QMJHL: Welcome to the Rock

McKeen's correspondent Gerald Gosse was on hand at Mile One Centre, (home of the St. John's Fog Devils) for three recent, two-game sets against the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles, Halifax Mooseheads and PEI Rocket. McKeen's has notes on several 2008 NHL draft-eligible prospects from the three teams who are all eager to make an impact this season.

Mathieu Brodeur (2008), D, Cape Breton

The Screaming Eagles selected Brodeur in the fourth round, 71st overall, in the 2007 QMJHL draft .. the 6-foot-5, 190-pound rearguard hails from Montreal, QC .. paired with Samuel Finn (2009) in both games on the second and third defense units respectively .. limited icetime in the first period of each game, but icetime increased in the second and third periods .. used strictly at even strength and on the penalty kill, although he did receive some powerplay time in Game 2 .. demonstrated strength, especially his 1-on-1 coverage .. made safe, simple and effective plays .. skated with his head-up and made strong outlet passes .. cool and calm with the puck under pressure .. displayed willingness to sacrifice the body by blocking shots .. willing to skate with the puck, although somewhat reluctant to join the play unless he is the one leading the rush .. demonstrated on a number of occasions that he is willing to take a hit to make a play .. expected more physical play and was hoping to see if the defender had a mean streak .. finished with an even rating and two shots on goal.

Jeremy Gouchie (2008), RW, Cape Breton

The Montreal, QC native was selected in the fourth round, 60th overall, in the 2006 QMJHL draft by the Screaming Eagles .. the 5-foot-11, 158-pound right-winger skated primarily on the fourth line, but was spotted time on the second and third lines as well .. limited icetime at even strength, but did kill penalties .. speedy and quick, skates low to the ice .. an energy-type player .. created turnovers on a few occasions .. never demonstrated much in the way of offence .. overly aggressive at times, which led to an undisciplined penalty (match) in Game 2 .. finished with a minus-1 rating, three shots on goal and seven PIM's.

Alexandre Quesnel (2008), LW, Cape Breton

Selected in the seventh round, 120th overall, in the 2006 Q-draft by Cape Breton .. the 5-foot-11, 180-pound winger hails from Pointe-Claire, QC and is returning for his second season with the Screaming Eagles .. skated on the third line .. regular shift, powerplay time in Game 1 and penalty killing duty in both contests .. a good skater, smooth motion .. displayed quickness and ability to change speeds on a number of occasions .. picked up speed in the neutral zone with ease .. always in motion, rarely standing still looking at the play develop .. positional play is strong, especially on chip-ins and chip-outs however, he was weak on forecheck and knocked off the puck easily at times .. was quiet offensively but solid defensively .. finished with a plus-1 rating, two PIM's and three shots on goal.

Olivier Dame-Malka (2008), D, Cape Breton

The 5-foot-10, 200-pound rearguard was invited to camp by Cape Breton this season and impressed the coaching staff and management to earn a spot on the roster .. the Montreal, QC native was a healthy scratch in Game 1, but was inserted into the lineup in the rematch .. paired with Alex Lamontagne to start, but skated with different partners throughout the game .. used on the powerplay and penalty kill .. demonstrated ability to shoot the puck .. few turnovers in the defensive zone and offensive zone, worked hard to recover .. never really stood out, quiet game, but steady overall .. simple stay-at-home approach .. finished with two PIM's and three shots on goal.

Tomas Knotek (2008), C, Halifax

Selected in the first round, sixth overall, in the 2007 CHL draft by Halifax .. the 6-foot-1, 171-pound pivot comes to Halifax from Kladno, Czech Republic .. centered the second line with Logan MacMillan (Ana) and Jakub Voracek (CBJ) in both contests .. played in and excelled in all situations: regular shift, powerplay and penalty kill .. excellent skater .. used his speed and quickness to his advantage .. demonstrated very good stickhandling ability .. demonstrated ability to pass the puck .. displayed creativity, quick release and quick decision making .. definitely an offensive threat .. ability to find open ice was evident .. battled hard each shift .. great anticipation, sees the play developing ahead of time .. at times, he had too many individual efforts (1-on-1 and 1-on-2) .. knocked off the puck on a few occasions, but showed determination to recover the puck .. needs to work on faceoffs .. even with the five NHL drafted players in the lineup, Knotek stood out among them in this series .. was the most consistent Halifax player .. finished a recent two-game set against the St. John's Fog Devils with two goals, two assists, a plus-three rating and seven shots on goal.

