Neil Hodge thinks Halifax will rule the East

[sec19fan]

Article in today's Times & Transcript.

Halifax should rule the East
Neil Hodge
Wildcats watch
Published Tuesday September 11th, 2007
Appeared on page B1
The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League regular season will begin with one game on Thursday night. The defending champion Lewiston MAINEiacs will host the Saint John Sea Dogs.
The 18-team league is broken into two divisions and the last-place finisher in each group misses the playoffs. It's a 70-game regular season.
We preview the Eastern Division today and the Telus Division tomorrow.
Eastern Division
Predicted Standings
1. Halifax
2. P.E.I.
3. Acadie-Bathurst
4. Moncton
5. Lewiston
6. Saint John
7. St. John's
8. Cape Breton
Halifax Mooseheads
LAST SEASON: 32-31-3-4 for 71 points. Sixth in the Eastern Division and 14th overall in the league. The Mooseheads lost 4-1 to Lewiston in the second round of the playoffs.
EXHIBITION RECORD: 3-2-0-0.
KEY SUBTRACTIONS: None.
KEY RETURNEES: d Andrew Bodnarchuk (16-41-57, 63 games), d Guillaume Monast, f Jakub Voracek (23-63-86, 59 games), f Ryan Hillier (32-27-59, 70 games), f Colby Pridham (23-36-59, 65 games), f Logan MacMillan (20-35-55, 68 games), f Bryce Swan (35-19-54, 61 games), f Peter-James Corsi (14-30-44, 65 games) and f Garrett Peters (22-17-39, 61 games).
KEY ADDITIONS: f Tomas Knotek (sixth overall pick in 2007 European draft).
NEW BRUNSWICKERS: None.
EXPECTATIONS: ``I think we have a pretty deep team that's capable of finishing in the top two in our division,'' said general manager Marcel Patenaude. ``We expect to be very good offensively and we've got an experienced defence that played very well in the playoffs last season. We're
the same defence as last year, but a year older so we should be okay there. If we add anyone, I would think it will be a marquee player. I would say P.E.I., Moncton and Bathurst are maybe as good as us.''
FIVE-YEAR TREND: Average of 76.8 points per season. (71 in 2006-07, 72 in 2005-06, 96 in 2004-05, 44 in 2003-04, 101 in 2002-03).
P.E.I. Rocket
LAST SEASON: 36-26-2-6 for 80 points. Fourth in the Eastern Division and eighth overall in the league. The Rocket lost 4-3 to Acadie-Bathurst in the opening playoff round.
EXHIBITION RECORD: 4-3-0-1.
KEY SUBTRACTIONS: d Marc-Andre Gragnani (22-46-68, 65 games), f David Laliberte (50-48-98, 68 games) and f Guillaume Doucet (35-36-71, 70 games).
KEY RETURNEES: g Antoine Lafleur, d Pierre-Luc Lessard (12-22-34, 70 games), d Benoit Gervais, d Jordon Southorn, f Brett Morrison (35-55-90, 64 games), f Geoff Walker (30-50-80, 65 games), f Martin Latal (18-28-46, 66 games) and f Chris Doyle (18-18-36, 50 games).
KEY ADDITIONS: d Bryan Main and d Jason Swit were acquired in trades. f Jan Kana (first round of 2007 European draft). d Allan Clow (fifth round in 2006 QMJHL draft), d Parker Deighan (fourth round in 2007 QMJHL draft) and f Brandon MacLean (first round in 2007 QMJHL draft).
NEW BRUNSWICKERS: f Lucas McKinley (Fredericton)
EXPECTATIONS: ``We want to battle with the contenders,'' said head coach Yanick Jean. ``It's time for this team to step up and be fighting for the top spot. We should have three good scoring lines. We feel our top nine forwards can contribute offensively. It's the most depth we've had
throughout the lineup (in my three seasons here). We have six defencemen with experience. I think we're going to be pretty well balanced. We added skill with Kana and a couple of new defencemen. We have our sights set higher this season.''
