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

Second round ready to go

After Chicoutimi's 4-3 overtime win over Bathurst in Game 6 Sunday night, the second round of the playoffs is set to go.

The No. 1 Saint John Sea Dogs will play the 13th-seeded Baie-Comeau Drakkar, who upset the Victoriaville Tigres 4-0. The series starts Friday April 6 in Saint John with Game Two going on Saturday. The series will switch to Baie-Comeau for games three, four and five on April 10, 11 and 13 respectively. Games six and seven will be back in Saint John on April 16 and 17.

Shawinigan will play the Chicoutimi Sagueneens.

Shawinigan won their first-round matchup against the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies 4-0.

The series gets underway Friday April 6 and April 7 in Shawinigan.

The third series includes the third-placed Blainville-Boisbriand Armada taking on the seventh-seeded Rimouski Oceanic.

Armada won their series against Gatineau 4-0. Rimouski swept Val-'d'Or in four games.

The series kicks off Friday April 6 in Blainville.

Last but not least, the Quebec Remparts will battle against the Halifax Mooseheads. This series will feature Mooseheads' Nathan MacKinnon going up against Remparts' Mikhail Grigorenko.

Quebec swept Drummondville in the first round and Halifax swept rival Moncton Wildcats.

This will be the second series in the second round to have a 2-3-2 format. Quebec gets games one and two on Friday and Saturday, and Halifax gets games three to five. Games six and seven will come back to Quebec if necessary.

Stay tuned for The Q Spot's second round predictions.

Click here for playoff bracket.

nolan@theqspot.ca

Delisle-Houde, Rogers handed suspensions

The disciplinary prefect of the Quebec Major Junior League handed down two lengthy suspensions today.



Moncton Wildcats left-winger Patrick Delisle-Houde was suspended five games for his hit to the head on Quebec Remparts' Adam Erne last Saturday.



Reasons for the suspension as listed by the league are as follows:


-Hit his opponent who was no longer in possession of the puck.

-Made contact simultaneously with his body and head.

-Did not try to avoid total contact.

-Was his first offence.



Connor Rogers, a defensemen with the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles was suspended for 10 games for his knee-on-knee hit on Rimouski Oceanic player Jean-Francois Plante.



Reasons for his suspension are as follows:


-Even though the player at fault was gliding, he had a certain speed.

-He extended his leg to hit his opponent.

-The contact was done with force on the knee.

-Was his first offence.



You can see the hit at the 18 second mark with the video below.



Thanks to Chris Phillips of HockeyFights.com for the video.

jonathan@theqspot.ca

Quebec, Saint John, Rimouski and Shawinigan part of remaining Sportsnet games

Sportsnet released its remaining schedule for its Friday Night hockey. The match-ups include some of the top ranked teams in the league and gives a sneak preview of what could turn out to be some hard-fought playoff matchups.

Of the five games left on their schedule, two of them involve QMJHL teams.

Starting Friday Feb. 17, Jonathan Huberdeau and the reigning Memorial Cup Champion Saint John Sea Dogs take on potential top NHL draft pick Mikhail Grigorenko and his Quebec Remparts teammates.

Then on Mar. 9, Jerome Gauthier-Leduc and the Rimouski Oceanic take on the hosts of the 2012 Memorial Cup, Brandon Gormley, Morgan Ellis and the Shawinigan Cataractes. These three defensemen have been some of the best in the entire CHL.

With these games being having huge playoff implications, this kind of publicity could be huge for the QMJHL, who usually takes a backseat to the OHL and the WHL.

Hopefully the games live up to their billing so that we can see more QMJHL games carried by Sportsnet.


jonathan@theqspot.ca

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)

The QMJHL at the Home Hardware Top Prospects Game

Well, it’s that time of the year again.

The CHL’s finest draft-eligible prospects have gathered in Kelowna, B.C. to play in tonight’s Home Hardware Top Prospects Game. The game can be seen on Rogers Sportsnet beginning at 10 p.m. EST (11 p.m. Atlantic time.)

For all the invited prospects, it’s a chance for them to get noticed by scouts in the hopes of receiving an invitation to Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh for the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at the participants from the QMJHL. A total of nine QMJHL prospects will be in Kelowna, with four on Team Cherry coached by Mark Recchi, and the remaining five will play for Team Orr, led by Pat Quinn.

