Who's Hot, Who's Not: Feb. 20th - 26th

Two wingers from one of the league’s lowest ranked clubs take home hottest players of the week honours here at the q spot, and a team other than the Sea Dogs will be recognized for their strong play of late.  With less distinction, one of the league’s top scorers on what should be one of the top ranked teams is cooling down, and there’s no foreshadowing it, P.E.I is freezing in February.

The Val d’Or Foreurs may be near the QMJHL basement in 14^th place but the teams’ second leadings scorer Benjamin Casavant is one of the hottest producers in the league right now. Casavant has 29 goals and 60 points in 51 games this season.  Even at over a point per game on the season, February has been a good month.  Casavant is in the midst of a nine game point streak this month that at one point saw him score a goal in seven straight. He has 12 points in those nine games.

Anthony Mantha may be a surprise second entry for the lowly Foreurs this week. Prior to the beginning of February, Mantha had managed only 23 points in 55 games, and then only two points in his first four games to start the month.  But since then, Mantha has put together a six game goal scoring streak where he earned 12 points.  In ten games this month Mantha has put up 14 points and 26 points in his last 18.

This is the longest goal scoring streaks for both Mantha (Current) and Casavant (broken 02/26) QMJHL careers, and both players second longest points streak. Mantha had an eight game streak lasting until the end of January and Casavant has twice reached the 10 point plateau.

Despite Halifax’s strong play of late, 25 goal scorer Matthew Boudreau has struggled.  A two goal output on February 10^th against Chicoutimi improved Boudreau to a point per game with 52 points in 52 games.  Boudreau and the Mooseheads have played seven times since that game with Halifax sporting an impressive 5-2 record. Yet Boudreau hasn’t scored a point and is a minus five in those same seven games.  Boudreau’s will look to break out of his slump over the next three games which are against Gatineau and Rouyn-Noranda. In the two games against those two clubs this season, Boudreau has scored two goals and added an assist to go with a plus three rating.

Last week’s cold team of the week, the Chicoutimi Saguenees, continue to struggle, and nobody is feeling it more than leading scorer Guillaume Asselin. Asselin sits 18^th in league scoring with 67 points in 59 games but has only scored one goal and one assist in his last seven games.  A four game slump in the middle of those seven games was the longest he has been held without a point this season.

The Halifax Mooseheads are the surprise hot team of the QMJHL this week.  Halifax entered what may have been their hardest stretch of the year including four games in five nights on the road.  In their last nine games Halifax has had to play Shawinigan and Victoriaville twice, and Saint John and Chicoutimi once. Shawinigan, Saint John, and Victoriaville are first, second, and third in points this season.  Halifax won four of those six games and are 6-2-0-1 in their last nine. Within those nine games the Mooseheads have even managed a four game winning streak, swept Victoriaville and split with Shawinigan. One of their two losses was a hotly contested 4-3 against the Saint John Sea Dogs. Their only other regulation loss was to the memorial cup hosts Shawinigan. 

You don’t have to travel from this week’s hottest team to find its coldest. The P.E.I Rocket have had a dismal February. The Rocket have now lost eight straight being outscored 45-13 in the process. Four in a row were at home by a combined score of 24-3. Positive news is leading scorer Ben Duffy is starting to break out of his slump with two points in his last three games. Less fortunate news is the team’s next game will be against the Saint John Sea dogs at Harbour Station.  Their last meeting ended in a 10-1 drubbing.

Honourable Mentions: 

The Saint John Sea Dogs have won 14 straight games now, and 15 of their last 16.

Montreal Canadians first round pick Nathan Beaulieu of the Saint John Sea Dogs had a seven game point streak snapped Saturday in Moncton. Beaulieu has 1 goal and 14 points in nine games in February. 

16-year-old Halifax Mooseheads forward Ryan Falkenham had a four game streak snapped Saturday against Shawinigan. The longest streak of the young rookie’s career saw him score four goals and add two assists.

*Disclaimer- 15 of 16 does not include forfeit to Gatineau that Saint John originally won.

Game Previews-February 3rd, 2012

Game of Interest:

Saint John (36-13-0-2) at Drummondville (21-25-2-4)- Something has to give. Both teams have winning streaks; Drummondville has a four game streak going, while Saint John is riding a five game streak. This is a definite game of interest.

Players to Watch

Jonathan Oligny (Drummondville) & Ian Saab (Saint John). Oligny and Saab are one and two respectively in penalty minutes and major penalties. Expect them to drop the gloves tonight.

