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

Should the Q hold an outdoor game?

With the long awaited announcement that the OHL would have two regular season outdoor games at Comerica Park in Detroit as part of the NHL Winter Classic, I wonder if Gilles Courteau has begun to fathom the possibility himself. 

I hope the commissioner of the QMJHL has at least contemplated the idea of the QMJHL holding an outdoor game

The positives to the idea are endless. The exposure the QMJHL would get would be priceless. Not only would fans in Quebec and Atlantic Canada be watching, but more than likely fans across the nation and maybe internationally as well.

And if the Q was able to put on a great event and gain attention, chances are networks like Sportsnet would air more games.

All this and I didn't even get into the revenue yet.

Revenue is the biggest positive. The revenue to be had in an outdoor game would be huge.

Scenario: The Quebec Remparts host the Halifax Mooseheads outdoor game at Olympic Stadium in Montreal. 

This scenario would work out amazing if Mikhail Grigorenko did not make his NHL club in the fall. A showcase of Grigorenko versus MacKinnon in a stadium that can hold 65,000 plus spectators would definitely bring in a ton of cash.

Let’s say the average price of tickets to the event were about $15. If Olympic Stadium sold out (and all indications are it would), that’s $975,000 on ticket sales alone. Add in concessions, and merchandise, as well as parking and you could easily clear three million dollars in revenue before taxes.

On top of ticket sales, merchandise, concessions, as well as different events leading up to the game would also bring in serious dollars.

You can also bet that the host city would do everything in its power to hype up the game. Even with the host city taking in 20 percent of gate revenues, you’re still looking at the upper end of two million dollars.

I honestly do not see many negatives at all with an outdoor game, certainly not from a business perspective. The only negative I’ve been able to come up with is that ice surfaces outdoors are not as good as indoor ice surfaces, but that hasn’t stopped teams in the past.

The OHL is generally a trendsetter and I can imagine David Branch and company will make these two games a spectacle next year. So, I plead with Mr. Courteau, consider the idea?

If you do, I guarantee you will become an even smarter man.

jonathan@theqspot.ca

Three QMJHL Players in Bob MacKenzie's latest draft rankings

Bob McKenzie named his top 30 players for the upcoming draft in a rankings special Tuesday night on TSN. Of the 30 players he named, two currently play in the QMJHL and one is slated to play in the Q next season.

Here are the players named by MacKenzie:

2. Mikhail Grigorenko, F, Quebec Remparts - Grigorenko started the season as a one-dimensional player, and Patrick Roy has turned him into a well rounded player, says MacKenzie. MacKenzie compared Grigorenko to Evgeni Malkin & Pavel Datsyuk. He called him a "200 foot player". He also said some scouts might rather Grigorenko as he's a big center. He noted that Grigorenko hasn't played well since high ankle sprain. He said that if the team with the first overall pick thinks they're close they might take him over Nail Yakupov, because of his two way play.
He also noted that most scouts said they would take Yakupov, but he has talked to some that would rather take Grigorenko. His biggest asset is that he's a big, two-way center, a hot comodity in today's NHL.

24. Martin Frk, F, Halifax. MacKenzie did not speak in depth about Frk, but he has Frk ranked in and around where most have him ranked. No real surprise there.

*25. Stefan Matteau, F, USA. Matteau is not playing in the QMJHL currently, as he is currently with USA Under-18, but he will join the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada next season, where his father is the coach. His ranking is on par with where others have him ranked as well.

jonathan@theqspot.ca

Grigorenko handed golden opportunity by CHL boss

Many fans were left disappointed Wednesday night as potential first overall pick in the upcoming NHL draft, Nail Yakupov, skipped out on the Top Prospects game.

One person who should not have been left disappointed is the player battling Yakupov for first overall. His name is Mikhail Grigorenko.

Grigorenko had a prime opportunity to display his talents in front of hundreds of scouts and have all their eyes on him. If Yakupov had played, Grigorenko still would have been on display, but in a more diluted fashion.

The Top Prospects game is one of the most important games for scouts to evaluate players. Aside from the World Junior Championship, this game is the single biggest indicator of how a player can fare against top competition.

Grigorenko did in fact impress, dazzling scouts with his vision and playmaking skills. There were some criticisms, but that was just white noise.

If Yakupov, a fellow Russian just like Grigorenko, had played, maybe scouts would have been solely focused on him, thus missing out on the brilliance that is Grigorenko.

And now, Grigorenko has been gifted another opportunity to shine, without Yakupov breathing down his neck.

