QMJHL: Shawin - again

The Cataractes of Shawinigan have been near the top of the QJMHL for most of the season, a historic one for the organisation, as they moved into their new arena in December. Featuring a fine mix of offence, defence, size and skill, they are poised to make some noise during the playoffs. McKeen's correspondent Rick Springhetti reports on some of the drafted and draft-eligible players for Shawinigan.

Simon Lacroix (NYI), D, Shawinigan

Veteran defenseman and team captain, he is used in all situations .. very smart and steady player who can lean into opponents with a hard hit, but will usually use his body to simply neutralize opposing forwards and take away their options .. not a very quick skater, but his hockey sense will usually compensate for that .. not rattled when pressured .. average shot in terms of strength but he usually hits the net.

Maxime MacEnauer (Ana), C, Shawinigan

Two-way center who usually focuses on his defensive game and lets his linemates run loose .. plays a straight north-south game .. offensively, he is not a very imaginative player, instead he will make a simple pass to a teammate and go to the net looking for chances .. will backcheck to support his players in the defensive zone .. used on the PK .. will get into trouble when he is not moving his feet .. big player, but he does not play a very physical game .. skating is average .. needs to improve his record in the faceoff circle.

Timo Pielmeier (SJ), G, Shawinigan

Not the biggest goaltender, he gets by using his quick feet and reflexes .. glove hand is solid .. anticipates the play well .. battles through pressure .. capable of making long passes to open players and does not hesitate to do so .. tends to take risks by leaving his crease and aggressively pursue the puck when it's dumped into his zone.

Charles-Olivier Roussel (2009), D, Shawinigan

Offensive defenseman with a fluid skating style that can pivot very well .. moves the puck up the ice very quickly .. forces opponents to move in quickly leading to scoring chances for his team .. good sense of when to pinch-in or back off .. good strength behind his shot, just has to start getting it on net with more regularity .. defensively, he is usually at the right spot and will trap opponents into the boards or tangle them up .. does not always initiate contact, preferring to play the puck instead of the man.. when he does decide to get physical, he can surprise with very hard open-ice hits .. upper body strength is impressive.

Gabriel Lemieux (2009), D, Shawinigan

Often paired with fellow youngster Roussel, he is the more steady of the two .. regularly used on the PK due to his reliable play .. won't try to do too much offensively, as he prefers to try to play within his limits .. very smart in his own end .. seems to know exactly where to position himself .. skating is not an issue, as he moves well and has enough speed to contain quicker forwards .. will play the body when the opportunity is there, but not at the risk of being taken out of the play.

Philippe Paradis (2009), LW, Shawinigan

Big forward who loves to use his size .. very hard hitter .. has a hard wristshot that he likes to unleash from very close .. creates havoc on the PP by going to the front of the net and cashing in on rebounds .. stickhandles well, he just has to get used to getting rid of the puck after beating his man instead of trying to go through multiple players .. not a very quick skater, but excellent balance .. tries hard to keep his feet moving .. usually wins his battles along the wall for the puck, even when covered by more than one opponent .. does ok with short passes, has trouble with long ones .. not very adept at corralling passes .. works very hard at his defensive game never taking any shortcuts.