QMJHL: Youthful Screaming Eagles

The Cape Breton Screaming Eagles and the St. John's Fog Devils recently played a two-game set at Mile One Center. St. John's opened with a 6-0 win, while Cape Breton replied with a 4-3 shootout win in the rematch. The Screaming Eagles have surprised a lot of people this season and their 2008 (Mathieu Brodeur, Pierre-Olivier Payment, Olivier Dame-Malka and Jan Piskacek) and 2009 (Samuel Finn, Philippe Fontaine, Francis Meilleur and Olivier Roy) draft-eligible players have contributed to the team's success so far in 2007-08. Steady between the pipes with Roy, improving and learning on defense with Brodeur, Finn, Dame-Malka, Piskacek and Meilleur and working hard up front with Payment and Fontaine. All eight of these potential draft-eligible hopefuls (2008 and 2009) were in action. McKeen's was on hand and files this report.

Mathieu Brodeur (2008), D, Cape Breton

The 6-foot-5, 190-pound rearguard hails from Montreal, QC .. was in the starting lineup for both games and paired with Beau Prokopetz on the first defense unit .. played in all situations: regular shift, powerplay, penalty kill and four-on-four .. was used extensively on the PK .. size clearly evident, but so was the fact that he was not overly physical or aggressive .. demonstrated strength along the boards and in his one-on-one coverage while battling in front of the net .. looked to keep things simple throughout the two-game set .. when he tried to do too much, the turnovers and miscues were evident .. not a great skater by any means, but does skate okay for a big man and with his head up .. not extremely mobile and does lack foot speed, but his long reach balanced that out for the most part .. slow moving the puck, usually took an extra step (stride), but when he did move the puck he made accurate passes: short and outlet .. displayed his ability to shoot the puck, accurate and hard .. more of a stay-at-home rearguard, he displayed offensive instincts at times, but not really a threat, did not force the issue, usually gained the redline and dumped the puck .. on the defensive side of the puck, his long reach is a weapon that he used .. has an active stick .. strong along the boards and in front of the net .. kept things simple overall .. displayed willingness to block shots and used the boards and glass effectively .. not a graceful stickhandler, did display an ability to stickhandle, but not on a consistent basis .. not overly physical or aggressive, but did a solid job of containing players .. finished the series with no points, an even rating and six shots on goal.

Pierre-Olivier Payment (2008), LW, Cape Breton

The 6-foot, 189-pound left-winger is from St-Jean, QC .. exchanged from Gatineau to Cape Breton on 2008-01-08 .. one of two extra forwards dressed for both games, fourth line duty with Spencer Corcoran in game one and Philippe Fontaine in game two .. limited icetime overall in game one (5-on-5 and PP), increased icetime in game two (5-on-5 and PP) .. not a great skater, but strong on his skates .. surprisingly, he displayed some jump, energy and speed on more than one occasion .. moved the puck well, made quick decisions with the puck, and showed nice touch and vision .. does not possess a hard shot, but did display a quick release .. was physical, strong on the forecheck and looked to finish his checks .. displayed willingness to go to high traffic areas and battled hard for ice .. displayed willingness and ability to backcheck, as second efforts were clearly evident .. was over aggressive at times without the puck, positioning suffered as a result .. comfortable stickhandling the puck and was able to escape some congested areas with the puck and for the most part, he gained the redline and dumped the puck in .. definitely a hard worker, was involved throughout the two-game set .. used his body well to protect the puck, displayed strong work along the boards and worked the cycle well .. finished the series with no points, a minus-two rating, two shots on goal and two big hits.

