Post by dogcatcher on Oct 9, 2007 7:35:49 GMT -4
Attention Sea Dog fans: 'These guys are good'
PETER MCGUIRE
GAME ON
Published Tuesday October 9th, 2007
Appeared on page B4
We're not suggesting a 5-3 record to start the season is supposed to knock your socks off but the Saint John Sea Dogs have shown enough positive signs to suggest that they are not as far away from being a legitimate title contender as some might think.
The Sea Dogs, of course, struggled mightily in their first two seasons, missing the playoffs both years even though 16 of the league's 18 teams make it to the post-season.
Saint John is coming off a solid 3-0 win over the Quebec Remparts on Saturday, a game in which they displayed a little of everything, offence, defence, excellent goaltending and good special teams.
"We're a little ahead of where we thought we might be," said Saint John coach and general manager Jacques Beaulieu, understandably guarded in his optimism.
Some might suggest this team is more than just a little ahead of where it was expected.
So at the risk of sounding like a cheerleader and putting a little credibility on the line, we still feel compelled to borrow a line from the PGA Tour, 'These Guys are Good.'
Beaulieu's background as a longtime assistant coach with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League makes him an authority on the subject of putting together a winning recipe.
The Knights won the Memorial Cup in 2005.
During last year's Memorial Cup tournament in Vancouver, Beaulieu was quizzed about what it takes to be a legitimate threat.
His answer came quickly: Four solid defencemen, six front-line forwards and an outstanding goaltender.
If you take a look at this year's version of the much-improved Sea Dogs, you have to believe this team is not that far off.
Seriously.
This is a team that has been built from the back end, thanks in part to the team's original general manager Tipper LeBlanc. He drafted Alex Grant with the first overall pick in the team's first draft and then selected smooth-skating blueliner Yann Sauve with the top pick overall in 2006.
Beaulieu continued the trend back in June when he took 16-year-old defenceman Simon Despres with the top overall pick.
Those three, along with Czech stalwart David Stich, Pascal Amyot and Jeff McNeil, give Saint John one of the top blue-line brigades in the circuit, maybe the best.
The forwards are led by the line of Ryan Sparling, Chris Di Domenico and Payton Liske. Throw in 20-year-olds Alexandre Picard-Hooper and Scott Howes as well as Alexandre Leduc and Francois Gauthier and you've got the makings of something special.
Muscle isn't a problem, either, with Brett Gallant and Mike Thomas heading up that department.
If there is one deficiency, it might be that it's lacking a relentless checking line, like that of the Moncton Wildcats with Scott Brannon, Zach Sill and Chris Morehouse.
Beaulieu will likely address that problem at some point, but for now he's feeling pretty good about the fact that he was able to land Picard-Hooper, a former 50-goal scorer.
"It was almost like a dream come true," he said. "It took six weeks to get the deal done. We just never thought it was going to happen. Successful teams all have good 20-year-olds and now we have that."
The team's third 20-year-old is goaltender Travis Fullerton, who helps provide a solid one-two punch between the pipes with Swiss star Robert Mayer.
In order to land players such as Picard-Hooper and snaring 16-year-old Steven Anthony with the 10th overall pick in this year's draft, the Sea Dogs have had to pay a price.
But contrary to what you might believe, Saint John has not mortgaged the future.
For a while there, it looked like Beaulieu was spending future draft picks like a drunken sailor.
That's not the case, though. In fact, the team had a healthy stockpile of picks and the future at the draft table is far from bleak.
Since Beaulieu took on the GM's duties prior to Christmas last season, he has pulled off 18 transactions involving 19 players and 32 draft picks.
Saint John gave up a third-rounder in next year's draft for Picard-Hooper and surrendered a first-round pick next season for Anthony, who was one of the highly regarded offensive players eligible for the draft in June but had people believing he was going the U.S. college route, before changing his mind on draft day.
So, when the draft is held in Sydney, N.S. next June, Beaulieu and Co. will be without a first-rounder and a fifth-rounder, but they'll have two picks in the seventh round and two more in the 10th. And that's only as things stand now. You get the feeling that Beaulieu will be working the phones, trying to find a way to land a pick in the first round for next year. In 2009, the Sea Dogs own picks in all rounds except the third and they'll have two fourth-round selections.
Oh, and this team won't only be good this year. It's also built for the future.
There are two 16-year-olds on the roster (Despres and Anthony), seven 17's, six 18's, four 19's and three 20's.
It's not much wonder majority owner Scott McCain was walking with a little more spring in his step than normal when he was spotted in the pedway heading to Saturday's game.
Now, if McCain and his local ownership group can just find a way to convince Saint Johners that this team is for real, maybe attendance figures will be as lofty as expectations are becoming.
