished the three-game series with one goal, a plus-one rating and seven shots on goal.

Yann Sauve (2008), D, Saint John

The 6-foot-3, 220-pound Rigaud, QC native played in all three games .. was paired with Alex Grant (Pit) on the first defense unit and in the starting lineup for games one and two .. logged significant minutes .. played in all situations: regular shift, powerplay, penalty kill and four-on-four .. strong on his skates, good balance .. not overly fast, but effective overall .. not a true mobile rearguard, but not afraid to skate with the puck and join and lead the rush on occasion .. displayed stickhandling ability in close quarters .. skates with his head up and sees the ice extremely well .. made strong outlet passes .. demonstrated ability to distribute the puck on the move and standing still .. made smart decisions in the offensive zone with respect to pinching and not pinching at the right times .. despite size (6-3, 220) he is not a physical crash-and-bang rearguard .. one-on-one play was strong in his ability to contain an attacking player along the boards and in front of the goal .. was beaten to the outside on a few occasions, but clogged up the middle of the ice effectively .. finished the series with two assists, two PIM's, a plus-two rating and five shots on goal.