David Branch, president of the CHL, and commissioner of the OHL (Where Yakupov plays), handed down a two game suspension to Yakupov for skipping out on the game.

This may come as a surprise to some, as Yakupov is the OHL’s biggest star, and main attraction, but skipping the game, without sufficient evidence of an injury, means an automatic two game ban. This is similar to the suspension Martin Frk of the Halifax Mooseheads, received for opting to rest, rather than participate for his country in the World Junior Championship.

Grigorenko, who has already played 14 more games than Yakupov, due to injury, needs to capitalize on every opportunity he can. Grigorenko’s points per game is 1.51 compared to Yakupov’s 1.89. That’s a wide margin to make up. That’s why these two games are crucial for Grigorenko.

The suspension to Yakupov could have happened to Grigorenko as well, had he not traveled to Kelowna for the game. But Grigorenko did go, much to the dismay of Remparts Head Coach and General Manager Patrick Roy.

Grigorenko was examined by doctors on site and cleared to play in the game.

And this is what Branch’s problem with the folks in Sarnia was. Had he at least taken the trip, the medical staff on site could have looked at him. If they deemed him not healthy enough to play, no suspension would have been handed down. Clearly though, it was more a case of him not participating, than being injured, as Yakupov was healthy enough to play in Sarnia’s game against Kingston just three days prior to the event.

So, again it is Grigorenko’s time to shine. While it is only a two game suspension, chances are, with Yakupov out, all eyes will again be turned to Grigorenko. If he can have a couple strong games, perhaps scouts will start paying attention to him more and more. Certainly when Yakupov returns, eyes will again be on him. But you can bet Grigorenko will do everything in his power to keep as much of the spotlight on him.

Hopefully the unintentional gift given to him by Branch can be repaid come the NHL draft in June in the form of going first overall.

You can bet Grigorenko would love nothing more.

jonathan@theqspot.ca

Quebec Remparts fined by league

The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League have fined the Quebec Remparts $5,000 for comments made by head coach and general manger Patrick Roy in relation to league management.

The comments are believed to be about star winger Mikhail Grigorenko's participation in the CHL Home Hardware Top Prospects game held last night in Kelowna, B.C.

No specifics were named.

The outspoken Roy, is no stranger to controversy. Roy has been fined twice this season over comments made about league officials.
Most recently, he was fined after a recent game against the Victoriaville Tigres, after saying the officials were "a disgrace".

-Jonathan Dunphy

jonathan@theqspot.ca

Team Orr edges Team Cherry 2-1

Fans at Prospera Place expecting a high scoring affair were surely disappointed in Kelowna tonight, as the Home Hardware Top Prospects game turned into a pure defensive battle.

Team Orr pulled out a nail-biter, 2-1, thanks to a goal by Branden Troock with only 25 seconds left in the third.

Griffin Reinhart scored the other goal for Team Orr, while Rouyn-Noranda defenseman Dillon Fournier replied with the only goal for Team Cherry.

Here’s a quick run down of the players from the QMJHL in the game:

Team Cherry:

Dillon Fournier- Fournier looked very nervous early on, causing a couple turnovers. Fourniers’ weak upper body strength was exploited, after he was unable to move Troock from in front of the net, which caused a screen, leading to Reinhart’s goal from the point. He soon snapped out of it, and showed great hockey sense and poise, following a rebound in front of the net for his goal.

Martin Frk- Frk showed great creativity in this game, a big part of the reason he is ranked 25^th overall in the most recent CSS rankings. He battled very hard in front of the net, and never gave up. That kind of determination should do him well as he transitions to the NHL. All through the game, he showed just how strong he was, isolating the puck from his opponent. The one part of his game I could critique was his weak shot from the point on the powerplay.

Andrew Ryan- Ryan was virtually invisible throughout the entire game. His one big moment was a breakaway with 13 minutes left in the third, a nice backhand, which was denied by Francois Tremblay.

Brandon Whitney- The 6-5 Whitney reminded me so much of Nashville Predators goalie Pekka Rinne in this one. He started off out of position, but had a series of very key saves early on. Whitney did great to take away his opponents angles. In his only goal against, he had zero chance, as he was screened by two players. Whitney made 10 saves in 30 minutes of play.

Team Orr:

Francois Beauvillier- Beauvillier was relentless on both ends of the ice. He was a big reason for the low score in this one. Beauvillier showed no fear in the corners, something scouts should have been very impressed with. He also used his speed very well.