Team Cherry
Dillon Fournier, D, Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (9-20-29, 39 GP)
Even though Rouyn-Noranda is battling with P.E.I. to stay out of the QMJHL basement for the second consecutive year, Dillon Fournier has been a shining light on defence for the Huskies.

As the first pick in the Lewiston MAINEiacs Dispersal Draft in June and the sole QMJHL defender in the Top Prospects Game, the Montréal product is enjoying a breakout season, having already doubled his offensive output in just over half the number of games.

Fournier’s increased production projects similarly to what Sea Dogs defender and Canadiens first-round pick Nathan Beaulieu experienced in 2009-10, his 17-year-old season.

Central Scouting currently has Fournier listed 138th among North American skaters, but a solid showing in Kelowna could increase the attention he gets at the Entry Draft.

Martin Frk, RW, Halifax Mooseheads (8-6-14, 16 GP)
Trailing only Mikhail Grigorenko, Martin Frk is the highest-ranked QMJHL prospect playing in Kelowna tonight.
Currently ranked 25th among North American skaters by Central Scouting, the Czech forward’s draft season was derailed in the preseason by a concussion. He didn’t make his regular season debut until Dec. 9 against P.E.I., but he’s turned it around after a slow start.

Frk may have missed an opportunity to boost his stock by opting out of playing for the Czech Republic at the World Junior Hockey Championships, but he comes into Kelowna with a hot hand, having scored 11 points during his current six-game point streak.
A strong performance from Frk in the Top Prospects Game would do wonders to elevate him toward the place where scouts thought he should be ranked prior to getting injured.

Andrew Ryan, LW, Halifax Mooseheads (5-4-9, 25 GP)
Much like his teammate Frk, Andrew Ryan has also had to battle back from a pre-season injury to regain his form.
A broken ankle at the end of August cost him the first two months of the regular season, but he’ll have plenty of opportunities to impress scouts in Kelowna as he attempts to make up for lost time.

Ryan ranks 64th among North American skaters going into the game, and he’s scored just one point since the start of 2012. However, look for the St. John’s, N.L. native to come out with something to prove tonight as he looks to jump onto the radar of all scouts in attendance.

Brandon Whitney, G, Victoriaville Tigres (20-3-0-1, 2.95 GAA)
If possible, the Kentville, N.S. native has played bigger than his 6-5 stature for Victoriaville this season, which has him ranked third among all North American goaltenders in the most recent Central Scouting rankings.

He’s been a key component in Victoriaville’s efforts this season, having only lost three games while keeping his team within striking distance of Québec and Shawinigan in the TELUS East Division race.

His 20 victories are good enough to tie with Halifax’s Zachary Fucale for tops among rookie goaltenders (tied for fourth in the QMJHL), and he leads all rookie goaltenders with a 2.95 goals-against average (tied for eighth overall.)

With Central Scouting’s top-ranked North American goaltender Malcolm Subban out of the game with a groin injury, this may be Whitney’s shot to step up and put pressure on not only Subban, but also fellow Team Cherry goaltender Matt Murray, who ranks second among North American netminders.
A great performance tonight could strengthen Whitney’s argument for being the best goaltender available at the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.

Team Orr
Francis Beauvillier, C, Rimouski Oceanic (17-7-24, 51 GP)
With teammates Jérôme Gauthier-Leduc and Alex Belzile commanding attention in Rimouski, St-Hyacinthe, Que. native Francis Beauvillier has quietly put together a solid season to date for the Oceanic.

Picked up by Rimouski in the Lewiston dispersal draft, Beauvillier ranks fourth on the team in goals (17) and sixth in points (24) through 51 games to help the Oceanic stay in the hunt for home-ice advantage in the first round of the QMJHL playoffs. His goal totals also eclipse his total from last season with the MAINEiacs, where he scored 11 times in 57 games.

Beauvillier ranks 62nd among North American skaters in the Central Scouting mid-season rankings, so this game is important if he wants to elevate his standing in the eyes of scouts.

Raphaël Bussières, LW, Baie-Comeau Drakkar (16-22-38, 43 GP)
A former first-round selection of the Moncton Wildcats in the 2009 QMJHL Draft, Raphaël Bussières has steadily continued to develop as a player after being traded to Baie-Comeau.
His point production has gone up in each of his three QMJHL seasons, and he’s averaging nearly a point per game in 2011-12. He sits tied for third on the Drakkar in goals (16) and tied for fourth in points (38).

