QMJHL: Stefanovich, Tessier Lead Remparts

After defeating Chicoutimi in a spirited and much publicized first-round series, the Quebec Remparts are now battling Gatineau in the second round. McKeen's has notes on several young Remparts including 2008 NHL Draft hopefuls Mikhail Stefanovich currently ranked No. 14 on our Midterm Rankings and Kelsey Tessier, along with Gatineau Olympiques defenseman Steven Delisle, who is also eligible for the draft in 2008.

Mikhail Stefanovich (2008), RW, Quebec

Pure sniper, he is a constant threat in the offensive zone due to a great arsenal of shots .. possesses a great slapshot that he manages to get on net even with traffic around him .. he can also beat you with a very good wristshot that he manages to get out quickly from anywhere .. stickhandles very well, even when being closely checked by the opposition .. passing game is solid, especially due to his strong peripheral vision, although it would be nice to see him move the puck around when playing five-on-five .. would be more dangerous offensively if he chose to go to the net more, as he has the frame (6-2, 202) to do so, but he mostly stays on the outside of the crease waiting for a teammate to get him the puck .. skates well when he is in full-stride, although he still has trouble with turns .. first-step quickness needs to improve .. defensive game is below average, as he does not get involved enough to support his teammates, choosing instead to stay near his blueline .. plays the point on the powerplay, but does not see any time on the pk .. was benched for a few shifts at the beginning of the second.

Kelsey Tessier (2008), C, Quebec

Hard-working centerman, he is constantly involved in the play both offensively and defensively .. demonstrates good vision on the ice, especially when he needs to locate a teammate for a pass but lacks imagination to create many scoring chances .. shooting skills are average .. he gets the puck to the net, but does not have much strength behind his shot .. average skater, he does not possess great speed when skating in a straight

line, but he is very quick side to side, which helps him when he is on the ice for short-handed situations .. despite his size (5-9, 172), he is not afraid to take or give a hit but he is ineffective when trying to initiate contact due to his small stature .. sees time in all game situations .. a go-to-guy for the coaching staff and communicates often with his teammates on the ice and the bench.

David Gilbert (2009), C, Quebec

rookie centerman, he mostly plays on the fourth-line .. at 6-foot-1 and 160 pounds, he uses his size well in the corners .. will lean onto the opposing defenseman when fighting for the puck .. possess a nice skating stride once he gets going but needs to improve his leg strength, as his first few steps are very laboring .. because he is so tall and lanky, he has a lot of trouble with turns .. at one point, this led to a two-on-one for the opposing team .. has good power behind his shot but lack of coordination makes it difficult to get his shot out quickly .. does not cheat in defensive zone coverage, as he is always looking to lock-up his man.

Mikael Tam (2009), D, Quebec

Undersized defenseman (5-10, 169), he is a smooth skater on the ice but not an explosive one .. distributes the puck well to his teammates on the powerplay when he has time to read the play but is average when five-on-five .. needs to work on his shooting skills, as they are constantly blocked by opposing defenseman .. defensively, does not possess the size to take his man out of the play, and will try to simply knock the puck away from

the opposing player.

Steven Delisle (2008), D, Gatineau

Big defenseman (6-5, 209), he logs a lot of minutes for Gatineau in all situations .. very effective when playing the body defensively but too often, he tries to play the puck .. reads the play well in his own zone making it difficult for the opposition to get away from him .. tries to do too much offensively .. skating is very awkward, he particularly has a difficult time with turns or sudden stops .. needs to keep a wider distance between himself and the opposing player, as he does not have the skating ability to keep up and often gets beat one-on-one ..often tries to carry the puck up the ice by himself but frequently loses it when approached by an opposing player .. stickhandling is very choppy .. very heavy shot, he manages to keep it low and on target, but takes a long time to wind it up.