U-17 Hockey Challenge: Team Quebec

After winning the tournament back in 2006, Team Quebec took a massive step backward by finishing in seventh spot. They started the tournament with a demoralizing 8-5 loss to the Finns, in a game that saw them measure stick curves three times to gain a man advantage. They finished off strong winning their final two games against both Team Pacific and Team Atlantic.

Forwards

Only four forwards on this team are playing Major Junior A, while the rest are playing Midget hockey. It is very hard to compete against other Canadian-represented teams whose roster includes all CHL players. Louis LeBlanc was the lone bright spot on this team. He was a star as a 15-year-old last season for the Canada Winter Games. The rest of the forward unit lacked size up front and although some of the players were quick and could get into position, they often could not stay there very long.

Grade: C

Defense

The backend was very ordinary. Lacking size and a capable puckrusher, they were led on most nights by team captain Mikael Tam. Generously listed at 5-foot-9, he did not have the stamina or strength to fully enter the zone to generate offence. Roussel and Fournier added depth while Kavanagh added an offensive dimension and towering defender Simon Despres-Bellevance was a rock on the backend. Despres shows the most promise in hockey Canada's eyes, as he has already competed in the Canada/Russia challenge at 16 year old.

Grade: C+

Goaltending

In a surprise move, the coaching staff opted to go with Clermont for four of the five games. Roy assumed the role of backup, despite having the most wins in the CHL of all tournament competing goaltenders with 10. Roy played exceptionally well in a 4-2 loss to Team Ontario, while Clermont's play was borderline average allowing eight goals in one game against Finland.

Grade: C-

Players hailing from La Belle Province did not make a glowing impression. While there are some pieces here that may go on to represent Canada at later International competitions, as a whole this unit lacked the experience and overall skill set to compete effectively at this tournament.

Overall Grade: C-

Scouting

Maxime Clermont (2010) G, Gatineau

Started in all Team Quebec games with the exception of one, which ironically was on his birthday (Dec.31), making him just old enough to compete in this tournament .. at 5-foot-11 and 200 pounds, he is a thick goalie who is large in the nets but is not overly agile .. works well when pucks are in close .. struggles with far shots and containing rebounds .. he also goes down too early .. he got better as the tournament progressed but in the early stages, he seemed very rattled and was fighting the puck .. prone to not only giving up a soft goal but unable to bounce back for a competitive effort, as his mental composure was severely exposed.

Simon Despres-Bellavance (2009), D, Saint John

Towering defenseman played the role of a shutdown guy and was a fixture on the PK .. large wingspan coupled with decent, yet improving feet often allowed him to break up plays and be a factor down low .. with his imposing frame, he tends to lean on guys and force them to cough up the puck .. did not see much time on the PP, as his puck skills and overall poise with the puck are not his calling cards .. he is aware of his limitations .. he does not over handle the puck .. defensively, he positions himself as not to expose his mobility, so he only needs to take one long thick stride to the puckcarrier .. average shot but he takes too long to get it off .. passing skills are also very underdeveloped .. he takes up an enormous amount of ice and despite his size, he does not use his body as a weapon .. he is disciplined in his play, as he takes few penalties .. reliable on the ice, he was often on for the last minute of the game to preserve a lead .. a perfect defensive partner for a high-wheeling, offensive-minded defenseman.

Ryan Kavanagh (2010), D, Lac St-Louis (Midget

)

Small rearguard led team Quebec in points on the backend .. his penchant to often join the rush acting as a fourth forward helped to generate offense .. a PP specialist, his puck savvy and skill are good when time and space are allotted to him .. he has a fluent skating style and looks very graceful when logging the puck up ice .. he relies mostly on his feet to bail him out of trouble defensively because he simply cannot contain a man down low .. he physically is not as strong as his peers and needs to do a better job sweep checking in order to knock the puck off the opposition .. only player on the backend that is not playing Major Junior A but had a decent showing nonetheless.

Mikael Tam (2009), D, Quebec

Team captain provided grit and determination and played much bigger than his 5-foor-9, 160-pound frame .. an average skater, he shows surprising quickness in three strides and was able to spearhead many offensive forays .. although he has the talent to contribute offensively, he is a stay-at-home defender who concentrates in his own zone .. he is a smart player who does not jump eagerly into the play unless it is safe .. only until later on in the tournament did he start to steer toward being more offensive .. he is an effective skater, although he does not have a wide turning radius but he can keep up with most players down the wing .. looks to compete physically, as he often caught players with their head down.

John Esposito Jr. (2010), C, Notre Dame (Midget)

Considering the lack of depth on this roster up front, Esposito benefited and was able to log many key minutes in all game situations .. yet another small player on this team who has difficulty holding onto the puck long due to his size .. he has quick hands in close and can make plays in traffic but has to dish it off quickly .. an intelligent playmaker whose hockey sense is strong enough to play centre .. he is more of a side-to-side skater than a straight-ahead guy .. he has average speed and deceptive quick bursts of speed, which allows him to get to loose pucks .. he anticipates well in the offensive zone .. not overly fluent on his edges, he falls to the ice frequently .. good understanding of defensive concepts and positioning in the offensive zone, as his play along the boards is strong .. never gives up on a play.

David Gilbert (2009), C, Antoine Girouard (Midget)

The tallest player on the roster, he had decent speed but not much glide to his skating technique, so when his feet stopped moving he covered very little ice .. worked well in traffic, as he entered and exited the danger zones often for little fear of repercussions

.. did not hesitate to shoot and had a modest wristshot .. more of a finisher than a playmaker, he has a nose for the net and attacks it eagerly .. .. slightly choppy stride but is effective in terms of speed .. his persistence and work ethic to retrieve the puck was encouraging .. he has a strong short game, as most of his chances are created within 15 feet of the net.

Louis Leblanc (2009), RW, Lac St-Louis Lions (Midget)

Was the leading scorer and best player on the team, as he played on the first line and registered a bulk of the PP time .. a fluent, and swift skater who generates good speed on his crossovers .. he has an extra gear, which allows him to separate himself from defenders in open ice .. he challenges defenseman out wide with favorable success .. an offensive-minded player whose skill set marries well with his physical edge .. he bullies himself into all areas of the ice and has the coordination to bat down loose pucks and stay involved with most plays .. he willingly comes back to defend and often likes to log the puck out of his own zone since team Quebec lacked a true, bona fide offensive defenseman capable of making a first pass .. leading goal scorer, he has ok finish but at times, tried to do it all by himself, which resulted in him being caught deep and odd man breakouts going the other direction .. shows promise and ability to become a good power forward.