FIVE-YEAR TREND: Average of 72 points per season. (80 in 2006-07, 57 in 2005-06, 55 in 2004-05, 91 in 2003-04, 77 in 2002-03).
Moncton Wildcats
LAST SEASON: 39-25-4-2 for 84 points. Third in the Eastern Division and fourth overall in the league. The Wildcats were eliminated in the opening playoff round, losing to Halifax in Game 7 double overtime.
EXHIBITION RECORD: 4-3-0-0.
KEY SUBTRACTIONS: g Jhase Sniderman, d Nathan Welton (15-47-62, 70 games), d Andrew MacDonald (14-44-58, 65 games) and f Christian Gaudet (16-22-38, 63 games).
KEY RETURNEES: g Nicola Riopel, d Mark Barberio, d Alexi Pianosi, f Randy Cameron (17-22-39, 70 games), f Marc-Andre Labelle (12-23-35, 67 games), f Matt Eagles (18-11-29, 50 games), f Matthew Brenton, f Murdock MacLellan and f Pierre-Marc Lessard. f Matt Marquardt (41-29-70, 67 games), f Phil Mangan (25-32-57, 51 games), f Maxime Lincourt (22-32-54, 68 games) and f Chris Morehouse (15-12-27, 67 games) are the candidates for the three 20-year-old spots.
KEY ADDITIONS: g Charlie Lavigne, d Martin Baca (first round of 2007 European draft), d Matt Boyle, d Andrew Eastman, d Myles Gomes, d Cody Wilson, f Zach Sill, f Scott Brannon, f Adam Bezak (first round of 2007 European draft), f Matt Brown (first round of 2007 QMJHL draft), f Devon MacAusland (second round of 2007 QMJHL draft) and f Ted Stephens.
NEW BRUNSWICKERS: f Matt Eagles (Fredericton), f Chris Morehouse (Rothesay) and f Devon MacAusland (Moncton)
EXPECTATIONS: ``It's a loaded question for me (to predict where we could finish),'' said head coach and director of hockey operations Danny Flynn.
``I was away from the league last season and I don't really know the rest of the teams well enough yet.''
FIVE-YEAR TREND: Average of 92.2 points per season. (84 in 2006-07, 107 in 2005-06, 84 in 2004-05, 97 in 2003-04, 89 in 2002-03).
Lewiston MAINEiacs
LAST SEASON: 50-14-2-4 for 106 points. First in the Eastern Division and first overall in the league. The MAINEiacs won the league championship. They finished last with a 1-3 record at the 2007 Memorial Cup in Vancouver.
EXHIBITION RECORD: 2-4-0-0.
KEY SUBTRACTIONS: d Chad Denny (17-48-65, 59 Games), d Sebastien Piche, d Michal Korenko, f Pierre-Luc Faubert (32-34-66, 70 games), f Eric Castonguay (27-37-64, 69 games), f Simon Courcelles (20-36-56, 67 games) and f Marc-Andre Cliche (24-30-54, 52 games)
KEY RETURNEES: g Peter Delmas, d Michael Ward, d Tom Michalik, d Kevin Marshall (5-27-32, 70 games), f David Perron (39-44-83, 70 games), f Stefano Giliati (24-33-57, 68 games), f Chris Tutalo (20-26-46, 67 games), f Stefan Chaput (17-29-46, 57 games), f Marc-Andre Daneau (21-15-36, 60 games), f Danick Hudon-Paquette and f Jakub Bundil. It's still unknown whether g Jonathan Bernier, 19, will spend this season in Lewiston or in the pros.
KEY ADDITIONS: d Denis Reul (first round of 2007 European draft). f Todd Chinova was acquired in a trade. d Eric Gelinas (first round) and f Billy Lacasse (second round) are from the 2007 QMJHL draft. d Nicolas Therrien (fifth round) and f Alex Beaton (fifth round) are from the 2006 QMJHL draft.
NEW BRUNSWICKERS: d Michael Ward (Shippagan).
EXPECTATIONS: ``Our goal is to finish first in the league every season,'' said head coach and general manager Ed Harding.
``I see us being one of the best teams in the league this season. There's a lot of parity in the league and I have a lot of respect for the other teams, but the Lewiston MAINEiacs are going to be tough to play against. I think our speed is pretty good. It may be just a notch lower than it was last season, but I think we're a bit bigger and more physical this season.''