Other games on the Q schedule tonight:
Moncton (23-23-3-2) at Halifax (27-16-2-3)

Cape Breton (20-28-0-2) at P.E.I. (16-31-2-2)

Rimouski (31-21-0-0) at Quebec (32-12-4-2)

Victoriaville (33-16-1-2) at Baie-Comeau (24-22-1-3)

Gatineau (19-23-4-4) at Blainville-Boisbriand (27-20-2-1)

Rouyn-Noranda (16-29-2-3) at Chicoutimi (26-16-3-6)

Val-d’Or (21-26-0-4) at Shawinigan (34-11-2-3)

Game Previews: January 22nd

SAINT JOHN AT BATHURST: Saint John comes into the game having won two straight and six of their last 10. They should not take Bathurst lightly, especially with the league’s leading scorer, Zach O’Brien on the team. Oh, and Bathurst has a streak of their own: four straight wins.

Players to Watch

Saint John: Charlie Coyle- Since joining the Sea Dogs, Coyle has four goals in three games-an impressive start for any rookie.

Bathurst: Zach O’Brien- Coming off an impressive four-goal performance against Moncton, should be interesting to see what he can accomplish against their other New Brunsiwick counterpart.

MONCTON AT CAPE BRETON: Moncton will be looking to get back on track against Cape Breton. Both teams have only four regulation wins in their last 10 games.

Interesting Fact

Both teams traded their team Captains to the Memorial Cup host Shawinigan Cataractes. Even more interesting is that both players (Ellis & Gormley) hail from P.E.I.

RIMOUSKI AT BAIE-COMEAU: Rimouski has won four straight games, and seven out of their last 10, the second best streak in the league. It’s safe to say that David Rose and the Drakkar will have their hands full in this one.

Players to Watch

Rimouski-Jerome Gauthier-Leduc- The Oceanic’s stud defensemen has had another solid year. Once thought to be surely dealt, stayed in Rimouski, and their fans have been beyond happy.

Baie-Comeau- Jonathan Lessard- To say that Lessard is a pure goal scorer is an understatement. Lessard is second in team goal scoring, but only tenth in overall points.

DRUMMONDVILLE AT BLAINVILLE-BOISBRIAND: The Surprising Armada are tops in their division, 10 points ahead of Drummondville. While it’s unlikely the Voltigeurs catch up to the Armada, you can bet this will be a chippy affair.

Players to Watch

Drummondville-Alexandre Veronneau- There was a lot of questions when Veronneau was acquired, and the questions continue. He has a Goals Against Average greater than six with the Volts. Should be interesting to see how many he lets in tonight.

Blainville-Boisbriand-Etienne Marcoux- The 18-year-old goalie has been one of the best this season, unlike Veronneau. Marcoux is top 10 in every major category for goaltenders this season.

VAL-D’OR AT ROUYN-NORANDA: Val-d’Or have won three straight, while their opponent has lost fourstraight. With Val-d’Or battling for first in the West, you can bet they’ll be hungry.

Stat of the Game

Foreurs’ player Mathieu Guertin is second in the league in minor penalties taken, with 38.

P.E.I AT VICTORIAVILLE: PEI wraps up its latest swing through Quebec hoping for a win. It has been an incredibly rough trip for the Rocket, who have been outscored 15-2 so far. A win may be too much to ask of the Rocket, as Victoriaville is on a four-game winning streak.

Players to Watch

P.E.I. - Ben Duffy- Earlier this season Duffy broke the franchise’s all-time points record. Duffy has been one of the lone bright spots for P.E.I. this year

Victoriaville- Matthew Hobbs- Hobbs, traded from PEI to Victoriaville last month, has been one of the Tigres' best defensemen.

36 QMJHL players listed in midterm rankings

Quebec Remparts forward Mikhail Grigorenko tops the NHL Central Scouting's midterm rankings for the 2012 NHL Entry Draft for the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

Yesterday, the Canadian Hockey League announced that 145 CHL players appear on the list.

The domestic rankings list a total of 210 North American skaters including 120 from the CHL, also listing and additional 36 North American goaltenders which includes 25 that currently compete in the CHL.

The QMJHL has 36 representatives on the rankings, with Grigorenko at spot number two, below Nail Yakupov of the Sarnia Sting who is number one.

The highest ranked goaltender for the QMJHL is Victoriaville's Brandon Whitney at number three.

