QMJHL: Screaming Eagles Soar Over Fog Devils

The Cape Breton Screaming Eagles swept a recent two-game set against the St. John's Fog Devils at Mile One Centre. Cape Breton came away with a close 2-1 win in the first game and then followed that effort with a 4-1 win the following night to complete the sweep. Combined, the teams have thirteen 2007 draft-eligible players (most of whom were in action) and five NHL drafted players (most of whom were in action). McKeen's was on hand for the two-game set and files this report.

Keith Bombaugh (2007), D, St. John's

Averaged 18-minutes of icetime in the two-game set .. paired on the second unit with Kyle Stanley .. failed to record a point in the series, collected eight PIM's and had four shots on goal .. saw time on the penalty kill in both contests .. rushes passes and continues to skate with his head down .. does not possess a hard shot…tried to be physical and involved in scrums .. positioning and decision making definitely suspect at times as growing pains for the rookie rearguard continue.

Jean-Simon Allard (2007), C, St. John's

Did not have a good showing despite averaging 20-minutes of icetime and centring the second line between Matt Fillier and Mario Kempe .. saw duty on the power play (not on the point) and penalty kill .. finished the series with just one assist, two PIM's, a plus-one rating and two shots on net .. never really competed in the series as his body language showed that he was tired .. took 27 face-offs, winning 13, better than last series at Mile One, but still needs to work on that aspect of his game.

Mario Kempe (2007), RW, St. John's

Had a silent two-game set averaging 18-minutes of icetime while skating on the clubs second line with Matt Fillier and Jean-Simon Allard .. played in all situations but failed to generate much in the way of offence finishing the series with no points and just four shots on net .. failed to demonstrate speed and quickness with no individual rushes or efforts .. was the recipient of some big hits in the offensive zone, but rebounded quickly.

Colin Escott (2007), LW, St. John's

Former first round, third overall draft pick of the Gatineau Olympiques was acquired by the Fog Devils in a trade this past January in exchange for a 12th round draft pick in 2007 .. the 6-foot-3, 185 pound left-winger spent considerable time trying to get back into game shape and only recently was inserted into the lineup .. the much-anticipated home debut of the St. John's, NL native was a shortened one, as he played only two-minutes in the series opener before leaving with an injury .. was scratched in game two .. skated on the third line with Nick Layton and Olivier Guilbault .. finished with no points, two PIM's and a minus-one rating .. definitely has some height, but does not look to be 185 pounds, and at most 160 .. never played enough to evaluate or report on, but he may return for the next home series against Moncton.

Nick Layton (2007), C, St. John's

Averaged 15-minutes of icetime centring the third line in game one and skated on the right wing on the third line in game two .. finished the two-game set with a goal and an assist, a plus-one rating, five shots on goal and two solid hits .. took 11 face-offs, but only managed to win three and will need to improve on this aspect .. looked slower than usual in this series, seemed to be a step behind .. lost many one-on-one battles .. saw increased time on the penalty kill .. displayed offensive skill and talent on his goal, something that he does not do on a regular basis as most of his goals come from being in the right place at the right time.

Matt Boland (2007), D, St. John's

Averaged just seven-minutes per game, while paired with call-up William Beaudoin on the third unit .. failed to register a point, had two PIM's and two hits .. was used on the penalty kill .. seemed to try to keep things as simple as possible, but still had times when his decision-making was suspect .. mobility is a concern and does not react quickly enough .. needs to anticipate more and at a faster pace .. must start using his size to his advantage along the boards and in front of the net .. still looking for that thunderous hit without taking himself out of position to do so.

Matt Fillier (2007), LW, St. John's

Played in all situations and averaged over 18-minutes of icetime finishing with one assist, a plus-one rating, five PIM's (fight), five shots on goal and two hits .. won 4-of-7 face-offs .. skated well, solid on the forecheck, strong play along the boards, battled hard and played a pest role without hurting his team .. tried to lead by example, which he does game in and game out .. would like to see the Fog Devils captain get more involved offensively, without taking away from his defensive game.