FIVE-YEAR TREND: Average of 83.4 points per season. (106 in 2006-07, 83 in 2005-06, 72 in 2004-05, 72 in 2003-04, 84 in 2002-03).
Acadie-Bathurst Titan
LAST SEASON: 35-28-2-5 for 77 points. Fifth in the Eastern Division and 12th overall in the league. The Titan lost 4-1 to Cape Breton in the second round of the playoffs.
EXHIBITION RECORD: 4-5-0-0.
KEY SUBTRACTIONS: d Zack Firlotte, f Thomas Beauregard (71-53-124, 69 games), f Charles Bergeron (15-22-37, 66 games) and f Martin Bartos (24-57-81, 62 games).
KEY RETURNEES: g Antoine Tardif, d Marc-Antoine Desnoyers, d Nicolas Sigouin, d Brad Tesink, d Mathieu Labrie (8-40-48, 70 games), f Mathieu Perreault (41-78-119, 67 games), f Dany Masse (26-30-56, 69 games), f Jordan Clendenning (16-35-51, 64 games) and f Tomy Joly (15-17-32, 68 games).
KEY ADDITIONS: f Cameron Critchlow (first round), d Remy Blanchard (fifth round) and f Taylor Lambke (sixth round) are from the 2007 QMJHL draft). g Tommy Legault, d Carl Chamberland, f Charles-Antoine Messier, f Guillaume Mailloux and f Tomas Svoboda were acquired in trades.
NEW BRUNSWICKERS: d Brad Tesink (Saint John), d Remy Blanchard (Caraquet), d Mathieu Labrie (St. Quentin), f Cameron Critchlow (Fredericton) and f Jordan Clendenning (Woodstock).
EXPECTATIONS: ``We've got high expectations,'' said general manager Sylvain Couturier.
``We've got a lot of veterans coming back. We lost only our three 20-year-olds (and European forward Martin Bartos). Svoboda and Messier will help fill the gap offensively and we expect our 18-year-olds to do better than last season. We should have four lines that can contribute every night and we have six defencemen with experience in the league.''
FIVE-YEAR TREND: Average of 70.2 points per season. (77 in 2006-07, 94 in 2005-06, 46 in 2004-05, 39 in 2003-04, 95 in 2002-03).
Saint John Sea Dogs
LAST SEASON: 20-47-1-2 for 43 points. Last in the Eastern Division and 17th overall in the league. The Sea Dogs missed the playoffs.
EXHIBITION RECORD: 3-2-0-1.
KEY SUBTRACTIONS: d David MacDonald, d Sebastien Rioux and f Steve Bellefleur.
KEY RETURNEES: g Travis Fullerton, d Alex Grant (12-20-32, 68 games), d Yann Sauve, d David Stich, d Pascal Amyot, f Christopher Di Domenico (25-50-75, 70 games), f Ryan Sparling (18-35-53, 70 games), f Francois Gauthier (16-24-40, 69 games), f Kevin Guerette-Charland (18-16-34, 60 games), f Alexandre Leduc and f Payton Liske (8-2-10, 15 games).
KEY ADDITIONS: g Robert Mayer (third overall pick in 2007 European draft). d Simon Despres (first overall pick), f Steven Anthony (10th overall pick) and f Michael Kirkpatrick (second round) are from the 2007 QMJHL draft.
NEW BRUNSWICKERS: g Travis Fullerton (Riverview) and f Mike Thomas (New Maryland).
EXPECTATIONS: ``We want to make the playoffs for sure,'' said head coach and general manager Jacques Beaulieu.
"We're still a young hockey team and I think we'll have our moments when we'll show our age, but I think we have skill. Our back end is really good and I think it's only going to get better.
"We may have some problems scoring goals at times, but I think our defence and our goaltending is going to push us through. We're young on defence, but we're skilled and we're big. I think Halifax, P.E.I. and Bathurst are a notch above everybody in our division, but after that I think it's going to be jammed up.''
HISTORY: Franchise is entering its third season. Average of 40.5 points per season. (43 in 2006-07, 38 in 2005-06).
St. John's Fog Devils
LAST SEASON: 28-36-2-4 for 62 points.

