QMJHL: Vlad the Initiator

Adam Pardy (cgy), Cape Breton

Stay-at-home rearguard provides maturity and leadership .. logs big minutes; killed off penalties and is on the ice in key situations .. hardy, intense and does not shy away from physical play .. a smooth skater; very strong positional sense .. uses size and strength to render rushes obsolete.

Alex Bourret (2005), Lewiston

Stocky rw has been an all-around wrecking ball .. an excellent skater, competitive and drives the net fearlessly .. possesses an excellent shooting array with hardness and accuracy .. throws his body well in the corners .. a thorn in the side of opposing teams.

Martin Houle (phi), Cape Breton

Acrobatic butterfly goalie is on his way to a dominant season .. excellent positionally with a lively glove hand .. covers the lower part of the net very well due to exceptional leg quickness .. swallows up rebounds quickly and redirects hard blasts to the side .. very square to the shooter and instills confidence on team with impressive poise and calmness at all times.

Egor Zharkov (2005), Cape Breton

Proving to be a hard worker so far, despite prior reputation for not performing admirably in traffic .. a quick, agile skater .. finds open space on the ice with quick feet and a sharp mind .. excellent release; above-average goal scoring potential .. nice vision; made clean, crisp passes.

Alexandre Picard (phi), Halifax

Solid, dependable, with above-average puck skills .. plays a safe, mostly stay-at-home style .. a smooth, fluid skater with good straight-away speed .. moves the puck smartly and accurately .. unleashes a hard, low slapper from the point .. showing more of a physical edge to his game this season than before.

Kevin Cormier (phx), Halifax

A fearless third line grinder .. loves to fight and get into an opponent's grill .. exhibits endless energy .. good hitter; along the boards and at open ice .. surprisingly disciplined; does not take stupid penalties .. skates away from challenges to fight at inappropriate times of the game .. needs to upgrade his quickness and overall speed.

Vladimir Kubus (2005), Cape Breton

Really makes things happen and may wind up making more impact than fellow import Zharkov .. has soft hands, strong skating skills, mainly acceleration .. has a quick wrister with a deceptive release .. excellent vision; creates plays with an exciting array of savvy feeds and elusive moves .. has some physical adjustments to make, but has been strong on faceoffs and has stayed on his feet in traffic situations.

Chad Denny (2005), Lewiston

Strong rearguard with a no-nonsense game with moxie and determination .. big and block open lanes due to his size and positional know-how .. a character player, does not back down from a challenge .. his grades slip due to oft-undisciplined play and a share of bad defensive decisions .. a decent overall skater for a big man .. puck skills are not bread and butter, but he's usually on the mark with a breakout feed .. occasionally jumps into the rush, but will mostly stay back.

Roster Moves

The Acadie-Bathurst Titan have acquired the rights of overage defenseman Martin Vagner from the Gatineau Olympiques in return for the third round selection in the 2005 QMJHL Midget Draft. Vagner is expected to join the Titan lineup later this week and will add leadership to a youthful roster. He will fill both the overage and Euro spot.

The Halifax Mooseheads have signed 19-year-old winger Rane Carnegie, a 19 year old veteran from the Ontario Hockey League. Carnegie had amassed 51 goals and 58 assists in 162 games with Belleville and Plymouth.