U17 World Hockey Challenge - Team Quebec

U17 World Hockey Challenge - Team Quebec

Team Quebec - 6th Place

Quebec had a difficult time scoring in this tournament, however finished with a .500 record which included a loss to bronze medal winning Team Sweden in a shootout. They had a difficult draw playing against the likes of Ontario, Pacific and Sweden with their only win coming against the Finns. They scored half their goals against the Finns and were shutout twice in the tournament tying the lowly Czech's in that statistical category. McKeen's Director of Scouting David Burstyn looks at several prospects on Team Quebec.

Forwards: C-

With only 13 goals scored in 5 games it was clear that Team Quebec lacked any type of scoring threats. What was even more alarming is that all but three of their forwards play in the QMJHL and were high draft picks. Archambault and Leblanc tallied in on every goal scored with 13 points among them. Aside from the top unit no other line was able to manufacture any type of offence, as certain players did not meet expectations.

Defensemen: C

Not blessed with an abundance of skill, their backend performed admirably, keeping shooters at length and not surrendering many second shot opportunities. They had a surplus of defensive-minded blueliners who played with grit including Dillon Donnelly, the son of former NHL heavyweight Gord Donnelly. Short of any true PP specialists this team did not generate much offence from the backend.

Goaltending: C+

Robin Gusse played all but 18 minutes of this tournament for Team Quebec. He kept his team in each of the games he played and shined in a shoot-out loss to Team Sweden. With very little offence to rely on, Gusse had to be perfect in each contest to give his team a chance. Gusse was named to the All-Star team of this tournament.

Robin Gusse (2011), G, Chicoutimi

Gusse, a former first round pick has been splitting the duties with the Saguenees as a 16-year old .. a reactionary goalie he has good technical skills .. not overly big at 5-foot-10 and 160 pounds, he does not fill out the net .. tends to commit too early, as he is a butterfly goalie .. moves well laterally, as he is a good skater .. athletic and flexible, he can stretch himself to make a save .. stays within his position and angles off well .. needs to work on his rebound control and puckhandling skills .. confidence should come with additional size and he should be able to compete more in traffic.

Dillon Donnelly (2011), D, Moncton

A stay-at-home defender who plays a physical, rugged-style-of-play and is cut from the same cloth as his father Gord, a veteran of 550-plus NHL games .. shutdown defender who contains guys along the boards and never shies away from giving them an additional hit .. he intimidates with his physicality .. he readily blocks shots .. his defensive positioning is good, however his feet and speed are average .. his puck skills are very limited and due to his lack of confidence he rarely ventures into the offensive zone .. Donnelly has a good frame, is thick like his father and has a role on any team due to his willingness to pay the price and drop the gloves.

Jonathan Racine (2011), D, Shawinigan

Racine was thrust into every situation and at times, he appeared overwhelmed .. the 8th overall selection of the 2009 draft, Racine is considered more of two-way defender whose game is not exceptional in any category .. he is a better-than-average skater with good play-reading skills .. competes hard along the boards but does not have the strength to clear guys in front of the net .. he reads changes in the play but at times, he can let his man go along the wing .. is at his best when he does less with the puck .. his decision-making improved but he is still capable of making mental errors .. has versatility to his game, as he complements his defence partner .. on a team that lacked a true puck-moving defenseman, Racine was slotted to fill that role but it was too much responsibility for him to assume.

Xavier Ouellet (2011), D, Montreal

Team captain was a valuable option that coach Dubois leaned on heavily along with Racine .. not a blinding skater, he is good on the straight away but his turning radius could be cleaned up a bit .. he takes wide, looping circles in his reverse movement, however his transition to defend is crisp and smooth .. average puck skills, he can make a decent first pass and finds his outlets .. neutralizes the opposition by angling-off correctly and keeping them to the outside .. understands his limits and plays within them .. Ouellet has a modest skill set but is average in terms of skill and size.

Jean-Francois Leblanc (2011), C, Val-d'Or

The 4th overall pick of the 2009 draft is a budding power forward with finesse skills that excels around the goal .. has performed well this year in the QMJHL and is producing offensively .. posted 5-2-4-6 totals, tied for first in Team scoring in this tournament .. was a force down low, as he was extremely difficult to contain, as he constantly moved his body and battled for real estate in front .. excels more in a physical contest where he can compete and thrash his body around .. worked well on the cycle .. is more of a give-and-go player, as his stickhandling is choppy .. skates well for a player of his size, as his stride is long and crisp .. LeBlanc knows how to use his size to his advantage in all three zones but is most effective in the offensive zone .. his hockey sense prevails in defensive situations as well .. he clogs up shooting and passing lanes .. Leblanc has the potential to be a pro, as he continues to mature and fill out his 6-foot-3 frame.