[Deleted]

sec19fan said:

Part of article in today's Times & Transcript. I only pasted part of the article as it is long. Also included his review of the Titan...

Halifax should rule the East
Neil Hodge
Wildcats watch
Published Tuesday September 11th, 2007
Appeared on page B1
The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League regular season will begin with one game on Thursday night. The defending champion Lewiston MAINEiacs will host the Saint John Sea Dogs.
The 18-team league is broken into two divisions and the last-place finisher in each group misses the playoffs. It's a 70-game regular season.
We preview the Eastern Division today and the Telus Division tomorrow.
Eastern Division
Predicted Standings
1. Halifax
2. P.E.I.
3. Acadie-Bathurst
4. Moncton
5. Lewiston
6. Saint John
7. St. John's
8. Cape Breton

Acadie-Bathurst Titan
LAST SEASON: 35-28-2-5 for 77 points. Fifth in the Eastern Division and 12th overall in the league. The Titan lost 4-1 to Cape Breton in the second round of the playoffs.
EXHIBITION RECORD: 4-5-0-0.
KEY SUBTRACTIONS: d Zack Firlotte, f Thomas Beauregard (71-53-124, 69 games), f Charles Bergeron (15-22-37, 66 games) and f Martin Bartos (24-57-81, 62 games).
KEY RETURNEES: g Antoine Tardif, d Marc-Antoine Desnoyers, d Nicolas Sigouin, d Brad Tesink, d Mathieu Labrie (8-40-48, 70 games), f Mathieu Perreault (41-78-119, 67 games), f Dany Masse (26-30-56, 69 games), f Jordan Clendenning (16-35-51, 64 games) and f Tomy Joly (15-17-32, 68 games).
KEY ADDITIONS: f Cameron Critchlow (first round), d Remy Blanchard (fifth round) and f Taylor Lambke (sixth round) are from the 2007 QMJHL draft). g Tommy Legault, d Carl Chamberland, f Charles-Antoine Messier, f Guillaume Mailloux and f Tomas Svoboda were acquired in trades.
NEW BRUNSWICKERS: d Brad Tesink (Saint John), d Remy Blanchard (Caraquet), d Mathieu Labrie (St. Quentin), f Cameron Critchlow (Fredericton) and f Jordan Clendenning (Woodstock).
EXPECTATIONS: ``We've got high expectations,'' said general manager Sylvain Couturier.
``We've got a lot of veterans coming back. We lost only our three 20-year-olds (and European forward Martin Bartos). Svoboda and Messier will help fill the gap offensively and we expect our 18-year-olds to do better than last season. We should have four lines that can contribute every night and we have six defencemen with experience in the league.''
FIVE-YEAR TREND: Average of 70.2 points per season. (77 in 2006-07, 94 in 2005-06, 46 in 2004-05, 39 in 2003-04, 95 in 2002-03).

He predicted Moncton to finish 4th...what a joke ! ;D

[Captain Obvious]

hipsterdoofus said:

sec19fan said:

Part of article in today's Times & Transcript. I only pasted part of the article as it is long. Also included his review of the Titan...

Halifax should rule the East
Neil Hodge
Wildcats watch
Published Tuesday September 11th, 2007
Appeared on page B1
The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League regular season will begin with one game on Thursday night. The defending champion Lewiston MAINEiacs will host the Saint John Sea Dogs.
The 18-team league is broken into two divisions and the last-place finisher in each group misses the playoffs. It's a 70-game regular season.
We preview the Eastern Division today and the Telus Division tomorrow.
Eastern Division
Predicted Standings
1. Halifax
2. P.E.I.
3. Acadie-Bathurst
4. Moncton
5. Lewiston
6. Saint John
7. St. John's
8. Cape Breton

Acadie-Bathurst Titan
LAST SEASON: 35-28-2-5 for 77 points. Fifth in the Eastern Division and 12th overall in the league. The Titan lost 4-1 to Cape Breton in the second round of the playoffs.
EXHIBITION RECORD: 4-5-0-0.
KEY SUBTRACTIONS: d Zack Firlotte, f Thomas Beauregard (71-53-124, 69 games), f Charles Bergeron (15-22-37, 66 games) and f Martin Bartos (24-57-81, 62 games).
KEY RETURNEES: g Antoine Tardif, d Marc-Antoine Desnoyers, d Nicolas Sigouin, d Brad Tesink, d Mathieu Labrie (8-40-48, 70 games), f Mathieu Perreault (41-78-119, 67 games), f Dany Masse (26-30-56, 69 games), f Jordan Clendenning (16-35-51, 64 games) and f Tomy Joly (15-17-32, 68 games).
KEY ADDITIONS: f Cameron Critchlow (first round), d Remy Blanchard (fifth round) and f Taylor Lambke (sixth round) are from the 2007 QMJHL draft). g Tommy Legault, d Carl Chamberland, f Charles-Antoine Messier, f Guillaume Mailloux and f Tomas Svoboda were acquired in trades.
NEW BRUNSWICKERS: d Brad Tesink (Saint John), d Remy Blanchard (Caraquet), d Mathieu Labrie (St. Quentin), f Cameron Critchlow (Fredericton) and f Jordan Clendenning (Woodstock).
EXPECTATIONS: ``We've got high expectations,'' said general manager Sylvain Couturier.
``We've got a lot of veterans coming back. We lost only our three 20-year-olds (and European forward Martin Bartos). Svoboda and Messier will help fill the gap offensively and we expect our 18-year-olds to do better than last season. We should have four lines that can contribute every night and we have six defencemen with experience in the league.''
FIVE-YEAR TREND: Average of 70.2 points per season. (77 in 2006-07, 94 in 2005-06, 46 in 2004-05, 39 in 2003-04, 95 in 2002-03).