Eric Louis-Seize (2008), LW, Halifax

Selected in the seventh round, 116th overall, in the 2006 QMJHL draft by Halifax .. the 6-foot-1, 186-pound left-winger is from Montreal, QC .. was one of two extra forwards used in both contests with Travis Randall being the other .. fourth line duty .. good skater .. used his size to his advantage .. displayed willingness to play along the boards and battle down low .. paid particular attention to his defensive responsibilities .. strong backcheck on a number of occasions .. overall, used in a limited role .. would have been interesting to see his game with more icetime .. one gets the sense that Seize is able to adapt to different styles of play, which should bode well for the young forward over the course of the season .. finished the series with one goal, an even rating and one shot on goal.

Danick Malouin (2008), D, PEI

Selected in the third round, 43rd overall, in the 2006 QMJHL draft by PEI .. the 6-foot-3, 183-pound defenseman is from Granby, QC .. paired on the second defense unit in both games - with Jason Swit and Jordan Southorn respectively .. used on special teams (PP and PK) .. involved more offensively in Game 1 .. played more of a stay-at-home style in Game 2 .. worked hard each shift .. smooth skater for his size .. displayed quickness and solid 1-on-1 coverage .. strong along the boards and used his reach to his advantage .. overall, he managed to keep his game simple and make the safe plays .. on a few occasions, he was slow moving the puck, but more often then not, he made the right decisions .. at his best when moving the puck with strong tape-to-tape outlet passes .. finished the two-game set with a plus-2 rating and three shots on goal.

Jordon Southorn (2008), D, PEI

Selected in the first round, 17th overall, in the 2006 QMJHL draft by PEI .. the 6-foot-2, 170-pound rearguard hails from Pointe-Claire, QC .. paired on the first-defense unit in Game 1 with Pierre-Luc Lessard (Ott) and on the second unit in Game 2 with Danick Malouin .. played solid minutes in both contests .. used on special teams (PP and PK) .. smooth, solid-looking skater .. displayed good vision and anticipation .. steady defensively and communicated extremely well with his goaltender and defense partners .. does not possess a hard shot, at least not at this point .. involved physically, but was knocked off the puck on a few occasions .. increasing his weight and strength should benefit both his ability to shoot the puck and his ability to protect the puck .. finished the series with one assist, a plus-2 rating, four PIM's, two shots on goal and a couple of big hits.

Chris Doyle (2008), C, PEI

The Charlottetown, PEI native was taken in the first round, fourth overall, in the 2006 QMJHL draft by PEI .. the 6-foot, 195-pound pivot skated on the first and second lines in the two-game set .. used on the wing at certain times throughout both games .. played in all situations: regular shift, powerplay and penalty kill .. involved offensively .. possesses a quick release and hard shot .. skating needs more work, although he seemed to find the open seams on a regular basis .. not very active on the defensive side of the puck .. displayed ability to find teammates and made good passes in the open and in traffic .. had scoring chances, but was unable to finish .. finished the series with a pair of helpers, four PIM's, seven shots on goal and took 44 faceoffs (20W, 24L) .. was hit or miss on faceoffs, not many battles.

Nathan DesRoches (2008), C, PEI

The Summerside, PEI native was a sixth round, 155th overall, selection in the 2006 Q-draft by PEI .. the 5-foot-10, 165-pound center was a healthy scratch in Game 1, but was inserted into the lineup in Game 2 between Brendan Wright and Greg Paytner on the fourth line .. limited icetime .. worked hard when his number was called .. displayed solid work along the boards and down low, but was overpowered at times when the play was continuous .. despite size, he was able to demonstrate very good puck protection skills .. skating needs work, especially first few strides ... finished with a minus-1 rating.

Jan Kana (2008), RW, PEI

Selected in the first round, 33rd overall, in the 2007 CHL draft by PEI .. the 5-foot-7, 176-pound winger comes to the Rocket from Ostrava, Czech Republic .. skated on the top two lines in the two-game set .. great skater with excellent speed and quickness .. the shifty winger worked hard each shift .. displayed willingness to complete and battle through traffic .. played in all situations: regular shift, powerplay and penalty kill .. excellent puckhandling abilities .. moved the puck well .. demonstrated good anticipation both offensively and defensively .. was involved offensively in both games .. displayed understanding of his defensively responsibilities .. finished the brace against St. John's with two goals, one assist and 10 shots on goal .. was one of the most dangerous PEI skaters every shift in the two-game set.

Brendan Wright (2008), LW, PEI

The Summerside, PEI native was not drafted, but was invited to camp by PEI and earned a spot on the team to start the season .. the 6-foot-2, 210-pound winger skated on the fourth line in both games .. limited icetime .. good size and strength .. skates ok for a big man .. definitely understands his role with the club, as he dropped his gloves in each of the games, both times against the Fog Devils 2007-08 resident tough guy Matt Boland.