Grigorenko, Gourde clean up at Golden Puck Awards

QMJHL's top NHL draft prospect, Mikhail Grigorenko was the big winner at Wednesday night’s Golden Puck Awards.

Grigorenko of the Quebec Remparts edged Halifax Mooseheads' Nathan MacKinnon for both the RDS Cup (Rookie of the Year) and the Michel Bergeron Trophy (Offensive Rookie of the Year). He also won the Michael Bossy Trophy as the top professional prospect.

Victoriaville Tigres forward Yanni Gourde was named league MVP, taking home the Michel Briere trophy. He also won the Jean Beliveau tophy as top scorer.

Jean-Francois Houle of the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada won the coach of the year. Houle led his team to a 40-22-4-2 record, easily the best record in the West division. He edged out Sea Dogs coach Gerard Gallant, who had won the award the previous two seasons and Remparts coach Patrick Roy.

Houle's boss, Joel Bouchard, was named the league's top general manager.

While Gallant lost out on a third straight coach of the year award, the Sea Dogs were still big winners. Captain Jonathan Huberdeau took home the Paul Dumont Trophy (Personality of the Year) and goaltender Mathieu Corbeil won the Jacques Plante Trophy.

Jerome Gauthier Leduc, who had 28 goals, and 46 assists in 62 games patrolling the Rimouski blueline, was named the league's top defenseman.

Other winners included: Zach O'Brien (Acadie-Bathurst Titan) for sportsman of the year; Jonathan Brunelle (Cape Breton Screaming Eagles) was named the top scholastic player; and Vincent Barnard (Quebec Remparts) was singled out for his humanitarian and community involvement.

jonathan@theqspot.ca

Will, Micallef & Brunelle named 3 stars of the week

Roman Will, Alex Micallef and Jonathan Brunelle have been named the Telus Three Stars of the Week of January 23-29, the league announced today.



Will, the starting goaltender for the Moncton Wildcats, went 1-1 this weekend.

In the first of his two games, he made 45 saves in a 1-0 loss to defending Memorial Cup champion Saint John Sea Dogs. On Saturday, Will made 37 saves in a 2-1 win against Baie-Comeau.

Will was named the first star of both games and had a combined save percentage of .976.

Micallef, a stud defensemen with the Blanville-Boisbriand Armada is the second-star of the week.

Micallef had a goal and two assists in a 6-5 win against the Acadie-Bathurst Titan on Wednesday. Friday, he had another goal, this time against the Wildcats. On Saturday against P.E.I. he scored a goal, his third consecutive game doing so. He capped off the week Sunday against Saint John, adding an assist.

Micallef was a plus-4 in those four games.

Brunelle, of the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles was named third-star of the week.

Brunelle started off the week Tuesday against Baie-Comeau, scoring a goal and adding two assists. He followed up that nice effort with an even more impressive goal and three assists Friday against Acadie-Bathurst.