He predicted Moncton to finish 4th...what a joke ! ;D

How is that a joke? some people have them 3rd

[bois]

I'd like to read his entire column.. any chance it could be posted?

[Deleted]

billy said:

hipsterdoofus said:

He predicted Moncton to finish 4th...what a joke ! ;D

How is that a joke? some people have them 3rd

Moncton will fight for 6th, 5th at best. Only the puckbunnys predicted any better than that.

[jimmy]

hipsterdoofus said:

He predicted Moncton to finish 4th...what a joke ! ;D

I know ... with our history of recent success and overachieving, coupled with the key losses suffered by Bathurst and Lewiston, and PEI's history of underachieving, the Cats could very well end up as high as second in the division.

I think a lot of people are underrating the Cats, personally. Even at the end of last year, we were neck and neck with the Moose, Rocket, and Titan (and that was when we sucked ... the first half we were vastly superior). We have lost MacDonald and Welton, along with Gaudet and probably Lincourt ... that's it ... we picked up Brannon, Bezak, Sill and MacAusland up front who should make an impact this season .... our blueline took a hit with the losses of Welton and MacDonald, but overall is deeper than a year ago - our depth in the 3-8 spots on defense is much better IMO as evidenced by the cuts of two returning vets (Goyens and Tolles). Our forward depth is also improved, we cut two returning vets, and have an added year of development for all of our 18 and 19 year old forwards which should bode well. In nets, early indications are that Lavigne will be a capable backup, and worst case would be that Riopel is no better than last year ... which was still decent ... best case we have strong goaltending.

Something I didn't realize until today - PEI lost their best defenseman (Gragnani), and two of their top three forwards from last year (Laliberte and Doucet) ... they may have a steeper hill to climb than they think, as they haven't really added much in the way of impact players (maybe Kana) ... they are counting heavily on natural progression. Lewiston has lost a tonne of guys, and really added no one of immediate consequence.

[Captain Obvious]

hipsterdoofus said:

billy said:

How is that a joke? some people have them 3rd

Moncton will fight for 6th, 5th at best. Only the puckbunnys predicted any better than that.

You said that last year...I guess you are the real puckbunny ;D

[sec19fan]

bois said:

I'd like to read his entire column.. any chance it could be posted?

I have changed original post to include the whole thing

[SteveUL]

bois said:

I'd like to read his entire column.. any chance it could be posted?

This link will get you there ... I think ...

timestranscript.canadaeast.com/sports/article/70422

[sec21critic]

jimmy said:

hipsterdoofus said:

He predicted Moncton to finish 4th...what a joke ! ;D

I know ... with our history of recent success and overachieving, coupled with the key losses suffered by Bathurst and Lewiston, and PEI's history of underachieving, the Cats could very well end up as high as second in the division.

I think a lot of people are underrating the Cats, personally. Even at the end of last year, we were neck and neck with the Moose, Rocket, and Titan (and that was when we sucked ... the first half we were vastly superior). We have lost MacDonald and Welton, along with Gaudet and probably Lincourt ... that's it ... we picked up Brannon, Bezak, Sill and MacAusland up front who should make an impact this season .... our blueline took a hit with the losses of Welton and MacDonald, but overall is deeper than a year ago - our depth in the 3-8 spots on defense is much better IMO as evidenced by the cuts of two returning vets (Goyens and Tolles). Our forward depth is also improved, we cut two returning vets, and have an added year of development for all of our 18 and 19 year old forwards which should bode well. In nets, early indications are that Lavigne will be a capable backup, and worst case would be that Riopel is no better than last year ... which was still decent ... best case we have strong goaltending.