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

The 5-foot-10, 200-pound rearguard hails from Montreal, QC .. was dressed as the seventh defensemen in both games .. was spotted time throughout the series at even strength, on the powerplay, penalty kill and four-on-four .. a good skater, solid on his skates, moves well and is mobile .. quick moving the puck and made crisp passes .. displayed a quick release (used slap, snap and wristshots) and ability to get into shooting position .. looked to jump into the play and rush with the puck on more than one occasion .. decision-making was suspect at times in the defensive zone .. turnovers and miscues were a result of his indecision .. looked to initiate contact and attacked extremely well at the defending blueline .. finished the two-game set with no points, a minus-one rating, two PIM's, five shots on goal and threw a couple of big hits that rattled the boards.

Jan Piskacek (2008), D, Cape Breton

Selected in the first round, 51st overall, in the 2007 CHL draft by the Screaming Eagles .. the 5-foot-11, 170-pound blueliner hails from the Czech Republic .. paired on the second defensive unit with Alex Lamontagne in both games .. played in all situations: regular shift, powerplay, penalty kill, four-on-four .. a solid, smooth skater, mobile and agile .. made strong outlet passes and was quick moving the puck .. displayed his ability to shoot the puck, even more impressive was his ability to avoid the defending player and his ability to get shots through from the point .. led and joined the rush on a number of occasions .. strong decision-making with the puck on the attack, rarely turned the puck over in the offensive zone .. made smart decisions at the attacking blueline with respect to pinching and not pinching, sliding down the wall to keep the puck in and jumping off the blueline and backing off the blueline .. worked hard in the defensive zone .. active stick, strong one-on-one coverage and strong positioning .. displayed his ability to contain attacking players and to provide help defense when called upon .. not overly physical, but was not pushed around either .. finished the series with no points, a minus-two rating and six shots on goal.

Samuel Finn (2009), D, Cape Breton

Selected in the first round, 17th overall, in the 2007 QMJHL draft by Cape Breton .. the 5-foot-11, 176-pound rearguard hails from Quebec, QC .. was paired on the third defense unit with Francis Meilleur in both games .. took a regular shift and was used on the penalty kill in both games, no powerplay time .. a smooth, steady skater, displayed a quick first step, quick turns and was smooth in transition from skating forward to backward .. moved the puck well overall, but did force the issue at times and turned the puck over on occasion, although not on a consistent basis .. not involved offensively with respect to direct shots on goal, had a number of shot attempts blocked, but did get teammates involved and moved the puck well in the offensive zone .. protected the puck for the most part and his positioning without the puck was solid overall, which made his mistakes and miscues with the puck even more glaring when they occurred, as one mistake ended up in the back of the Screaming Eagles net as a direct result of his turnover .. credit the young rearguard, as he displayed ability to refocus quickly .. did look comfortable skating with the puck and displayed his stickhandling ability on occasion .. did a good job of rubbing players out and cutting off their skating lanes .. was involved in a fight with the Fog Devils Samuel Grenache and definitely held his own .. finished the two-game set with no points, a minus-three rating and five PIM's.

Philippe Fontaine (2009), LW, Cape Breton

Selected in the fifth round, 76th overall, in the 2007 QMJHL draft by the Screaming Eagles .. the 5-foot-11, 164-pound left-winger hails from Quebec, QC .. was the Screaming Eagles Scholastic Player of the Month in November .. skated on the third line in game one with center Vincent Lavigneur and RW Murdock MacLellan .. was one of two extra forwards dressed in game two, Pierre-Olivier Payment was the other, fourth line duty .. took a regular shift and had powerplay time in game one .. was used at even strength, on the powerplay and on the penalty kill in game two .. skated well, but a slow starter .. displayed good anticipation in the offensive zone and his ability to read and react were clearly evident on a number of occasions that led to turnovers and scoring chances .. kept his feet moving with the puck and was rarely caught standing still .. does not possess a hard shot, but does have a quick release .. displayed good anticipation on the defensive side of the puck .. displayed willingness to backcheck .. willingness and ability to block shots was evident .. was involved physically .. strong along the board and on the cycle .. looked to finish his checks .. good puck pressure and pursuit all over the ice .. finished the two-game set with one assist, a minus-one rating, three shots on goal, and took four faceoffs, winning two.