Raphael Bussieres- Bussieres had an extremely strong game, maybe the strongest of all Q players in the game. He showed very solid stick handling skills, he picked his spots to pass. His shots were all very accurate, and his chemistry with Derrick Pouliot was special, given thy had never played together before. His best chance of the game was a breakaway but he was taken down by Matthew Dumba. Most (including I) thought that should have been a penalty. Bussieres got his retribution on Dumba in the third, stepping up to fight Dumba after a hit on Radek Faksa. He did have a couple bad decisions leading to turnovers as well, so he was not perfect.

Mikhail Grigorenko- It is common knowledge that Patrick Roy was not pleased with Grigorenko playing in this game, but I wonder if they had come to a mutual agreement. It did not seem like Grigorenko played as much as you’d expect the number two ranked prospect to play. When Grigorenko was on the ice though, it was magic. Grigorenko showed great vision and patience with the puck. When he was on the ice, he was heads above the rest of the competition.

Tomas Hyka- Hyka impressed me a lot too. He had very nice speed, conserving it as needed as well. Showed a lot of chemistry with Beauvillier, His vision set him apart in my opinion, seeing the game better than anyone. This did get him in trouble a couple times, as he seemed to see too far ahead, leading to a couple turnovers. Hyka showed great ability to lead an effective breakout, and had a couple very nice one-timers.

Francois Tremblay- Tremblay was thrown to the wolves seconds in to him coming into the game. He made a huge save against Danill Zharkov, and then denied Ryan with an even better save. Tremblay isn’t as big as Whitney, but he played just as big.

Keeping an eye on the Q's Europeans

Each season a new group of European stars bring their skills to North America via the CHL Import Draft.

These players usually go on to play significant roles for their Canadian clubs. This season is no different with six European skaters in the top 30 in QMJHL scoring.

Three of these six skaters are QMJHL rookies, taken in the 2011 import draft.

Mikhail Grigorenko leads the charge of European’s this season. Grigorenko, the QMJHL’s top prospect for the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, leads all rookies with 61 points in 39 games this season.

He was ranked second amongst all North American skaters by the most recent NHL Central Scouting Service (CSS) report and has a four point lead over Halifax’s Nathan MacKinnon in the rookie scoring race. CSS ranks players based on the geography of their current league, not birthplace.

Grigorenko stands a very good chance at becoming the first QMJHL player to make the transition to the NHL as an 18-year-old since Rimouski’s Sidney Crosby made the jump in 2005. This is a very exclusive club, including Crosby, only four 18-year-olds have made the jump from the QMJHL in the past 15 years. These players are: VincentLecavalier, Pierre Marc Bouchard, and Patrice Bergeron.

Anton Zlobin has a lot of ground to make up if he’s going to catch Grigorenko for the European scoring crown. Zlobin is currently second in European scoring with 56 points in 48 games this season. Those five points may not seem like much, but Zlobin has played nine more games this season than Grigorenko.

Undrafted at the 2011 NHL draft and not dominating the way most would expect a 19-year-old European skater too, has dropped his draft stock in 2012. Still, Zlobin’s 31 goals lead all European skaters in the QMJHL this season and thus CSS has him projected as the 128^th skater amongst players in North American leagues.

Despite missing time due to injury and the World Junior Championships, Saint John’s Tomas Jurco sits third in team scoring and third among Europeans this season with 51 points.

Having played only 35 games, Jurco comes in with the least amount of games among Europeans in the top five. Averaging well over a point per game and having the luxury of playing for a powerhouse Saint John squad, expect Jurco to take over second spot among the top five by season's end. If anyone has the ability to challenge Grigorenko for the European scoring lead this season it will be Jurco. A late birthday delayed Jurco’s draft eligibility until 2011 where he was taken 35^th overall in the second-round by the Detroit Red Wings.

A three way tie rounds out the top 30 in QMJHL scoring as well as the top five amongst Euro’s.

Sven Andrighetto, Marek Hrivik and Matej Beran each have 50 points on the season.

Andrighetto leads the three with 23 goals on the season, yet of the three, he’s the lowest ranked by CSS at 186th.

Hrivik and Beran are tied with 19goals each and are likely to be drafted this summer. Beran is ranked 59^thamong North American skaters and Hrivik 65^th.

Despite various rankings, all six are playing crucial roles for their respective teams this season. Grigorenko and Zlobin are the leading scorers for two Presidents Cup contenders in Quebec and Shawinigan.

Andrighetto leads his club, the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, as well. On P.E.I., Beran follows only star Ben Duffy in scoring and Jurco and Hrivik sit third on their respective teams in scoring.

