Gormley trade helps solidify Shawinigan’s Memorial Cup chances

Brandon Gormley expected a trade, so when it happened it wasn’t a surprise.

The only surprise was that Gormley was traded with only 15 minutes left of the trade period.

The Shawinigan Cataractes solidified their chances at a franchise first Memorial Cup win by adding two of the biggest names in the trade period.

They added Island-born defensemen Morgan Ellis from the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles and Gormley from the Moncton Wildcats. Ellis and Gormley were the captains of their former teams.

The Wildcats and Screaming Eagles have struggled this season, so the trades were expected.

Gormley is happy to have a chance at a Memorial Cup win.

“I’m thrilled to have one last shot at the Memorial Cup. We have a great team here.”

His trade is something that will help his career, he said.

“It was a group decision. It’s what happens when you build for a championship. You have to trade to rebuild.”

Cataractes captain Michaël Bournival is very happy with the addition of Gormley and Ellis.

“They are both great defensemen. They were both captains of their teams, so they bring a lot of leadership to the team.”

Ellis and Gormley got off to a fast start with Shawinigan. They had a total of four goals and seven assists in a combined nine games.

“It helps that we played together before. We are familiar with how we play,” said Ellis.

Shawinigan was the only contending team to make big trades.

“We realize that we will probably be last place for the next two years, but if we win the Memorial Cup, it’s worth it,” said Bournival.

Trade Deadline Winners and Losers

Gormley Watch.

That was the distinct theme of this year's QMJHL trade deadline.

19-year-old defensemen Brandon Gormley, from Murray River, P.E.I. is in his fourth and likely final season in the Q. He’s expected to play on the Phoenix Coyotes farm team in Portland next season.

That’s one reason it was widely speculated that Gormley, who has played four seasons for the Moncton Wildcats, would be dealt to a contender.

Gormley was dealt to Memorial Cup host Shawinigan Cataractes in a monster deal.

But this was far from the only noteworthy deal on Saturday.

Who were the big winners and losers of the 2012 trade deadline? Here are my picks.

WINNERS

Shawinigan- Not only did they secure Gormley, but they also secured another P.E.I. defensemen in Morgan Ellis. Ellis, from Ellerslie, P.E.I. has two goals and three assists in two games since coming over from Cape Breton.

What makes these acquisitions so great for Shawinigan is not just the pure skill they have, but their leadership qualities as well. Both Gormley and Ellis were captains of their former clubs.

Oh, did I mention that just prior to Christmas, they also acquired stud defensemen Jonathan Narbonne? Regardless of the sheer amount of draft picks Shawinigan had to give up for these three, they are going all out to win the Memorial Cup in their arena, and that, on top of these three impact players makes them winners.

Chicoutimi- I talked to a few people around the league, and they were shocked that the Sags were buyers this year. However, the moves General Manager Marc Fortier have a loud “next season” tone to them. Fortier went out and acquired Christian Ouellet and Mathieu Gagnon from Gatineau, the Olympiques two leading scorers at the time. Fortier then acquired Jean-Gabriel Pageau, the player most talked about aside from Gormley.

While Ouellet is a 20-year-old and won’t be of any use next season, acquiring Gagnon, a great powerplay quarter-back, and Pageau, is huge for the team going into next season.

LOSERS

Quebec- Quebec did virtually nothing to push them over the top. With a plethora of young players, I expected much more from Patrick Roy et al. They are in a tough battle for tops in the Q, and considering the moves some of the other teams made, they may slip a bit in the second half.

P.E.I.- Ah, good ol’ P.E.I. They made a couple of moves leading up to Saturday, but nothing on the actual deadline day. For a rebuilding team, I really expected at least one of the overagers (Levesque, Bernard) to go for a draft pick or two. P.E.I. was on their annual late season surge when the trade deadline came, so it’s no wonder they stayed status quo. I for one, would like to have seen some players go, so the Rocket could finally get a top two draft pick (expansion team Sherbrooke automatically gets the first overall selection). Hopefully they continue to compete, but hopefully they don’t fall just short of the post season, thus eliminating them from a chance at securing an impact player yet again.

A Bit of Both

Moncton- The Wildcats held on to Brandon Gormley almost up until the 1 p.m. deadline. He ended up going to Shawinigan for 17-year-old Michael Matheson & two 2012 fifth-round picks, a 2013 first-round Euro draft pick, a 2013 third and fifth-round pick, and a 2014 second-round pick.

In part, this is highway robbery for Shawinigan, but in part this is pure genius for Danny Flynn. Gormley is worth at least an A++ 16-year-old, plus a couple first-round picks. Especially given his top defensemen honors at this years WJC tourney, Moncton should have gotten much more.

The genius in this is the sheer quantity of picks Flynn received, that he won’t have to protect at the upcoming expansion draft.

So, what do you think? Agree? Disagree? Tweet me @jonathan_dunphy and let me know!

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.

