Deadline day rundown

[Score]

CHARLOTTETOWN, PE, January 8, 2007 - The P.E.I. Rocket Hockey Club was very busy on this last day of the QMJHL trade period, making three significant trades including sending top scoring centreman Brett Morrison, to the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies.

In return for Morrison, a 20 year old drafted in the fifth round by the Anaheim Ducks in last year’s NHL Entry Draft, who is tied for sixth in the QMJHL scoring race with 57 points, the Rocket acquired two players and a Draft Pick.

The players are; 19-year-old defenceman Dylan Quaile, 6’02” 201 lbs, and 16-year-old left winger Benjamin Casavant, 6’01” 200 lbs.

Casavant who was a first Round Draft Pick (9th overall) in the 2007 QMJHL Entry Draft, and is the sixth top scorer in the Quebec Midget AAA League, with 43 points in 27 games (17 goals and 26 assists). Casavant is considered to be one of the best 16 year old prospects in Quebec.

“When you trade a player like Pierre-Luc Lessard (traded yesterday January, 7) you must find a player that can take his place.” commented Guy Chouinard, Coach and Director of Hockey Operations.

“Dylan Quaile was on our radar, he is an experienced defenceman that can skate, and will take Lessard’s ice time, he will also be a top defender for our team.” said Chouinard.

“And in the same trade when you can pick up a 1st Round Pick (Casavant, 9th overall) that would have played in 90% of the teams in the league, but was sent down to his Midget team because Rouyn-Noranda is a power house. You also add in a Second Round Draft Pick, it is like getting three players for the price of one, with only 2 1/2 months of hockey left.” added Chouinard.

“We wish Brett nothing but success in his future, as a hockey player.” stated Guy Chouinard.

The Rocket also sent 19 year old defenceman Benoit Gervais to the Rimouski Océanic.

In return the Rocket acquired 18 year old defenceman, Philippe Garnier, 6’01” 206 lbs, who was a 4th Round Draft Pick (#62 overall) in the 2006 QMJHL Entry Draft.

“Garnier is a stay at home defenceman, a defensive “D” that likes the physical play.” said Chouinard.”

“He is very excited to play in PEI as Mathieu Tousignant is his best friend, as they played midget hockey together.” added Chouinard.

The Rocket also traded away 18 year old left winger Maxim Cliche to the Québec City Remparts. In return the Rocket will acquire a 6th round pick at the 2009 QMJHL Entry Draft.

Chouinard spoke to all the new players except Benjamin Casavant (but spoke with Casavant’s father), and said “all the players are very excited to come and play on PEI”.

-------------------------------------------------------------



To Rouyn-Noranda:
Morrison, Brett (1987-07-25)

To P.E.I:
Quaile, Dylan (1988-11-12)
Casavant, Benjamin (1991-01-21)
Rd_2, 2009
--------------------------------------------------


To P.E.I.
Garnier, Philippe (1989-01-04)

To Rimouski
Gervais, Benoit (1988-05-05)
----------------------------------------------------

To Québec:
Cliche, Maxim (1989-03-03)

To P.E.I.:
Rd_6, 2009

[section20ernie]

Stated before, but all deals were great.

Got rid of a 20 year old, two 19 year olds for two 19 year-olds, an 18 year old, two highly-touted 16 year-olds and some picks.

Add the new players to the fact that Desroches, MacLean and Malouin have been playing much improved over the past few weeks, and it's looking up for next season.

[kdr]

it's been a busy day. How did we manage a 6th rounder for Cliche?

[bois]

Like seeing the bit about Garnier being excited to play here as Tousignant is one of his better friends.... had heard Tousignant was understandably not thrilled to leave BC to come here.. this should put that notion to rest somewhat

[section20ernie]

bois said:

Like seeing the bit about Garnier being excited to play here as Tousignant is one of his better friends.... had heard Tousignant was understandably not thrilled to leave BC to come here.. this should put that notion to rest somewhat

Perhaps it'll put the notion to bed but Guy has to say they're thrilled to be coming to PEI.. He's not going to say they're dejected. Certain things you don't say to the media.

Anyone part of a team with a chance to win a title should be upset about being traded. Hopefully though, things will be better when they arrive and start playing.

[johntherevalator]

I can totally understand being upset at being traded away from a legit contender. Hell, I would be too. Can't be to exciting, esspecially with the go nowhere reputation the Rocket have. But he's still young, and has the oppurtunity, along with Guy and the rest of our young guys, to change that reputation. Hopefully he'll see that, and hopefully we'll be able to give him his shot here.

That being said, I'm positively over the moon about the changes the Rocket have made this period. That's not to say I'm going to start making championship predictions right now, but after years of seemingly aimless drifting, it really seems like there is a plan in place for the next couple of years. The common denominator seems to be Guy, so way to go Mr.Chouinard, way to go.