Bussières currently sits just outside the top 50 among North American skaters in the Central Scouting rankings (57th), but a strong showing tonight in Kelowna could put him back into the top 50, and it may well put him on the minds of more NHL scouts as the Entry Draft draws closer.

Mikhail Grigorenko, RW, Québec Remparts (28-36-64, 41 GP)
With Sarnia’s Nail Yakupov out of the Top Prospects Game due to injury, the door may well be open for fellow Russian Mikhail Grigorenko to shine and further fuel debate over whose name should be called first in Pittsburgh this June.

An assistant captain for Team Orr, Grigorenko is ranked as the top prospect in the ISS mid-term rankings and second among North American skaters by Central Scouting. Grigorenko has scored in bunches since coming over to North America, producing at a rate of 1.56 points per game. The numbers could have been higher if he hadn’t played for Russia at the World Junior Hockey Championships over Christmas.

The scary part? He doesn’t turn 18 until the middle of May.

Grigorenko is a big reason why the Remparts are in the hunt in the TELUS East Division, and with a good showing in the Top Prospects Game, he may well stake his claim to the first overall pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.

Tomas Hyka, RW, Gatineau Olympiques (17-30-47, 40 GP)
If it weren’t for the NHL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, Czech forward Tomas Hyka may have been in the Philadelphia Flyers system instead of this year’s Top Prospects Game.

The Gatineau Olympiques instead became the beneficiaries, selecting Hyka with the eighth selection in the CHL Import Draft this past summer.

Hyka must have taken some advice from Flyers star and Gatineau alumnus Claude Giroux during his time in Philadelphia’s camp, because he’s adjusted to the North American game very well. He’s scored over a point per game with the Olympiques this season compared to his 2010-11 season with his hometown under-20 team, BK Mlada Boleslav, where he tallied 31 points in 38 games.

Hyka finds himself ranked 65th among North American skaters according to Central Scouting, but if he can show flashes of the confidence he displayed in his lone exhibition game as a Flyer, or the brilliance he displays in Gatineau offensively and killing penalties, Hyka surely won’t be passed over in this year’s draft as he was last year.

François Tremblay, G, Val D’Or Foreurs (14-22-0-3, 3.78 GAA)
François Tremblay has been a workhorse for Val D’Or this season, ranking fourth among all Q goaltenders in minutes played (2,253) and saves (1,054).

In fact, his workload may well skew his other statistics toward the bottom end of the spectrum, as he doesn’t rank particularly high in save percentage (18th, .881) or goals-against average (20th, 3.78 GAA).

However, Tremblay is a technically-sound, big-bodied goaltender, which should make him a valuable commodity in Pittsburgh this June.

Tremblay currently ranks sixth among North American goaltenders, but with the aforementioned Malcolm Subban, Jon Gillies (Indiana in the USHL) and Saginaw’s Jake Paterson not playing in the game, Tremblay has a golden opportunity to shine and show scouts he’s ready to take the next step.

Game Previews: Feb. 1, 2012

There is only one game in the Q tonight, but keep in mind, the CHL Top Prospects Game is on Sportsnet at 10 p.m. EST.

Rimouski (30-21-0-0) at Victoriaville (33-16-0-2) - These QMJHL rivals clash in an Eastern Division battle. Both teams have seven wins and three losses in their last 10 games. Game time is 7 p.m. EST.

Victoriaville has been great at home, sporting an 18-6-0-1 record, while Rimouski has a sub .500 record on the road. Expect Victoriaville to continue their winning ways.

Players to Watch

Victoriaville - Forward Yanni Gourde is quietly having himself a career year. Gourde leads the league in scoring with 27 goals and an impressive 64 assists in just 51 games. He has 25 powerplay assists.

Rimouski - Jermoe-Gauthier Leduc - I seem to go back to Gauthier-Leduc for every Rimouski preview, but with good reason. Some interesting stats on the Oceanic defenseman. He is third overall in shots taken in the league with 200. To counter that, he isn't in the top five in shots on goal. He is also tied with Baie-Comeau's Samuel Carrier with three game-winning shootout goals.

jonathan@theqspot.ca

Rimouski's Beauvillier wins fastest skater

Rimouski Oceanic forward Francis Beauvillier can add an accomplishment to his hockey resume being the CHL's fastest skater.