Yannick Veilleux (2011), LW, Shawinigan

Veilleux did a lot of the dirty work on what was considered the top line of Team Quebec along with Archambault and Danault .. a muddy skater, with a limited stride, he overcomes his lack of speed by pushing forward at all times and using his strong frame to compete and stay involved in the play .. bullies his way into all areas of the ice and although he is not creative, he is smart in his decision making with the puck .. he does a lot of little things well and his positioning along the boards lends to success .. he follows plays well and even though he can't keep up off the mark (due to his skating) he knows where to be if the play slips by him .. his neutral zone coverage coupled with his size make it very difficult for defenders to get past him .. has a high compete level, as he simply hates to lose .. he is a determined player who does not quit .. Veilleux has struggled to pile up points this year in the QMJHL but he is considered more of a project who should be a handful when he is 18.

Jonathan Lavoie (2011), C, Rimouski

Lavoie was a good special team's player who logged ample time on the PK .. blessed with good size and plays with some sand paper .. aggressive as the F1, his acceleration and hockey sense keeps him involved in the play away from the puck .. generates good speed largely in part to his leg strength, as his push-offs are strong and his crossovers are tight .. smart and does not over commit in the offensive zone .. displayed good faceoff technique .. ok stickhandling skills but not an accomplished finisher .. was used more as a match-up player who saw valuable icetime in the dying moments of a game to preserve a lead.

Olivier Archambault (2011), RW, C Val-d'Or

The first overall selection in the 2009 draft led the team in scoring and is also the highest scoring 1993-born player in the QMJHL .. an extremely dynamic forward in terms of patience with the puck and the ability to thread the needle with his passes in traffic .. .. his skating still has a hitch in terms of fluidity but he is sensationally strong on his skates and uses his edges well .. squat down skater with limited speed, it is his constant body movements that confused defensemen, as he employs many head fakes and dekes and is incredibly shifty .. stays low to the ice and protects the puck in his feet making it very difficult for defensemen to contain or pick pocket him off the puck once he gets moving .. still underdeveloped physically, but at 5-foot-10 and160 pounds, he has a unique way of eluding coverage and converging on loose pucks .. more of a passer but does have a good snapshot .. he can get into the clear due to his quick hands .. when 1-on-1 with a goalie he has such patience with the puck that he often gets the goalie to open up giving him more net to shoot at .. thrives in PP situations where the extra room makes him lethal on the half boards .. Archambault is more developed now than his peers but his skating and size are immediate concerns at the pro level.

Benjamin Laliberte (2011), RW, Gatineau

Top-six forward gave Team Quebec decent size on the wings but was unable to capitalize on his chances throughout the entire tournament .. exhibits good straight-ahead speed and eagerly goes to the net .. very limited in terms of finish and despite posting healthy numbers in his QMJHL draft year (45-13-32-45 midget minor Laval-Bourassa), too often, he did not have his stick on the ice to receive passes or take a shot .. appeared to have lost confidence throughout the tournament, as he became less of a factor .. played ok on the cycle and down low, as he protects the puck well .. needs to be more involved defensively, as he could get caught standing still and watching plays .. Laliberte needs to improve on his speed and agility .. he has ok tools at this point and will be nurtured in a good hockey environment, as Gatineau does a good job of developing players.

Raphael Bussieres (2012), LW, Baie-Comeau

A former 5th overall pick to the Moncton Wildcats, he was traded just days before the tournament began to Baie-Comeau along with a first round selection for Nashville prospect Gabriel Bourque .. more of an offensive player, Bussieres can be guilty of leaving the zone early to chase down offensive opportunities .. a strong skater, he has a hop in his start-up that actually helps his quickness .. plays the PP due to his above-average offensive game .. he is very aware and sees plays unfold .. he never rushes his play with the puck and is an equally adept passer and shooter .. he is very gifted at finding the trailer and then sliding in backdoor to bury a rebound or accept a pass .. could stand to be tougher, as at times, he gives up on plays instead of competing .. defensively, he needs work as well .. a new atmosphere should allot him more icetime and a chance to develop by playing in special team situations.