T.J. Brennan (2007), D, St. John's

Was recently considered for the Telus Defensive Player of the Week Award ..played in all situations averaging 29-minutes per game while paired on the Fog Devils number one unit with Maxime Dubuc .. finished with one goal, a minus-one rating, four shots on net and two hits .. skates with his head up and makes solid outlet passes .. cool and calm under pressure and does not rush his decisions .. looked to be winded in the two-game set (more visible than usual) and seemed to be focused more on his defense .. looked to join or lead the rush on a few occasions, but less than other games .. improved his one-on-one battles along the boards and in the corners .. showed great patience and decision making on a number of occasions .. is benefiting from increased playing time, but he is being forced to play too much because of injuries.

Ondrej Pavelec (Atl), G, Cape Breton

The 6-foot-2, 210 pound Kladno, Czech Republic native was drafted in the second round, 41st overall by the Atlanta Thrashers in 2005 .. recorded both wins facing 46-shots overall, eight considered dangerous shots, surrendering just two goals and made 44 saves .. was not overly busy and made saves look easy .. displays solid rebound control and has great anticipation .. quick up and down and post-to-post with the ability to make key saves .. definitely one of the best goaltenders to visit St. John's this season.

Spencer Corcoran (2007), D, Cape Breton

The 6-foot, 200 pound Summerside, PEI native entered the QMJHL in 2005 after being recruited by Cape Breton .. played in all situations and was paired on the third unit .. finished with no points, four PIM's, a plus-two rating and two hits with a number of rubouts .. definitely a stay at home rearguard that is solid in the defensive zone and strong on the puck .. does not look to contribute offensively and makes safe plays .. was involved in many one-on-one battles.

Luc Bourdon (Van), D, Cape Breton

The 6-foot-3, 215-pound Lameque, NB native was drafted in the first round, 10th overall by the Vancouver Canucks in 2005 .. paired with Jean-Claude Sawyer on the first defense unit .. logged a ton of ice time but failed to register a point in the series, finishing with a plus-two rating, two PIM's and five shots on goal .. skates well with his head up .. makes strong, accurate outlet passes and looked to join the rush on a number of occasions .. good stick-handing skills .. never really played a physical game and seemed disinterested at times .. turned the puck over a few times, but was able to recover nicely.

Robert Slaney (2007), LW, Cape Breton

The 6-foot-3, 195 pound Carbonear, Newfoundland native was selected in the sixth round, 107th overall in the 2005 QMJHL draft .. saw first and second line duty and played in all situations .. failed to record a point, finished even, fired nine shots on net, dropped his gloves with Maxime Dubuc and took ten face-offs, winning six .. a solid skater who is strong on the forecheck and pressuring the puck .. did a great job playing along the boards, demonstrating his strength .. was involved physically and threw a couple of nice hits .. was active offensively, but could not finish.

Jean-Claude Sawyer (F.A.), D, Cape Breton

The 6-foot-3, 205 pound Saint John, NB native was drafted in the fifth round, 161st overall by the Minnesota Wild in 2004, but was eventually released in 2005 .. received an invite to the Ottawa Senators training camp in 2006 .. paired on the first unit with Luc Bourdon .. played in all situations and logged a ton of ice time .. failed to record a point in the series, picked up two PIM's and had four shots on goal .. solid defensively .. demonstrated offensive skills and liked to get involved in the rush .. strong one-on-one skills and was calm and composed for the entire two-game set .. was the target of some rough play, but showed great discipline in not retaliating .. was having trouble getting his shots on goal.

Jean-Christophe Gauthier (2007), C, Cape Breton

The 5-foot-9, 150 pound St. Hyacinthe, QC native was a ninth-round selection of the Screaming Eagles in the 2006 QMJHL draft .. centred the second line in game one, was scratched for game two .. finished with no points, two PIM's, two shots on goal and was extremely solid in the faceoff circle (11-for-13) .. demonstrated smarts with and without the puck .. quick, but definitely lacks size and is easily pushed off the puck in certain situations.

Nick MacNeil (2007), C, Cape Breton

The 6-foot-4, 210 pound Antigonish, NS native was a fifth round pick by the Screaming Eagles in 2005 .. centred the third line in the two-game set and saw an increase in icetime with the absence of fellow pivot James Sheppard (Flu) .. finished the series with one goal, a plus-two rating, four shots on goal and 9-for-20 on face-offs .. needs to get quicker on face-offs .. despite his big frame, he is a decent skater with good balance .. paid particular attention to his defensive responsibilities .. demonstrated ability to anticipate the play .. was not overly aggressive or physical .. seemed to play more on the outside then one would have expected from a player his size .. played well along the boards .. seemed to have an ability to find open ice in the slot.