Beauvillier, 18, in his third QMJHL season and first with Rimouski, posted a time of 14.132 seconds, narrowly edging out Branden Troock of the WHL's Seattle Thunderbirds.
Gatineau Olympiques forward Tomas Hyka placed fifth out of eight skaters with a time of 14.674 seconds.

Other QMJHL players in the skills competition were:

Late addition to the Top Prospects Game, Dillon Fournier of the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies hit four targets in eight attempts, finishing fifth out of eight in the accuracy shooting.

Number two ranked player in the CSS, Mikhail Grigorenko of the Quebec Remparts, hit three of eight targets, finishing sixth, and Halifax Mooseheads forward Andrew Ryan finished eighth out of eight, only hitting one target in eight attempts.

In the shootout competition, Baie-Comeau's Raphael Bussieres finished tied for fourth out of 12, and Halifax's Martin Frk finished eighth.

There has been no word yet whether Frk's agent Alan Walsh has scheduled a press conference to discuss Frk's poor showing.

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

Mathieu traded to Rimouski

Late last night, the Drummondville Voltigeurs traded 20-year-old defenceman Jean-Philippe Mathieu to the Rimouski Oceanic for 20-year-old defenseman and local product Alex Emond and 16-year-old prospect Guillaume Gauthier. Also involved were a third-round pick in 2013 going to Rimouski and a fifth-round pick in 2012 going to Drummondville.

What it means - time to scratch your head. Rimouski traded a local captain for a slightly better defenceman who was captain of Drummondville. The problem here is, if the trade is as stands, they've paid a ridiculous fee to do it. Gauthier is a former third-overall pick, who was seen by some as someone who would have been a first-overall pick in any of the last three years. Emond brings the same defensive game that Mathieu does with slightly less offense. The fact it is a 2013 pick suggests there is another player involved from Drummondville, but even then, it has to be a good one to make even value in this move for Rimouski.

Sea Dogs trade Sock; Oceanic acquire Deon

Only two trades were made today during a pretty quiet trading period so far.

In the first trade today, the Shawinigan Cataractes traded 19-year-old defenceman Dale Deon to the Rimouski Oceanic for a seventh-round pick in 2012.

Deon had five goals and nine points in 29 games with the Cataractes this season.

The second trade of the day was Saint John and Prince Edward Island trading defenceman.

The Sea Dogs traded 18-year-old Tyrone Sock to the Rocket for 19-year-old Jordan Moore.

Sock appeared in nine games this year, recording four points. He has spent the majority of the season with the Miramichi Timberwolves of the Maritime Junior A Hockey League where he has two goals and 10 points in 23 games.

Moore has spent this season with the Weeks Curshers, also of the Maritime Junior A Hockey League, and has recorded five goals and 28 points in 31 games. He also appeared 75 career QMJHL games with both the Rocket and Acadie-Bathurst Titan and has record five points.

WJC Today - Day 7 Recap

Russia 2 , Czech Republic 1 - Summary

The Russians were victorious Monday night as they defeated the Czech Republic 2-1 in overtime to advance to the semi-finals. Zheldakov scored at 1:03 of overtime, as the Czechs suffered a devastating loss.

Daniil Apalkov and Grigori Zheldakov were the scorers for Team Russia. 17-year-old Andrei Vasilevski stopped 43 shots for the Russians.

Oceanic forward Jakub Culek scored the lone goal for the Czech Republic.

The Russians are set to face Team Canada tonight, the first time they’ve met since they upset Canada last year in the finals, capturing the gold medal.

Finland 8 , Slovakia 5 - Summary

Led by Mikael and Markus Granlund, Team Finland advances to the semi-finalsafter a 8-5 victory over Slovakia. Temmu Pulkkinen had a goal and an assist, while Joel Armia, Roope Hamalainen, Alexsander Barkov and Joonas Donskoialso scored.

Barkov, 16, is the youngest player to ever score in tournament history, passing Pittsburgh Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby by 21 days .

Richard Mraz had a goal and two helpers, while Matus Chovan and Marko Dano each had a goal and an assist for Team Slovakia. Marerk Tverdon and Martin Daloga also scored.

Sami Aittokallio stopped 24 shots for Finland, while Juraj Simboch made 30 saves for the Slovaks.

Switzerland 4 , Denmark 3 - Summary

Tanner Richard scored in overtime as Team Switzerland defeated Denmark in a Relegation match-up.

