Post by dogcatcher on Aug 24, 2007 6:56:29 GMT -4
Not much room at the sea dogs' inn
QMJHL Newcomers to Saint John's training camp have their work cut out for them to crack the opening-day lineup
Andrew Mcgilligan
Telegraph-Journal
Published Friday August 24th, 2007
Appeared on page B12
SAINT JOHN - Space is at a premium when it comes to the final roster for the Saint John Sea Dogs.
The team has 33 players in camp after cutting 13 players on Wednesday, but truth be told there are only a few spots up for grabs. With the majority of players returning from last season, this is the toughest lineup to crack in the Sea Dogs' three-year history.
So where can someone sneak onto the team? Saint John head coach and general manager Jacques Beaulieu knows where he wants to see the guys compete.
"There's a couple of forward spots that are available," he said. "We've got to make sure the guys keep competing over the next few days. That's going to be important for everybody."
With the exception of a few forwards, most of the 2007-08 Sea Dogs roster can already be penciled in. The team is set on the blue-line with returning players Alex Grant, Yann Sauve, Pascal Amyot, Jeff McNeil, Sebastien Rioux and David Stich. Add first overall pick in the 2007 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League entry draft Simon Despres to that list. He's garnered rave reviews in camp from coaches.
In goal, Saint John has one spot taken with import goalie Robert Mayer of Switzerland. That leaves Travis Fullerton, Matthew Dopud, Troy Passingham and Karel St-Laurent competing for the final spot. Fullerton is the most experienced of the group and looks to have the inside track on the second spot. However, there's talk of possibly carrying three netminders this season. Dopud has the second most experience, although St-Laurent turned some heads in the conditioning camp held earlier this summer.
Up front is where the competition lies and third-year Sea Dog Ryan Sparling said it's evident.
"There's a lot more intensity this year, even from the guys who've been on the team before," he said. "We've really matured as a team and you can see it out there."
The Sea Dogs have nine returning forwards, including Sparling, Chris Di Domenico, Alexandre Leduc, Brett Gallant, Keven Charland, Mike Thomas, Matthew Stoddard, Francois Gauthier and Payton Liske. That's three full lines.
Forwards Kyle Kelly and Bruce Crawford were not invited back to camp and Anthony Bergin decided not to return.
As for who is likely to be a Sea Dog come the regular season, a few players jump out. Jordan Knox and Francis Charland look to have an edge when it comes to 20-year-old forward spots. However, Tony Resendes has been a one-man highlight reel in making his case for a 20 spot. The 10th overall pick in the 2007 QMJHL entry draft, Steven Anthony, has looked like he belongs and should crack the roster. Michael Kirkpatrick, Saint John's second-round pick in 2007, had a good year in the Maritime Junior A Hockey League and should also make the jump to major junior.
With two 20s, Anthony and Kirkpatrick, that brings the total number of forwards to 13. Add seven defencemen, two goalies and you've got 22 players ready to go.
So which players could end up filling the few holes? A popular choice among the hometown crowd would be Quispamsis products Andrew Langan and Michael Cormier. However, Nicolas Pard has stood out at times in camp and Phillip Richer could be a good selection to inject some more youth up front.
Sparling, who sits between Kirkpatrick and Langan in the dressing room, said all the rookies are eager to make the squad.
"They're asking a lot of questions about the league and I remember being 16 and asking the older guys the same stuff," he said. "It's pretty cool to be on the other side of things."
Players on the bubble will only have two more games to make their impression as Beaulieu wants the roster finalized for the last three pre-season games.
The Sea Dogs, who dropped a 5-4 shootout decision in Moncton on Thursday night, will host the Wildcats on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Harbour Station.
QMJHL Newcomers to Saint John's training camp have their work cut out for them to crack the opening-day lineup
Andrew Mcgilligan
Telegraph-Journal
Published Friday August 24th, 2007
Appeared on page B12
SAINT JOHN - Space is at a premium when it comes to the final roster for the Saint John Sea Dogs.
The team has 33 players in camp after cutting 13 players on Wednesday, but truth be told there are only a few spots up for grabs. With the majority of players returning from last season, this is the toughest lineup to crack in the Sea Dogs' three-year history.
So where can someone sneak onto the team? Saint John head coach and general manager Jacques Beaulieu knows where he wants to see the guys compete.
"There's a couple of forward spots that are available," he said. "We've got to make sure the guys keep competing over the next few days. That's going to be important for everybody."
With the exception of a few forwards, most of the 2007-08 Sea Dogs roster can already be penciled in. The team is set on the blue-line with returning players Alex Grant, Yann Sauve, Pascal Amyot, Jeff McNeil, Sebastien Rioux and David Stich. Add first overall pick in the 2007 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League entry draft Simon Despres to that list. He's garnered rave reviews in camp from coaches.
In goal, Saint John has one spot taken with import goalie Robert Mayer of Switzerland. That leaves Travis Fullerton, Matthew Dopud, Troy Passingham and Karel St-Laurent competing for the final spot. Fullerton is the most experienced of the group and looks to have the inside track on the second spot. However, there's talk of possibly carrying three netminders this season. Dopud has the second most experience, although St-Laurent turned some heads in the conditioning camp held earlier this summer.
Up front is where the competition lies and third-year Sea Dog Ryan Sparling said it's evident.
"There's a lot more intensity this year, even from the guys who've been on the team before," he said. "We've really matured as a team and you can see it out there."
The Sea Dogs have nine returning forwards, including Sparling, Chris Di Domenico, Alexandre Leduc, Brett Gallant, Keven Charland, Mike Thomas, Matthew Stoddard, Francois Gauthier and Payton Liske. That's three full lines.
Forwards Kyle Kelly and Bruce Crawford were not invited back to camp and Anthony Bergin decided not to return.
As for who is likely to be a Sea Dog come the regular season, a few players jump out. Jordan Knox and Francis Charland look to have an edge when it comes to 20-year-old forward spots. However, Tony Resendes has been a one-man highlight reel in making his case for a 20 spot. The 10th overall pick in the 2007 QMJHL entry draft, Steven Anthony, has looked like he belongs and should crack the roster. Michael Kirkpatrick, Saint John's second-round pick in 2007, had a good year in the Maritime Junior A Hockey League and should also make the jump to major junior.
With two 20s, Anthony and Kirkpatrick, that brings the total number of forwards to 13. Add seven defencemen, two goalies and you've got 22 players ready to go.
So which players could end up filling the few holes? A popular choice among the hometown crowd would be Quispamsis products Andrew Langan and Michael Cormier. However, Nicolas Pard has stood out at times in camp and Phillip Richer could be a good selection to inject some more youth up front.
Sparling, who sits between Kirkpatrick and Langan in the dressing room, said all the rookies are eager to make the squad.
"They're asking a lot of questions about the league and I remember being 16 and asking the older guys the same stuff," he said. "It's pretty cool to be on the other side of things."
Players on the bubble will only have two more games to make their impression as Beaulieu wants the roster finalized for the last three pre-season games.
The Sea Dogs, who dropped a 5-4 shootout decision in Moncton on Thursday night, will host the Wildcats on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Harbour Station.