Grigorenko, Frk named Top Prospect Game alternate captains

Remparts rookie Mikhail Grigorenko

Quebec Remparts super-rookie Mikhail Grigorenko and Halifax Mooseheads player Martin Frk have been named alternate captains for the 2012 Home Hardware NHL Top Prospects game.

Grigorenko, ranked second in the most recent Central Scouting Service rankings, has 60 points in 28 games this season.

Frk was ranked 25th overall in the same rankings and has 11 points in 15 contests, after missing the first half of the season with a head injury.

The top two draft eligible players from the QMJHL will be on opposite sides. Grigorenko will skate with Team Orr, while Frk will be coached by Don Cherry.

Other players from the QMJHL include Victoriaville goaltender Brandon Whitney, Chicoutimi's Charles Hudon and Halifax's Andrew Ryan.

The game takes place Feb. 1 at Prospera Place in Kelowna, B.C., home of the WHL's Kelowna Rockets.


jonathan@theqspot.ca

Frk finding success in 2012 despite Moosehead struggles

The Halifax Mooseheads struggles in 2012 continued this weekend with losses to both Cape Breton and Saint John.

Friday night at the Metro Center, Cape Breton capitalized on their chances to beat the Mooseheads 4-3 in a game where Halifax outshot their opponents 42-27.

Then Saturday, in Saint John, the Mooseheads were able to keep up with the Sea Dogs until a three goal onslaught in just over three and a half minutes in the third period, ended any ideas of a Halifax victory. However, not all is dark in Moose Country. Despite a slow start, Martin Frk has taken his game to a new level to start 2012.

Frk’s struggles this season have been well documented. He began the pre-season on fire, with six points in three games, until a concussion put him out of action until mid-December. Then a technicality kept him out of action again until after the World Junior Championships. His initial return was lackluster with only one goal in seven games. It was clear he wasn’t in game shape, and it showed. He was slow, and didn’t look nearly as dangerous as he had last season when, as a 16-year-old rookie, he was second on the Mooseheads in scoring with 22 goals and 50 points. His draft ranking plummeted. Some were projecting Frk a top 5 pick in the NHL draft entering his rookie QMJHL campaign to where he sits currently; 25^th North American Skater by CSS, 32^ndoverall by ISS, and 36^th overall on Craig Button’s Craig’s List on TSN.ca.

But while the Mooseheads are having a slow start to 2012, Martin Frk is breaking out. Frk has been held off the scoresheet only once in seven games to start the New Year. In that span he’s had three multi-point games. Frk now has 10 points on the season, five goals and five assists. Nine of those points have come in 2012. If Frk can maintain this torrid pace, he’ll finish the season with 38 points and 19 goals in only 36 games played.

Mikhail Grigorenko, the QMJHL’s top prospect, is first on the ISS rankings and second among North American skaters on the CSS rankings has 26 goals and 59 points in 37 games for the Quebec Remparts this season. Frk’s 2012 pace would put him at 24 goals and 48 points over that same timeline. Not much of difference for someone who’s currently expected to be drafted at least a full round lower this June at the NHL Entry Draft. It was Nathan MacKinnon who was supposed to be the star of Rogers Sportsnet Friday Night Hockey showdown against Chicoutimi, but it was Frk’s highlight-reel goal and NHL ready shot that dominated discussion. Frk is starting to turn some heads again and if he continues his strong play don’t be surprised to hear his name called much earlier than currently expected on draft day this summer.

The Decline of the QMJHL

I think it's fair to say that the QMJHL doesn't get a fair shake when compared to the other two leagues in the CHL. More often than not, its prospects are not given a fair assessment by scouting blogs, nor by credible sources such as Central Scouting or the International Scouting Service.

Case in point is TSN hockey analyst Craig Button's first round assessment of the upcoming NHL draft.

Button, a former general manager for the Calgary Flames, listed Mikael Grigorenko at number seven in his Jan. 16 rankings. That's six spots back of potential first overall pick Nail Yakupov.

So what's the issue with Button's rankings?

This is the lowest Grigorenko (who is having a standout season for the Quebec Remparts) has been ranked on any of the top rankings lists (the ISS has had Grigorenko ranked first overall for three consecutive months, while CSS has Grigorenko ranked second).

Grigorenko, though, is only a small part of this. The table below breaks down the top 30 skaters on the ISS & Button’s list. The CSS is not included, as they have separate lists for North American and European skaters.

	Button	ISS
QMJHL	1	1
OHL	11	11
WHL	6	6
Euro	9	6
US	3	6

Looking at this breakdown, it's clear that the QMJHL is behind the other major junior leagues in producing top end talent.