Cedric Schneuwly, Alessio Bertaggia and Gregory Hofmannalso scored for the Swiss.

Nicklas Jensen and Oliver Bjorkstrand scored for Team Denmark.

Huskies acquire O'Brien from Oceanic

The Rouyn-Noranda Huskies have acquired Liam O'Brien from the Rimouski Oceanic in exchange for draft picks.

The Huskies send their first round pick in the the 2012 CHL Import Draft along with a second-round pick in 2012 and Saint John's third-round pick in 2012.

Rouyn-Noranda also acquired Rimouski's first round pick in the 2012 CHL Import Draft along with a fifth-round pick in 2014.

O'Brien had seven goals for 16 points in 40 games this season with the Oceanic. The Halifax, N.S. native was selected 10th overall by the Oceanic in the 2010 Entry Draft.

WJC Today - Day 5 Preview

Day five of the World Junior Hockey Champions is here and we have four games on the schedule today.

The first game on the schedule is the U.S.A. battling the Czech Republic at Rexall Place in Edmonton, Alta. at 3:30 p.m. EST. Both teams will be looking for their second wins of the tournament.

The Czechs are led by Rimouski Oceanic's Jakub Culek's three points (0-3) so far in two games. Jiri Riha, Radek Faksa, Petr Holik, Tomas Hertl (2), Dmitrij Jaskin and Tomas Filippi all have goals for the Czech Republic.

The United States are led by Charlie Coyle's three goals and four points in two games. The American forward will be reporting to the Saint John Sea Dogs shortly after the tournament.

Second game of the day is Slovakia and Sweden taking to the ice in Calgary, Alta. at 5:30 p.m. EST. Sweden will be looking for their third win of the tournament, as Slovakia will look to pick up their second win.

Sweden is led by Max Friberg (5-0) and Ludvig Rensfeldt (1-4) who have five points in the country's two games.

The Slovaks scoring has been led by Michael Toman (1-1) and Milos Bubela, each with two points. Saint John Sea Dogs forward Tomas Jurco has one goal in the tournament.

The third game on the schedule is Denmark battling Finland in Edmonton, Alta. at 8 p.m. EST.

Denmark will look to pick up their first win of the tournament as they sit at the bottom of Pool B with no wins and three losses.

Finland on the other hand, will look for their second win of the tournament. Finland is coming off a big upset win over the Americans 4-1 on Tuesday Dec. 27.

The Finns are led by Joel Armia who has two goals and three points.

Denmark has only managed to score five goals so far in three games and have gotten goals from Thomas Spelling, Emil Kristensen, Mathias Bau-Hansen (2) and Nicolai Meyer.

Fourth on the schedule is Latvia and Switzerland at 10 p.m. EST in Calgary, Alta.

Both teams are winless and look for their first wins tonight.

Sea Dogs move Oke for first-round pick

The Saint John Sea Dogs have traded Scott Oke to the Rimouski Oceanic for a pair of draft picks.

Also headed to Rimouski is Maxime Gravel, a third-round pick by the Sea Dogs in 2009, along with a third-round pick in the 2012 draft.

Saint John picks up a first-round pick and a seventh-round pick from Rimouski.

Oke, 18, was a third-round pick of the Sea Dogs in 2009 and put up nine goals for 22 points in 37 games this season.

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.

WJC Today - Day 2 Preview

There are only 2 games on the World Junior Championships schedule today. Game one has Denmark taking on Czech Republic. The second and final game of the day will be Saint John Sea Dogs forward Tomas Jurco and the Slovaks against Latvia.

Both Slovakia and Czech Republic have yet to play a game in this years tournament, while Denmark and Latvia both suffered blowout losses in yesterdays opening day action. See our recap of all the opening day action here.

Along with Jurco, Baie-Comeau forward Lukás Cingel and Gatineau Defenseman Adam Janosik will play for Slovakia.


The Czech also have a huge quantity of Q' players on there team. These five players are: 
Jakub Culek - Rimouski
Petr Straka - Rimouski
Tomas Filippi - Baie-Comeau
Tomas Hyka - Gatineau
Lukas Sedlak - Chicoutimi

Check back later for a full recap of today's action from our newest writer/reporter Bradey Williston.

Follow us on twitter at www.twitter.com/TQS_Blog for more WJC coverage throughout the tournament.

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.