Post by dogcatcher on Aug 22, 2007 6:42:02 GMT -4
Dogs are deep on D
QMJHL training camp With six returning blue-liners and the top pick from this year's draft, Saint John has a solid foundation
Andrew Mcgilligan
Telegraph-Journal
Published Wednesday August 22nd, 2007
Appeared on page B14
SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs have a problem.
However, as far as problems go, it's a good one to have. The team has too many good defencemen on their training camp roster. The Sea Dogs have six blue-liners returning from last year's squad, including Alex Grant, Yann Sauve, Jeff McNeil, Pascal Amyot, Sebastien Rioux and David Stich. The player causing the overflow of talent is Simon Despres, the first overall pick in the 2007 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League entry draft.
"Simon is further ahead than what I thought he was," said Sea Dogs head coach and general manager Jacques Beaulieu. "He's very composed, very poised and showing us a lot out there.
"We knew he was good, but he's showing he's ahead of his time."
The problem is one the team is willing to deal with, considering no matter what the sport, the expression 'defence wins championships' rings true. The Sea Dogs are no stranger to this concept and have built the team from the back end. In each of the past three entry drafts they selected a defenceman first overall (Grant, Sauve and Despres).
"It's a good problem to have because a lot of teams don't have eight defencemen that can play in this league and we do right now," Beaulieu said.
The progression in age of the defencemen shows the team should have a good core for the next few years. Despres is 16 years old, Amyot and Sauve are 17; Grant and Stich are 18; and in Rioux and McNeil are 19.
So what will the team do to accommodate the talent they've built up on the blue-line? One scenario would be for McNeil to play some games as a forward, something he did last season.
"I thought I did a fairly good job filling in last season," McNeil said. "I like to think of myself as a more offensive defenceman, so that might have made it easier for me."
Despite his willingness to do what's asked of him, McNeil won't need to practise with the forwards just yet. Beaulieu doesn't think juggling players' positions is something the team will need to do this season.
"We're deep enough up front now that we don't have to do something like that," he said. "(McNeil) can concentrate on defence."
While the team has no definitive answer to the defence question, it has time to sort it out. However, another question does exist on the blue-line. Does the group have a leader? Grant said he wants the role, not only for the defence, but the team as a whole.
"I'm putting a lot of leadership on my shoulders this season. I want that responsibility," Grant said. He went on to say that he's not alone in that department. Several veterans could fill the role.
"That's what's special about this team. A lot of guys can bring leadership and are willing to provide it," he said.
As for personal goals outside of leadership, Grant said he usually sets goals, but not this season. "This year I haven't set any because I'm concentrating on winning as a team and helping make the organization better," he said.
Pressed for one personal goal, he said he'd like to improve his plus-minus rating.
"I definitely want to be in the pluses this year and I want to be way up there."
RECOVERED: The Sea Dogs received a little scare Tuesday when 20-year-old forward Francis Charland went down in the morning scrimmage. Charland has suffered through various injuries in his QMJHL career, but Beaulieu said the morning incident isn't cause for alarm.
"He had a few muscle spasms and was a little dehydrated," he said.
Charland was back on the ice for the afternoon scrimmage.
INJURY: Clifford Mugford, a forward out of Gander, Newfoundland, left the second scrimmage early Tuesday. Mugford said he pulled his groin the day before and it forced him out of the game.
QMJHL training camp With six returning blue-liners and the top pick from this year's draft, Saint John has a solid foundation
Andrew Mcgilligan
Telegraph-Journal
Published Wednesday August 22nd, 2007
Appeared on page B14
SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs have a problem.
However, as far as problems go, it's a good one to have. The team has too many good defencemen on their training camp roster. The Sea Dogs have six blue-liners returning from last year's squad, including Alex Grant, Yann Sauve, Jeff McNeil, Pascal Amyot, Sebastien Rioux and David Stich. The player causing the overflow of talent is Simon Despres, the first overall pick in the 2007 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League entry draft.
"Simon is further ahead than what I thought he was," said Sea Dogs head coach and general manager Jacques Beaulieu. "He's very composed, very poised and showing us a lot out there.
"We knew he was good, but he's showing he's ahead of his time."
The problem is one the team is willing to deal with, considering no matter what the sport, the expression 'defence wins championships' rings true. The Sea Dogs are no stranger to this concept and have built the team from the back end. In each of the past three entry drafts they selected a defenceman first overall (Grant, Sauve and Despres).
"It's a good problem to have because a lot of teams don't have eight defencemen that can play in this league and we do right now," Beaulieu said.
The progression in age of the defencemen shows the team should have a good core for the next few years. Despres is 16 years old, Amyot and Sauve are 17; Grant and Stich are 18; and in Rioux and McNeil are 19.
So what will the team do to accommodate the talent they've built up on the blue-line? One scenario would be for McNeil to play some games as a forward, something he did last season.
"I thought I did a fairly good job filling in last season," McNeil said. "I like to think of myself as a more offensive defenceman, so that might have made it easier for me."
Despite his willingness to do what's asked of him, McNeil won't need to practise with the forwards just yet. Beaulieu doesn't think juggling players' positions is something the team will need to do this season.
"We're deep enough up front now that we don't have to do something like that," he said. "(McNeil) can concentrate on defence."
While the team has no definitive answer to the defence question, it has time to sort it out. However, another question does exist on the blue-line. Does the group have a leader? Grant said he wants the role, not only for the defence, but the team as a whole.
"I'm putting a lot of leadership on my shoulders this season. I want that responsibility," Grant said. He went on to say that he's not alone in that department. Several veterans could fill the role.
"That's what's special about this team. A lot of guys can bring leadership and are willing to provide it," he said.
As for personal goals outside of leadership, Grant said he usually sets goals, but not this season. "This year I haven't set any because I'm concentrating on winning as a team and helping make the organization better," he said.
Pressed for one personal goal, he said he'd like to improve his plus-minus rating.
"I definitely want to be in the pluses this year and I want to be way up there."
RECOVERED: The Sea Dogs received a little scare Tuesday when 20-year-old forward Francis Charland went down in the morning scrimmage. Charland has suffered through various injuries in his QMJHL career, but Beaulieu said the morning incident isn't cause for alarm.
"He had a few muscle spasms and was a little dehydrated," he said.
Charland was back on the ice for the afternoon scrimmage.
INJURY: Clifford Mugford, a forward out of Gander, Newfoundland, left the second scrimmage early Tuesday. Mugford said he pulled his groin the day before and it forced him out of the game.