[Score]

Rocket waits for final countdown
Coach Chouinard says the P.E.I. club acquired some quality players in trades over the last couple of days

CHARLES REID
The Guardian

Hurry up and wait may be standard in the army. It seems to have worked for the P.E.I. Rocket, too.

The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League club waited until the final two days of the trading period to unload four players, including its three captains, making deals right up to the deadline Tuesday at 1 p.m. AT.

P.E.I. traded leading scorer Brett Morrison to Rouyn-Noranda for defenceman Dylan Quaile, forward Benjamin Casavant and a second-round pick in 2009.

Defenceman Benoit Gervais was shipped to Rimouski for blue-liner Philippe Garnier while forward Maxim Cliche went to Quebec for a sixth-round pick in 2009.

Monday, P.E.I. sent defenceman Pierre-Luc Lessard to Baie-Comeau for forward Mathieu Tousignant and defencemen Myles Gomes and Raphael Neiderer.

Guy Chouinard, Rocket head coach, said he and Serge Savard Jr., Rocket president and governor, preferred to wait for teams like Rouyn-Noranda, beefing up for a playoff run, to come calling.

“They saw what Morrison could do. I can’t be in their shoes, but they checked what was left on the market and obviously made an offer that was going to be good for the (Rocket) in the long-term,” said Chouinard, who doubles as director of hockey operations.

Chouinard said the moves give the Rocket immediate results because the new players can be plugged into the system.
“A guy like Quaile will probably take Lessard’s spot. He was someone we pinpointed if we had to let Lessard go,” he said.

And trading Gervais for Garnier, who played in 43 of Rimouski’s 45 games this season, meant a younger, “physical, stay-at-home defenceman,” said Chouinard.

Casavant was Rouyn-Noranda’s first-round pick (ninth overall) at the 2007 draft. He’s played most of the season in Quebec midget AAA, scoring 17 goals and 26 assists in 27 games with C.A. Girouard, good for second in team scoring and sixth overall in the league.

He has one goal in two games in the Q this season.
Chouinard said Casavant, who will play with the Rocket, is a victim of a veteran team looking to the playoffs.

“He’s one of the better (players) in midget AAA right now. He’s a big kid (six-foot-one, 200 pounds). He can score some goals.”
Rocket assistant coach Corrado Micalef agrees.

Micalef was an assistant for Team Quebec at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge earlier this month in Ontario. He saw the 16-year-old in Quebec’s training camp, and although Casavant didn’t make the squad, Micalef was impressed.

“(He’s got) very good hands. Great, great shot. He’s a scorer. He’s an intelligent individual and he’s got a good attitude,” said Micalef.
Still, the new faces and young players sound a little like a team rebuilding, again.

The Rocket is still recovering from a talent hangover thanks to a 2003-04 team loaded with veterans that reached the second round of the playoffs and a 2004-05 season that saw the squad win just six games.

That after trading away netminder Jonathan Boutin to Quebec for goalie Jean-Francois Bernard and blue-liner Louis-Philippe Lachance.
Bernard was a 20-year-old and gone the next season while Lachance played one full season before being dealt to Rimouski last year.

That and having just one player from the 2002 draft on the roster (David Laliberté) led to a revamping of P.E.I.’s scouting department in 2005-06.

A new coach that year (Yanick Jean) and a less-than-cohesive dressing room meant a 25-win, 57-point season with a 15th overall finish.

The team rebounded last season for an eighth overall finish but lost in the first round of the playoffs to Acadie-Bathurst for the second straight year.

Enter Chouinard and Micalef.

Chouinard took over for Jean in October and Micalef was hired in May for the vacant assistant role after Dave Flanagan resigned.
“I can’t say for what was done in the past. The only thing I can say is we’re adding players that like Tousignant, one of the better players in the league, we’re adding guys that are playing in the league. It’s not like they’re (all prospects),” said Chouinard. “To me, I’m not worried about the here-we-go-again (scenario). We still have a core of players on our team. I think the people will have to see for themselves. Watch us play and then make up their minds.”
Because there’s now eight defencemen on the Rocket roster, Kensington native Parker Deighan has been sent down to the Summerside Capitals of the Maritime Junior A Hockey League.

[Krang7]

admin said:

“I can’t say for what was done in the past. The only thing I can say is we’re adding players that like Tousignant, one of the better players in the league, we’re adding guys that are playing in the league. It’s not like they’re (all prospects),” said Chouinard. “To me, I’m not worried about the here-we-go-again (scenario). We still have a core of players on our team. I think the people will have to see for themselves. Watch us play and then make up their minds.”

It's comments like this that make it easy to realize that we finally are going in the right direction and we finally have a guy handling the hockey side of things that actually knows how junior hockey works.

For all the mistakes that Serge has made he definitely got this decision right.