Gormley traded to Shawinigan; Pageau to Sags

Today Moncton Wildcats Head Coach and General manager Danny Flynn announced that defenseman Brandon Gormley has been traded to the Shawinigan Cataractes for Micheal Matheson and six draft picks.

Draft picks included in the deal are:

Fifth-round of 2012(Shawinigan)

Fifth-round of 2012(Lewiston)

Third-round of 2013(Shawinigan)

Fifth-round of 2013(Shawinigan)

First-round euro pick of 2013(Shawinigan)

2nd round of2014(Shawinigan)

"This is a very difficult trade for our organization andfor me personally but we think long term this is the best move for the Moncton Wildcats at this time," said Flynn. "This move is in the best interest of the Wildcatslong term future. We want to congratulate Gorms on a tremendous World Junior Tournament and a great career here with Moncton. We wish him the best of luck as Shawinigan prepares to host the Memorial Cup."

According to the Wildcats website, Flynn will be available to speak to the media after tonight's gameagainst the Screaming Eagles at the Coliseum. Game starts at 7 p.m.

PAGEAU TRADED

The Gatineau Olympiques have traded captain Jean-Gabriel Pageau and a third-round pick in 2013 to the Chicoutimi Sagueneens for goaltender Alexandre Michaud, two second-round picks(BLB in 2013 and CHI in 2014) and a second-round pick in 2014.

DOUBLE DEBUT

Both Charlie Coyle and newly acquired defenseman Brandon Gormley are expected to make their debuts for the Saint John Sea Dogs and Shawinigan Cataractes, respectively, on Thursday at Harbour Station.

Gabriel Desjardins heads to Quebec

The Halifax Mooseheads have traded forward Gabriel Desjardins to the Quebec Remparts for defenceman Brendan Duke.

The Mooseheads also send their second-round pick in 2012 along with Quebec's second-round pick in 2012. They receive a first-round pick in 2012.

Desjardins, 19, spent four seasons with the Moosheads, skating in 205 games and collecting 41 goals and 87 points.

Duke, 18, of Halifax, N.S., was a second-round pick by the Remparts in 2010. He had a goal and four points in 43 games this season.

Around the league
Cape Breton sent 18-year-old left-winger William Cochrane to the Acadie-Bathurst Titan for a sixth-round pick in 2013.

Cochrane had six goals and nine points in 38 games this season with Cape Breton.

The Moncton Wildcats acquired 17-year-old defenceman Brayden Wood from the Drummondville Voltigeurs for a sixth-round pick in 2013.

Photo courtesy of Quebec Hebdo.

Sagueneens acquire Gagnon and Ouellet

The Chicoutimi Sagueneens have acquired defenceman Mathieu Gagnon and forward Christian Ouellet from the Gatineau Olympiques.

In return, Chicoutimi sends 17-year-old forward Mickael Beauregard, Armada's third-round pick in 2012, Cape Breton's fourth-round pick in 2012, a first-round pick in 2013 and a second-round pick in 2013.

Gagnon, 19, has six goals and 40 points in as many games this season with the Olympiques. He was a third-round pick in 2008 by Gatineau.

Ouellet, 20, has 15 goals and 40 points in as many games with the Olympiques this season.

Beauregard had a goal and two points in 19 games with Chicoutimi this season.

Sagueneens General Manager Marc Fortier said the team was very happy to land experienced players, in a press release.

"It certainly helped in our decision to make the move, and we haven't touched any of our core players in the deal. We gave up some picks, but we have been selecting in the top three rounds the past few and we are at a point where we wanted players."

nolan@theqspot.ca

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.

Screaming Eagles active on trade floor today

There were a few moves made today during a pretty quiet trade period so far.

The Cape Breton Screaming Eagles were very active today, making three trades.

The Cape Breton Screaming Eagles sent 18-year-old goaltender Alexandre Veronneau to the Quebec Remparts for a seventh-round pick in 2012.

The Laval, Que. native has posted an 8-26 career record with the Screaming Eagles along with a 4.71 goals-agaist-average.

The Screaming Eagles made another deal on the day, sending 19-year-old Belarusian defenceman Raman Hrabarenka to the Drummondville Voltigeurs for a sixth-round pick in 2013, originally owned by Blainville-Boisbriand.

Hrabarenka skated in 80 career games for Screaming Eagles, collecting three goals and 15 points.

Last but not least for Cape Breton, they sent 17-year-old Samuel Hodhod to the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada for 19-year-old goaltender William Racicot.

Hodhod was a second-round pick by the Shawinigan Cataratces in 2010 and had seven goals and 16 points in 47 with Shawinigan last season.

Racicot, has posted an 8-9-1 record for a 3.43 goals-against-average with the Armada this season.

The Saint John Sea Dogs acquired forward Maxime Villemaire from the Drummondvile Voltigeurs in-exchange for a second-round pick in 2012 and a sixth-round pick in 2013.

Villemaire, 19, has played 90 career games with the Volts, collecting 14 goals and 27 points.

The Sea Dogs sent their first-round pick in 2012 to the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies for Saint John's second-round pick in 2012, Quebec's fourth-round pick in 2012 and Rimouski's first-round pick in the 2012 CHL Import Daft.