Francis Meilleur (2009), D, Cape Breton

The 5-foot-11, 184-pound defenseman hails from Montreal, QC .. selected in the ninth round, 161st overall, in the 2007 QMJHL draft Cape Breton .. paired on the third defense unit with Samuel Finn in both games .. played in all situations: regular shift, powerplay, penalty kill and four-on-four .. a strong, smooth skater .. extremely mobile and displayed agility .. displayed a quick first stride and skated with his head up at all times .. consistent, solid outlet passes .. crisp, hard and accurate passing ability .. demonstrated great vision and ability to read the ice .. looked to distribute the puck more often than not, but did not look to shoot the puck, although he did display a hard shot .. played a solid series on the offensive and defensive ends .. smart decision-making on the attack .. led and joined the rush with ease .. made strong decisions on when to pinch and not to pinch .. did a great job of sliding down along the boards to keep the puck deep .. was active jumping off the blueline looking to go backdoor .. worked hard to get open and gave teammates an option at the blueline .. displayed ability to avoid contact and great vision .. was aggressive on the defensive side of the puck .. solid job standing up and taking the attacking players at the blueline, as he closed the gap extremely well .. was able to handle players driving to the outside and was able to cut off and impede players cutting to the middle .. showed great anticipation .. was definitely involved, but not overly physical .. leadership qualities and strong communication skills on the ice were clearly evident .. finished the weekend set with one goal, a minus-one rating and two shots on goal.

Olivier Roy (2009), G, Cape Breton

Selected in the third round, 44th overall, in the 2007 QMJHL draft by the Screaming Eagles .. the 5-foot-11, 163-pound goaltender hails from Amqui, QC .. currently sits fourth on the all-time list in the QMJHL for the longest streak without a goal allowed during the regular season (167min, 51sec) .. named defensive player of the week twice this season (07-10-01 to 07-10-07 and 08-02-11 to 08-02-17) .. named rookie player of the month for the month of November (2007-11-02) .. was the Screaming Eagles recipient of the RDS Rookie Excellence Award Mid-Season (2007-12-18) .. tied league record for wins by a 16-year-old with 23 in a 5-1 win over Halifax on 2008-02-21 .. set a new league record for wins by a 16-year-old with 24 in a 4-0 win over PEI on 2008-02-22, at the same time set a QMJHL record with four shutouts, regular season, by a rookie goaltender .. started both games against the Fog Devils .. was pulled in game one after surrendering four goals on 21 shots (first goal was a result of a turnover in the neutral zone that lead to a 2-on-0, beaten low glove side along the ice, no chance; second goal was a result of a miscommunication between Roy and Dame-Malka, weak goal short-side; third goal was a result of 2-on-1, broken play, surprised Roy, backhand redirect/deflection glove side and fourth goal was a result of poor defensive zone coverage, but a weak shot through traffic high blocker side) .. rebounded in game two stopping 28 of the 31 shots that he faced in regulation and overtime and all three shots he faced in the shootout (first goal was a result of a 5-on-3 powerplay, an easy tap in, no chance; second goal was a result of a shot from point blank range, no chance and the third goal was a result of an aggressive forecheck, shot from the high slot, no chance) .. a butterfly-style goaltender .. displayed quickness up/down and post-to-post .. solid down low along the ice, great work with his pads .. displayed willingness and ability to challenge shooters .. time and time again, he displayed an outstanding quick glove hand .. great anticipation, ability to read and react was evident .. definitely competed, displayed second efforts and the ability to refocus after a goal were noticeable .. struggled playing the puck at times .. rebound control was a problem at times, but not glaring .. committed too early at times and overplayed shots on occasion .. lack of communication with rearguards evident at times .. struggled finding the puck behind the net .. seemed to be suspect on the blocker side .. finished the two-game series with a 1-1 record (6-0 loss and a 4-3 shootout win), surrendered seven goals on 52 shots, and made 45 saves.