The QMJHL has only one player ranked in the first round on both these lists. That’s very troubling.

What's the issue? Personally, I feel these scouting services are spending more time elsewhere, and not being able to see the top end talent the QMJHL has to offer.

Brian Huddle, a scout & columnist for Future Considerations hockey, attributes part of the reason for these rankings to scout confidence in the league.

“I think some teams tend to shy away from the Q a bit. It’s great hockey, but has been given a reputation as a league that is a tad easier to score in comparison to (a league like) the OHL” says Huddle. “There seems to be a general lack of confidence in offensive production out east translating at the National Hockey League level”.

A few other scouts I have talked to have echoed this as well.

Another theory I have is the manner in which the QMJHL markets its players in comparison to the other two CHL leagues.

Take the OHL for example. I know, along with everyone else in the scouting world, that they are the best developmental league in the world, no doubt. But they also market their players better. Cable companies within Ontario cover all OHL contests, and these games can be seen in other parts of the country. With my cable package, I can watch any OHL game, on any given night.

For some of these scouting services, where budgets are sometimes tight, this is how they get to view games. Most scouts I have talked to in the pro ranks, view more OHL games than any other league, and can credit accessibility as a big reason.

The QMJHL has tried something similar - a partnership through Telus - airing Q games. The difference is that the OHL packages are usually added into packages such as Centre Ice as a bonus. So you get your NHL games, as well as OHL games.

You would think, with Saint John of the QMJHL winning the Memorial Cup, that coverage would have increased. But games are still rarely televised. EastLink TV broadcasts one QMJHL game each and every Friday, but this only reaches a small portion of viewers.

I asked Huddle if he thought if the OHL does a better job marketing its players, or if they’re just more skilled in general. He raised a few great points: the OHL has a leg up on the rest of the competition in the way it has marketed its players. For example, naming Steven Stamkos & John Tavares as players they did an excellent job marketing when they played in the league.

“As far as the skill, the OHL benefits from a bigger population and some great programs out of the GTHL as well”.

Hockeyfights.com writer Chris Phillips agrees.

“I think it comes down to the players,” says Phillips. “The O has a bigger scope. More often they get elite players, more often scouts want to see them”

Basically, what it comes down to most times is the bigger the market, the bigger the revenue. The more revenue a team (or league) takes in, the more money they can dish out for development.

“They have the luxury of some bigger markets in southern Ontario, and some money to back that marketing job. And that’s without word of mouth” Huddle also said.

Word of mouth. This may be the key. If word isn’t getting out about these players, then scouts aren’t noticing the talent. I think this may be the biggest challenge facing the league in the future.

Until the league does a better job exposing its players to the world, the best we can expect is for rankings to stay on par with this season’s, but we’re probably looking at them slipping even farther.

jonathan@theqspot.ca

WJC Today - Day 7 Preview

It's day seven of the World Junior Hockey Championships and there are three games on the clock.

Round robin is now over and team's will now be competing in either the relegation round or the quarter finals.

The scene will now shift to the Pengrowth Saddledom in Calgary, Alta.

Switzerland and Denmark will battle in a relegation-round match at 1 p.m. EST. Switzerland finished round robin with a 1-2-1 record. Denmark lost all four of their games in round robin.

At 5 p.m EST, Slovakia and Finland will battle against each other to earn a spot in tomorrow night's semi-finals match up against Sweden. The loser will play on Wednesday Jan. 4 to qualify for the Bronze medal game.

Slovakia finished the round robin with a 2-2 record for a third place finish in Pool A. They were led by Saint John Sea Dogs forward Tomas Jurco with a goal and six points.

Finland finished second in Pool B with a 3-1 record and were led by Teemu Pulkkinen's five goals and eight points.

Goaltender Christopher Gibson of the Chicoutimi Sagueneens has appeared in two games recording a 4.50 goals-against-average.

Last but not least, is the Czech Republic battling Russia in the second quarter final game of the night at 9 p.m. EST.

Russia finished second place in Pool A with a 3-0-1 record. The Russians are led by Nikita Gusev and Yevgeni Kuznetsov with three goals and nine points each.

Quebec Remparts forward Mikhail Grigorenko has two goals and four points.

The Czech Republic finished third place in Pool B with a 2-2 record and were led by Petr Mrazek's solid goaltending.

The winner will advance to play Canada tomorrow night in the semi-finals. The loser will play on Wednesday Jan. 4 to qualify for the Bronze medal game.

Photo courtesy of TSN.ca