For a list of trades, click here.

Photo courtesy of Cape Breton Post.

Tigres add Blain to blue-line

The Victoriaville Tigres continue to add to their blue-line as they have acquired defenceman Jeremie Blain from the Acadie-Bathurst Titan.


In return, the Tigres send 18-year-old defenceman Francois Godin, Bathurst's third-round pick in 2012, a first-round pick in 2013 and a second-round pick in 2013.

Blain, 19, scored six goals and 24 points for the Titan in 29 games this season and was a fourth-round pick by the Edmonton Oilers in 2010.

Godin was a sixth-round pick by the Tigres in 2010 and has two goals and eight points in 34 games.

The Tigres have acquired Matthew Hobbs from the P.E.I. Rocket, Daniel Milan from the Moncton Wildcats and now Blain from the Titan in the last week. The team recently released 20-year-old defenceman Guillaume Rousseau.

Milan traded to Victoriaville

The Victoriaville Tigres have made another dip into the trading period by acquiring defenceman Daniel Milan from the Moncton Wildcats.

Milan, 19, spent the last two seasons with the Wildcats recording 14 goals and 43 points in 101 games.

In return, the Victoriaville Tigres sent defensemen Danick Emond and Jacob Sweeney to the Wildcats.

Emond, 18, had four goals and 15 points with the Tigres this season. The Montreal, Que. native was a second-round pick by the Chicoutimi Sagueneens in 2010.

Sweeney, 16, was a first-round pick by the Tigres in 2011 and played in three games this season with the Tigres but registered zero points.

In another trade on the day, the Quebec Remparts traded 20-year-old left winger Olivier Hinse to the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada for 19-year-old defenceman Marc-Antoine Carrier.

Hinse played in five games this year with the Remparts recording two assists.

For a complete list of trades, click here.

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.

Cataractes acquire Ellis from Screaming Eagles

The Shawinigan Cataractes have made their dip into the trading period by acquiring defenceman Morgan Ellis from the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles.

Going to Cape Breton is 16-year-old Bronson Beaton, Shawinigan's second-round pick in 2012 as well as a first-round pick in 2013.

Beaton, a native of Springhill, N.S. was a second-round draft pick by the Cataractes in the 2011 QMJHL Entry Draft. He has one goal in 23 games.

Ellis, a native of Ellerslie, P.E.I., spent the last four seasons with the Screaming Eagles picking up 19 goals and 96 points in 210 games. Ellis was a fourth-round pick by the Montreal Canadiens in 2010.

The Cape Breton Screaming Eagles also sent goaltender Alexandre Veronneau to the Quebec Remparts for a seventh-round pick.

Blainville-Boisbriand trade Olivier Tremblay-Laliberte (1994-06-19) to Rouyn-Noranda for a ninth-round pick in 2012.

Val-d'Or acquired defenceman Richard Castonguay from Gatineay for a ninth-round pick in 2012.

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.

Rocket trade captain to Victoriaville

The P.E.I. Rocket have traded captain Matthew Hobbs to the Victoriaville Tigres.

In exchange for the 20-year-old defenceman, the Rocket receive 18-year-old right winger Benjamin Laliberte, Baie-Comeau's second-round pick and Saint John's sixth-round pick.

Laliberte was a first round pick in he 2009 QMJHL Entry Draft and has one goal and three points with the Tigres this year. He had six goals and 20 points last year as a 17-year-old and had five goals and 15 points in his rookie season with Gatineau.

Hobbs, who was named captain this offseason, struggled this season with three goals and 13 points in 36 games. Last season he had 16 goals and 40 points in 65 games.

Hobbs has done a lot of good things for the organization, said Rocket president Serge Savard Jr. in a press release.

"However, we had the opportunity to get some pieces that will be assets as we continue to rebuild and we had to take it. We wish Matthew all the best on and off the ice this year and in years to come."

The Rocket travel to Saint John tomorrow night to battle the Sea Dogs.

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.

Q Notebook - Christmas Day

TRADE PERIOD
Its been a slow trade period so far and no trades have been completed in the last 3 days. A total of four trades have been made in the last five days and none of which were blockbusters.

SEASON'S GREETINGS FROM THE Q
Earlier this week, the QMJHL sent out Season's Greetings to all its fans along with the image below.

WORLD JUNIORS SET FOR MONDAY

The 2012 IIHF World Junior Championships are set to begin tomorrow in Calgary and Edmonton, Alberta. Sixteen QMJHL players are representing there countries and including, five Q`players on Team Czech Republic, four on Team Canada and three on Team Russia. Tomorrow`s schedule is as follows:

Game 1: Canada vs Finland - 4:30PM AST - Live on TSN

Game 2: Sweden vs Latvia - 6:30PM AST 

Game 3: USA vs Denmark - 9PM AST

Game 4: Russia vs Switzerland - 11PM AST

Follow us on twitter for all the latest from the World Juniors and the QMJHL: @TQS_Blog

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.