Post by dogcatcher on Dec 17, 2007 6:29:19 GMT -4
Do not expect Saint John to be Dog traders
Andrew McGilligan
Telegraph-Journal
Published Monday December 17th, 2007
Appeared on page B10
SAINT JOHN - The holiday trading period officially begins today in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, but don't expect the Saint John Sea Dogs to be pulling off a lot of deals.
Last year, the Sea Dogs were one of the busiest teams completing nine transactions and bringing in current players Travis Fullerton, Francois Gauthier, Keven Charland and Alexandre Leduc.
However, with the team in the upper echelon of the QMJHL, wholesale changes won't be necessary - maybe just some minor tweaking.
"I wouldn't mind adding another forward if I could, but I think I'm going to have a real hard time," said Saint John head coach and general manager Jacques Beaulieu. "We've been looking for another right-handed shot, but that's going to be tough."
A quick scan at the standing provides teams with an idea of who's looking to deal in order to build for the future.
The Prince Edward Island Rocket struggled so far this season including three losses to the Sea Dogs by a combined score of 22-8. The Rocket could be willing to part with 20-year-old forward Brett Morrison. In 34 games this season, Morrison has 20 goals and 29 assists for 49 points - a welcome addition for teams looking to pack more offensive punch in the second half.
On the back-end, the Drummondville Voltigeurs are rumoured to be seeking buyers for a pair of 19-year-old defencemen. The prize of Drummondville's defence is 19-year-old Drew Paris who's amongst the leading scorers on defence in the QMJHL with 28 points in 37 games heading into Sunday's contest against the Quebec Remparts. Unlike Morrison, Paris has another year of eligibility in the league which makes a deal for him more than just a rental.
Reports have Paris heading to New Brunswick to join the Acadie-Bathurst Titan for 18-year-old Marc-Antoine Desnoyers and a first-round pick. The Titan could also make noise by landing a European player to replace forward Martin Bartos. The forward didn't show up for training camp this season and with some shuffling of its roster, the Titan could open up a European slot.
The biggest deal of the holiday season is also the worst kept secret in the QMJHL. Val-d'Or Foreurs forward Brad Marchand has been all but signed, sealed and delivered to the Halifax Mooseheads. The 19-year-old has 44 points in 33 games this season and is a member of Team Canada competing for gold at the World Junior tournament beginning on Boxing Day.
The exact specifics have yet to be made clear, but Halifax newspapers are speculating the deal for Marchand will include Val-d'Or and the Quebec Remparts.
One scenario has the Mooseheads shipping top prospect David Gilbert and a second-round pick in 2008 to Quebec for Maxime Sauve. From there, Halifax would ship Sauve and first-round pick in 2008 and 2009 to Val-d'Or for Marchand.
As for the Sea Dogs, Beaulieu said he's been receiving a lot of calls about players - specifically his defencemen.
"We're getting calls for our (defence) because we're pretty deep back there," he said. "We had a couple of calls for some of our guys up front, but nothing major."
So when teams returns from the holidays, don't expect to see many new faces, if any, wearing a Saint John jersey.
Andrew McGilligan
Telegraph-Journal
Published Monday December 17th, 2007
Appeared on page B10
SAINT JOHN - The holiday trading period officially begins today in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, but don't expect the Saint John Sea Dogs to be pulling off a lot of deals.
Last year, the Sea Dogs were one of the busiest teams completing nine transactions and bringing in current players Travis Fullerton, Francois Gauthier, Keven Charland and Alexandre Leduc.
However, with the team in the upper echelon of the QMJHL, wholesale changes won't be necessary - maybe just some minor tweaking.
"I wouldn't mind adding another forward if I could, but I think I'm going to have a real hard time," said Saint John head coach and general manager Jacques Beaulieu. "We've been looking for another right-handed shot, but that's going to be tough."
A quick scan at the standing provides teams with an idea of who's looking to deal in order to build for the future.
The Prince Edward Island Rocket struggled so far this season including three losses to the Sea Dogs by a combined score of 22-8. The Rocket could be willing to part with 20-year-old forward Brett Morrison. In 34 games this season, Morrison has 20 goals and 29 assists for 49 points - a welcome addition for teams looking to pack more offensive punch in the second half.
On the back-end, the Drummondville Voltigeurs are rumoured to be seeking buyers for a pair of 19-year-old defencemen. The prize of Drummondville's defence is 19-year-old Drew Paris who's amongst the leading scorers on defence in the QMJHL with 28 points in 37 games heading into Sunday's contest against the Quebec Remparts. Unlike Morrison, Paris has another year of eligibility in the league which makes a deal for him more than just a rental.
Reports have Paris heading to New Brunswick to join the Acadie-Bathurst Titan for 18-year-old Marc-Antoine Desnoyers and a first-round pick. The Titan could also make noise by landing a European player to replace forward Martin Bartos. The forward didn't show up for training camp this season and with some shuffling of its roster, the Titan could open up a European slot.
The biggest deal of the holiday season is also the worst kept secret in the QMJHL. Val-d'Or Foreurs forward Brad Marchand has been all but signed, sealed and delivered to the Halifax Mooseheads. The 19-year-old has 44 points in 33 games this season and is a member of Team Canada competing for gold at the World Junior tournament beginning on Boxing Day.
The exact specifics have yet to be made clear, but Halifax newspapers are speculating the deal for Marchand will include Val-d'Or and the Quebec Remparts.
One scenario has the Mooseheads shipping top prospect David Gilbert and a second-round pick in 2008 to Quebec for Maxime Sauve. From there, Halifax would ship Sauve and first-round pick in 2008 and 2009 to Val-d'Or for Marchand.
As for the Sea Dogs, Beaulieu said he's been receiving a lot of calls about players - specifically his defencemen.
"We're getting calls for our (defence) because we're pretty deep back there," he said. "We had a couple of calls for some of our guys up front, but nothing major."
So when teams returns from the holidays, don't expect to see many new faces, if any, wearing a Saint John jersey.