Here is the list of QMJHL players that made the rankings
NORTH AMERICAN SKATERS
RK Name Team
2 Mikhail Grigorenko, Quebec Remparts
25 Martin Frk Halifax, Mooseheads
59 Matej Beran, P.E.I. Rocket
62 Francis Beauvillier, Rimouski Oceanic
64 Andrew Ryan, Halifax Mooseheads
65 Tomas Hyka, Gatineau Olympiques
87 Vladislav Shalimov, Val-d'Or Foreurs
89 Ryan Culkin, Quebec Remparts
93 James Melindy, Moncton Wildcats
96 Charles Hudon, Chicoutimi Sagueneens
102 Liam O'Brien, Rouyn-Noranda Huskies
116 Justin Hache, Shawinigan Cataractes
126 Tomas Pavelka, P.E.I. Rocket
128 Anton Zlobin, Shawinigan Cataractes
130 Taylor Burke, Gatineau Olympiques
138 Dillon Fournier, Rouyn-Noranda Huskies
168 Loic Leduc, Cape Breton Screaming Eagles
173 Tomas Filippi, Baie-Comeau Drakkar
177 Raphael Corriveau, Cape Breton Screaming Eagles
186 Sven Andrighetto, Rouyn-Noranda Huskies
190 Alexandre Leclerc, Rouyn-Noranda Huskies
193 Jeremie Fraser, Acadie-Bathurst Titan
196 Luca Ciampini, Halifax Mooseheads
207 Domenic Poulin, Chicoutimi Sagueneens

NORTH AMERICAN GOALTENDERS
RK Name Team
3 Brandon Whitney, Victoriaville Tigres
6 Francois Tremblay, Val-d'Or Foreurs
13 Etienne Marcoux, Blainville-Boisbriand Armada
16 Francois Brassard, Quebec Remparts
18 Maxime Lagace, P.E.I. Rocket
25 Jacob Brennan, Acadie-Bathurst Titan
30 Roman Will, Moncton Wildcats
33 Philippe Trudeau, Cape Breton Screaming Eagles

Full list can be viewed here.

nolan@theqspot.ca

The Q back in action tonight

After breaking for Christmas over a week ago, the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League kicks back into gear tonight with six games on the schedule.

First on the list is the struggling P.E.I. Rocket (8-24-2-2) visiting the Halifax Mooseheads (22-11-1-2) at 7 p.m.

Next on the board is the Victoriaville Tigres (21-13-0-2) visiting the Drummondville Voltigeurs (14-18-2-3) at 8 p.m. Atlantic Time.

Third on the night is the Quebec Remparts (28-6-2-1) hosting the Rimouski Oceanic (22-17-0-0) at 8 p.m.

Fourth on the list is Shawinigan (25-9-2-2) hosting the Armada (20-14-2-0) at 8 p.m.

Next up is the Chicoutimi "Sags" (17-11-3-5) visiting the Baie-Comeau Drakkar (19-15-1-1) at 8 p.m.

And finally, the Val-d'Or Foreurs (15-19-0-4) visit their arch-rivals, Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (12-25-1-1) at 8 p.m.

Trade updates
On Dec. 21, Saint John acquires Danny Chiasson (1992-09-23) and 12th round pick in 2012 from the Baie-Comeau Drakkar for an 11th round pick in 2012.

On Dec. 21, Acadie-Bathurst traded defenceman Garrett Clarke (1992-11-03) to the Gatineau Olympiques for a fifth-round pick in 2012 (via P.E.I) and a ninth-round pick in 2012.

On Dec. 20, Gatineau acquired Olivier Daoust from Moncton for Baie-Comeau's 2012 third-round pick.

To view a list of transactions so far, click here.

Few trades made on opening day of trade period

Only four trades were made on Dec. 19, when the annual trading period opened up.

The biggest trade of the day was defenceman Jonathan Narbonne being sent from the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada to the Shawinigan Cataractes for a first-round pick in 2012 as well as a third-round pick in 2012, previously owned by Victoriaville.

Narbonne, 19, had six goals for 19 points in 27 games this season.

The second biggest deal of the day was Baie-Comeau trading forward Alexandre Durette and a first-round pick in 2012 (Victoriaville) to the Val-d'Or Foreurs for forward Jean-Francois Leblanc.

Durette, 19, had 10 goals and 39 points in 36 games this season. Leblanc, 18, who had an impressive rookie season last year with 19 goals and 51 points in 63 games, is off to a slow start this season with only a goal and four helpers in 33 games.

The third deal of the day was the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles acquiring 18-year-old defenceman Mikael Langlois from the Baie-Comeau Drakkar for a seventh-round pick in 2012.

Langlois had two assists in 10 games this season. He had eight goals and 21 points last year in 57 games.

A minor trade was also made between Drummondville and Acadie-Bathurst. The Titan sent a 2013 fourth-round pick, originally owned by Drummondville, to the Voltigeurs for a fifth-rounder in 2013.

Busy weekend heading into Christmas break

There are quite a few games slated for this weekend as we enter the final week of action before the league breaks for Christmas.

Tonight, there are eight games in action tonight, combining for 16 of the the league's 17 teams.

First on tonight's schedule are the mighty Saint John Sea Dogs (26-10-0-1) visiting the struggling Cape Breton Screaming Eagles (14-20-0-1) at 7 p.m.

Second on tonight's schedule is the Halifax Mooseheads (21-10-1-2) visiting the Moncton Wildcats (17-16-2-0) at 7 p.m.

