QMJHL: Sea Dogs Display Young Pups

When it comes to 2008 draft-eligible players, the Saint John Sea Dogs are well represented with Robert Mayer between the pipes, Yann Sauve on defense, and Matthew Stoddard up front. The Sea Dogs and St. John's Fog Devils - forever expansion cousins - recently split a two-game set at Mile One Center. McKeen's was on hand and files this report on several Sea Dogs eager to make an impact.

Scott McDonald (2008), D, Saint John

The Waverly, NS native was selected in the seventh round, 109th overall, in the 2007 QMJHL draft by the Sea Dogs .. the 5-foot-11, 180-pound blueliner dressed for both games against the Fog Devils .. despite being shorthanded on the blueline in the series, with just five rearguards available, McDonald hardly played .. limited icetime and non-factor are just two ways to describe his involvement in the two-game set .. there is such a thing as bringing a player along slowly, but what happened in this series was ridiculous .. failed to play a shift in the opening period of either game .. played a couple of shifts early in the middle frames both nights .. managed to get some increased icetime in the third period of Game 1, with the team trailing .. played at even strength and had limited time on the powerplay .. with icetime that limited, it is impossible to evaluate/report on his game .. finished with a minus-one rating and one shot on goal.

Michael Kirkpatrick (2008), C, Saint John

Selected in the second round, 22nd overall, in the 2007 Q-draft by Saint John .. the 5-foot-11, 170-pound Hammonds, NS native played in both games .. listed as a center, but was the 13th forward and skated on the wings on the fourth line in both contests .. used in certain situations in Game 1 (served penalty, limited powerplay time) .. icetime increased in Game 2 .. played a regular shift, four-on-four and on the penalty kill .. skates well, low to the ice, quick feet, choppy at times .. solid work along the boards .. strong puck support .. lack of size (weight/strength) a disadvantage .. knocked off the puck and down on a number of occasions .. overmatched physically at times .. no question that he competed, but needs to increase weight and overall strength.

Matthew Stoddard (2008), RW, Saint John

Selected in the second round, 35th overall, in the 2006 QMJHL draft by Cape Breton .. exchanged to Saint John (2007-01-08) .. the 6-foot, 175-pound right winger hails from Porter's Lake, NS .. centered the fourth line in Game 1 .. started and centered the first line in Game 2 between Christopher DiDomenico and Ryan Sparling .. used at even strength and primarily on the penalty kill, although he did receive some powerplay time late in the third period in Game 1 .. played in all situations in Game 2 - regular shift, powerplay (increased time), penalty kill and 4-on-4 .. an energy player .. fast, quick skater with wide strides .. strong work along the boards and down low .. solid forecheck and puck pursuit all over the ice .. finished his checks .. worked hard and competed every shift, honest effort .. with increased icetime, he demonstrated the ability to get involved offensively, while still playing a steady game defensively .. demonstrated stickhandling ability .. moved the puck well .. displayed ability to read the play and see it develop .. definitely deserved all of the icetime he received .. finished the two-game set with one goal, two assists, a plus-two rating and three shots on goal .. one area that he struggled in was faceoffs, winning just eight of the 20 draws that he took .. out of his comfort zone in the faceoff circle.

Mike Thomas (2008), RW, Saint John

Selected in the fourth round, 56th overall, in the 2006 QMJHL draft by the Sea Dogs .. the New Maryland, NB native is listed at 6-foot, 171-pounds, but he definitely looked bigger than 171 pounds (185-190) .. skated mostly on the right wing, but was used at times at center and on the left wing .. an energy player .. skates well, although his turns are a little wide at times .. played a regular shift and on the penalty kill .. solid forecheck .. strong along the boards .. strong puck support .. demonstrated good anticipation .. displayed a quick release .. aware defensively, but glided too often without the puck .. was involved physically, involved in scrums and was not afraid to take the body .. finished the two-game set with a pair of goals, an even-rating and four shots on goal.

Robert Mayer (2008), G, Saint John

Selected in the first round, third overall, in the 2007 CHL draft by Saint John .. the 6-foot-1, 190-pound Zurich, Switzerland native started Game 1, but was the backup to Travis Fullerton in the rematch .. butterfly-style goaltender .. solid positioning, square to shooters and displayed great anticipation .. quick post-to-post, not so quick up and down .. stays down on the ice too long, reaching and searching for puck instead of getting back to his feet .. extremely strong down low .. displayed strength in his legs on a number of occasions with pad saves along the goal line .. displayed a quick glove .. solid rebound control on low shots, struggled with high shots and gave up rebounds on a few occasions .. as a result, the game plan should be to shoot high on Mayer .. confident challenging shooters .. cut down angles well .. was active playing/moving the puck .. made a number of huge saves and without his efforts the score could have easily been much worse .. displayed competitive fire battling until the final buzzer .. despite surrendering seven goals on 35 shots (28 saves), he was one of the better goaltenders to visit Mile One Center this season .. looking forward to watching Mayer play again at Mile One Center (January 3rd, 5th and 6th, 2008).

Yann Sauve (2008), D, Saint John

The 6-foot-3, 220-pound Rigaud, QC native was selected in the first round, first overall, in the 2006 QMJHL draft by Saint John .. paired with Alex Grant on the first defensive unit in Game 1 .. started Game 2 with Grant, but was paired with Jeff MacNeil on the first defensive unit .. logged significant minutes in both games .. played a regular shift and on the penalty kill, with limited powerplay action in Game 1 .. close to or on 30-minutes in Game 2 playing a regular shift, 4-on-4 and on the penalty kill .. interesting to note that he never played on the powerplay in the rematch .. other than his obvious 6-3, 220-frame, the next thing that jumped out was his patience with and without the puck .. his approach at times could be looked upon as lacklustre, but it is the opinion here that all of his decisions were well thought out and calculated .. solid skater, smooth-moving forward and backward .. moves faster without the puck, slows down with the puck, but still effective .. head-up at all times .. moved the puck extremely well .. made solid outlet passes .. displayed his stickhandling ability in the open and in traffic .. demonstrated willingness to rush with the puck .. used wristshots, snapshots and slapshots .. made smart decisions with the puck on a regular basis .. strong 1-on-1 coverage down low .. was beaten to the outside on a few occasions .. identified defensive responsibilities extremely quick .. good puck support and help defense .. communicated well on the ice both in the offensive and defensive zones .. played physical, as his strength was clearly displayed on a number of occasions .. a stay-at-home style of play in this series, as he seemed to live by the following two rules: when in doubt get it out and the boards and glass is a defensemen's best friend; both done effectively throughout the weekend set .. finished the two-game set with a ton of icetime under his belt, two PIM's, a plus-three rating and four shots on goal.