Something I didn't realize until today - PEI lost their best defenseman (Gragnani), and two of their top three forwards from last year (Laliberte and Doucet) ... they may have a steeper hill to climb than they think, as they haven't really added much in the way of impact players (maybe Kana) ... they are counting heavily on natural progression. Lewiston has lost a tonne of guys, and really added no one of immediate consequence.

Good post.... but I question how much of an impact McAusland really will have this year. Anything you get from a 16YO, save Sidney Crosby, should be considered gravy.

[chsb]

jimmy said:

hipsterdoofus said:

He predicted Moncton to finish 4th...what a joke ! ;D

I know ... with our history of recent success and overachieving, coupled with the key losses suffered by Bathurst and Lewiston, and PEI's history of underachieving, the Cats could very well end up as high as second in the division.

I think a lot of people are underrating the Cats, personally. Even at the end of last year, we were neck and neck with the Moose, Rocket, and Titan (and that was when we sucked ... the first half we were vastly superior). We have lost MacDonald and Welton, along with Gaudet and probably Lincourt ... that's it ... we picked up Brannon, Bezak, Sill and MacAusland up front who should make an impact this season .... our blueline took a hit with the losses of Welton and MacDonald, but overall is deeper than a year ago - our depth in the 3-8 spots on defense is much better IMO as evidenced by the cuts of two returning vets (Goyens and Tolles). Our forward depth is also improved, we cut two returning vets, and have an added year of development for all of our 18 and 19 year old forwards which should bode well. In nets, early indications are that Lavigne will be a capable backup, and worst case would be that Riopel is no better than last year ... which was still decent ... best case we have strong goaltending.

Something I didn't realize until today - PEI lost their best defenseman (Gragnani), and two of their top three forwards from last year (Laliberte and Doucet) ... they may have a steeper hill to climb than they think, as they haven't really added much in the way of impact players (maybe Kana) ... they are counting heavily on natural progression. Lewiston has lost a tonne of guys, and really added no one of immediate consequence.

There is a lot of wishful thinking in your post assuming that 16 and 17 YOs will replace Welton,MacDonald,Gaudet,Lincourt and Co.
Brannon, Bezak, Sill and MacAusland are all rookies at this level and will be making an impact in 08-09 and the same goes for Pianosi and barberio,
I don't say that they are not good, but not enough impact to finish in the first 4 teams in the Division.
The 3 Ls are not impact players and Eagles is no better than any of our 2nd liners here.
The real impact players are Mangan,Marquardt and Riopel.

....Very immature blue line......

[Bev]

steveul said:

bois said:

I'd like to read his entire column.. any chance it could be posted?

This link will get you there ... I think ...

timestranscript.canadaeast.com/sports/article/70422

It works.

Thanks.

[catnut]

chsb said:

jimmy said:

I know ... with our history of recent success and overachieving, coupled with the key losses suffered by Bathurst and Lewiston, and PEI's history of underachieving, the Cats could very well end up as high as second in the division.

I think a lot of people are underrating the Cats, personally. Even at the end of last year, we were neck and neck with the Moose, Rocket, and Titan (and that was when we sucked ... the first half we were vastly superior). We have lost MacDonald and Welton, along with Gaudet and probably Lincourt ... that's it ... we picked up Brannon, Bezak, Sill and MacAusland up front who should make an impact this season .... our blueline took a hit with the losses of Welton and MacDonald, but overall is deeper than a year ago - our depth in the 3-8 spots on defense is much better IMO as evidenced by the cuts of two returning vets (Goyens and Tolles). Our forward depth is also improved, we cut two returning vets, and have an added year of development for all of our 18 and 19 year old forwards which should bode well. In nets, early indications are that Lavigne will be a capable backup, and worst case would be that Riopel is no better than last year ... which was still decent ... best case we have strong goaltending.

Something I didn't realize until today - PEI lost their best defenseman (Gragnani), and two of their top three forwards from last year (Laliberte and Doucet) ... they may have a steeper hill to climb than they think, as they haven't really added much in the way of impact players (maybe Kana) ... they are counting heavily on natural progression. Lewiston has lost a tonne of guys, and really added no one of immediate consequence.