The P.E.I. Rocket, the other Maritime Division team in action tonight, are in Quebec to take on Patrick Roy and Mikhail Grigorenko's Remparts. The Rocket are in last place with an 8-22-2-2 record, as the Remparts are in first with an impressive 26-6-2-1 record. Gametime is 8 p.m.

Other Quebec teams in action tonight consist of the Gatineau Olympiques (16-14-2-3) visiting the Drummondville Voltigeurs (13-17-2-3) at 8 p.m, Baie-Comeau Drakkar (17-15-1-1) at Victoriaville Tigres (21-11-0-2), Chicoutimi Sagueneens (16-10-3-5) visiting the Rimouski Oceanic (20-17-0-0), Blainville-Boisbriand Armada(18-14-2-0) at Rouyn-Noranada Huskies (12-23-1-1) and the Shawinigan Cataractes (23-9-2-2) visit the Val-d'Or Foreurs (15-17-0-4).

The schedule loosens up on Saturday with only five games on the board.

The P.E.I. Rocket travel to Rimouski to battle the Oceanic, the Acadie-Bathurst Titan (17-17-2-2) travel to Victoriaville, the Olympiques host the Drakkar, Rouyn-Noranda Huskies host Shawnigan and the Armada visit the Foreurs.

On Sunday, only three games are on the schedule with Bathurst visiting Quebec, Halifax in Cape Breton, and Saint John visiting arch-rival Moncton Wildcats.

The trading period opens up on Monday Dec. 19.

In other news, it has been reported that Charlie Coyle will be reporting to the Saint John Sea Dogs. Coyle has left Boston University and is likely to sign with the Sea Dogs. Coyle's departure is due to academic issues.

Coyle, an East Weymouth, M.A., native had three goals and 14 points in 16 games with Boston University this season. The 19-year-old was selected 28th overall by the San Jose Sharks in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. His rights were traded to the Minnesota Wild.

The Q Review for Friday Nov. 18

A busy night was on hand for the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League Friday night with six games on the schedule.

It was an interesting night as all visiting teams were victorious.

The Saint John Sea Dogs continued their winning ways with a 2-1 win over the struggling P.E.I. Rocket.

Tomas Jurco and Danick Gauthier scored powerplay goals for the Sea Dogs as Matej Beran had the lone goal for P.E.I.

In goal for the Rocket was Maxime Lagace making 32 saves in the loss. Sea Dogs goaltender Mathieu Corbeil made 28 saves to earn first star honours in the win.

The second game on the schedule was the Victoriaville Tigres coming back from a 3-0 deficit to beat the Acadie-Bathurst Titan 6-4.

Yannick Dube (1-1), Philippe Halley (1-1), Phillip Dannault (1-1), Yanni Gourde, Stefan Fournier and Carl-Antoine Delisle had goals for the Tigres.

Scoring for Bathurst were Matthew Bissonnette (2-1), Christophe Losier, and Zach O'Brien (1-2). Sebastien Trudeau chipped in with assists on all four Titan goals.

David Honzik made 23 saves for Victoriaville in the win as Jacob Brennan took the loss for Bathurst with 37 saves.

In the third game of the night, it was the Halifax Mooseheads being 2-1 winners over the Drummondville Voltigeurs.

Luca Ciampini and Mathew Boudreau scored for the Mooseheads. Nathan MacKinnon chipped in with two assists.

Jonathan Oligny had the lone goal for the Voltigeurs.

Zachery Fucale, Halifax, made 19 saves. Domenic Graham, Drummondville, made 23 saves in the loss.

The first game to see extra action Friday night was the Val-d'Or Foreurs edging the Gatineau Olympiques 3-2 in a shootout.

Michael Beaudry and Benjamin Casavant scored in regulation for the Foreurs. Christian Ouellet had both goals for the Olympiques, and added the shootout winner.

Francois Tremblay made 23 saves in the win as Francois Lacerte took the loss with 31 saves.

The second game to see extra action was the Shawinigan Cataractes beating the Chicoutimi Sagueneens 4-3 in overtime.

Michael Bournival (2-0) scored 28 seconds into the extra frame to give the Cataractes the extra point. Also scoring for Shawinigan were Kirill Kabanov and Anton Zlobin. Scoring for Chicoutimi were Charles Hudon (1-2), Guillaume Asselin(1-1) and Mikael Beauregard.

Alex Dubeau made 31 saves for Shawinigan and Christopher Gibson stopped 24.

The last game on the night was the Quebec Remparts beating the Rimouski Oceanic 4-3.

Remparts had goals from Mikhail Grigorenko (1-1), Alexandre Comtois, Owen Werthner and Vincent Montreuil. Louis Domingue made 36 saves.

Rimouski had goals from Jakub Culek (1-2), Francis Beauvillier and Alexis Loiseau. Jacob Gervais-Chouinard made 20 saves.