PETER MCGUIRE
GAME ON
Published Tuesday October 9th, 2007
Appeared on page B4
We're not suggesting a 5-3 record to start the season is supposed to knock your socks off but the Saint John Sea Dogs have shown enough positive signs to suggest that they are not as far away from being a legitimate title contender as some might think.
The Sea Dogs, of course, struggled mightily in their first two seasons, missing the playoffs both years even though 16 of the league's 18 teams make it to the post-season.
Saint John is coming off a solid 3-0 win over the Quebec Remparts on Saturday, a game in which they displayed a little of everything, offence, defence, excellent goaltending and good special teams.
"We're a little ahead of where we thought we might be," said Saint John coach and general manager Jacques Beaulieu, understandably guarded in his optimism.
Some might suggest this team is more than just a little ahead of where it was expected.
So at the risk of sounding like a cheerleader and putting a little credibility on the line, we still feel compelled to borrow a line from the PGA Tour, 'These Guys are Good.'
Beaulieu's background as a longtime assistant coach with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League makes him an authority on the subject of putting together a winning recipe.
The Knights won the Memorial Cup in 2005.
During last year's Memorial Cup tournament in Vancouver, Beaulieu was quizzed about what it takes to be a legitimate threat.
His answer came quickly: Four solid defencemen, six front-line forwards and an outstanding goaltender.
If you take a look at this year's version of the much-improved Sea Dogs, you have to believe this team is not that far off.
Seriously.
This is a team that has been built from the back end, thanks in part to the team's original general manager Tipper LeBlanc. He drafted Alex Grant with the first overall pick in the team's first draft and then selected smooth-skating blueliner Yann Sauve with the top pick overall in 2006.
Beaulieu continued the trend back in June when he took 16-year-old defenceman Simon Despres with the top overall pick.
Those three, along with Czech stalwart David Stich, Pascal Amyot and Jeff McNeil, give Saint John one of the top blue-line brigades in the circuit, maybe the best.
The forwards are led by the line of Ryan Sparling, Chris Di Domenico and Payton Liske. Throw in 20-year-olds Alexandre Picard-Hooper and Scott Howes as well as Alexandre Leduc and Francois Gauthier and you've got the makings of something special.
Muscle isn't a problem, either, with Brett Gallant and Mike Thomas heading up that department.
If there is one deficiency, it might be that it's lacking a relentless checking line, like that of the Moncton Wildcats with Scott Brannon, Zach Sill and Chris Morehouse.
Beaulieu will likely address that problem at some point, but for now he's feeling pretty good about the fact that he was able to land Picard-Hooper, a former 50-goal scorer.
"It was almost like a dream come true," he said. "It took six weeks to get the deal done. We just never thought it was going to happen. Successful teams all have good 20-year-olds and now we have that."
The team's third 20-year-old is goaltender Travis Fullerton, who helps provide a solid one-two punch between the pipes with Swiss star Robert Mayer.
In order to land players such as Picard-Hooper and snaring 16-year-old Steven Anthony with the 10th overall pick in this year's draft, the Sea Dogs have had to pay a price.
But contrary to what you might believe, Saint John has not mortgaged the future.
For a while there, it looked like Beaulieu was spending future draft picks like a drunken sailor.
That's not the case, though. In fact, the team had a healthy stockpile of picks and the future at the draft table is far from bleak.
Since Beaulieu took on the GM's duties prior to Christmas last season, he has pulled off 18 transactions involving 19 players and 32 draft picks.
Saint John gave up a third-rounder in next year's draft for Picard-Hooper and surrendered a first-round pick next season for Anthony, who was one of the highly regarded offensive players eligible for the draft in June but had people believing he was going the U.S. college route, before changing his mind on draft day.
So, when the draft is held in Sydney, N.S. next June, Beaulieu and Co. will be without a first-rounder and a fifth-rounder, but they'll have two picks in the seventh round and two more in the 10th. And that's only as things stand now. You get the feeling that Beaulieu will be working the phones, trying to find a way to land a pick in the first round for next year. In 2009, the Sea Dogs own picks in all rounds except the third and they'll have two fourth-round selections.
Oh, and this team won't only be good this year. It's also built for the future.
There are two 16-year-olds on the roster (Despres and Anthony), seven 17's, six 18's, four 19's and three 20's.
It's not much wonder majority owner Scott McCain was walking with a little more spring in his step than normal when he was spotted in the pedway heading to Saturday's game.
Now, if McCain and his local ownership group can just find a way to convince Saint Johners that this team is for real, maybe attendance figures will be as lofty as expectations are becoming.