There is a lot of wishful thinking in your post assuming that 16 and 17 YOs will replace Welton,MacDonald,Gaudet,Lincourt and Co.
Brannon, Bezak, Sill and MacAusland are all rookies at this level and will be making an impact in 08-09 and the same goes for Pianosi and barberio,
I don't say that they are not good, but not enough impact to finish in the first 4 teams in the Division.
The 3 Ls are not impact players and Eagles is no better than any of our 2nd liners here.
The real impact players are Mangan,Marquardt and Riopel.

....Very immature blue line......

Where to start...
Brannon is in his 3rd year in the league.
Sill played US College hockey against older players so should have no trouble adapting
There's no more 3 L's, one was cut.

[mikeb]

chsb said:

jimmy said:

I know ... with our history of recent success and overachieving, coupled with the key losses suffered by Bathurst and Lewiston, and PEI's history of underachieving, the Cats could very well end up as high as second in the division.

I think a lot of people are underrating the Cats, personally. Even at the end of last year, we were neck and neck with the Moose, Rocket, and Titan (and that was when we sucked ... the first half we were vastly superior). We have lost MacDonald and Welton, along with Gaudet and probably Lincourt ... that's it ... we picked up Brannon, Bezak, Sill and MacAusland up front who should make an impact this season .... our blueline took a hit with the losses of Welton and MacDonald, but overall is deeper than a year ago - our depth in the 3-8 spots on defense is much better IMO as evidenced by the cuts of two returning vets (Goyens and Tolles). Our forward depth is also improved, we cut two returning vets, and have an added year of development for all of our 18 and 19 year old forwards which should bode well. In nets, early indications are that Lavigne will be a capable backup, and worst case would be that Riopel is no better than last year ... which was still decent ... best case we have strong goaltending.

Something I didn't realize until today - PEI lost their best defenseman (Gragnani), and two of their top three forwards from last year (Laliberte and Doucet) ... they may have a steeper hill to climb than they think, as they haven't really added much in the way of impact players (maybe Kana) ... they are counting heavily on natural progression. Lewiston has lost a tonne of guys, and really added no one of immediate consequence.

There is a lot of wishful thinking in your post assuming that 16 and 17 YOs will replace Welton,MacDonald,Gaudet,Lincourt and Co.
Brannon, Bezak, Sill and MacAusland are all rookies at this level and will be making an impact in 08-09 and the same goes for Pianosi and barberio,
I don't say that they are not good, but not enough impact to finish in the first 4 teams in the Division.
The 3 Ls are not impact players and Eagles is no better than any of our 2nd liners here.
The real impact players are Mangan,Marquardt and Riopel.

....Very immature blue line......

They picked up some FA 19YO dmen. Gomes and Eastman who look more than half decent.

[jimmy]

sec21critic said:

jimmy said:

I know ... with our history of recent success and overachieving, coupled with the key losses suffered by Bathurst and Lewiston, and PEI's history of underachieving, the Cats could very well end up as high as second in the division.

I think a lot of people are underrating the Cats, personally. Even at the end of last year, we were neck and neck with the Moose, Rocket, and Titan (and that was when we sucked ... the first half we were vastly superior). We have lost MacDonald and Welton, along with Gaudet and probably Lincourt ... that's it ... we picked up Brannon, Bezak, Sill and MacAusland up front who should make an impact this season .... our blueline took a hit with the losses of Welton and MacDonald, but overall is deeper than a year ago - our depth in the 3-8 spots on defense is much better IMO as evidenced by the cuts of two returning vets (Goyens and Tolles). Our forward depth is also improved, we cut two returning vets, and have an added year of development for all of our 18 and 19 year old forwards which should bode well. In nets, early indications are that Lavigne will be a capable backup, and worst case would be that Riopel is no better than last year ... which was still decent ... best case we have strong goaltending.

Something I didn't realize until today - PEI lost their best defenseman (Gragnani), and two of their top three forwards from last year (Laliberte and Doucet) ... they may have a steeper hill to climb than they think, as they haven't really added much in the way of impact players (maybe Kana) ... they are counting heavily on natural progression. Lewiston has lost a tonne of guys, and really added no one of immediate consequence.

Good post.... but I question how much of an impact McAusland really will have this year. Anything you get from a 16YO, save Sidney Crosby, should be considered gravy.

I have a hunch MacAusland will end up with 30-40 points .... not predicting he is a superstar this year ... but I think he will contribute.