Wednesday, December 21, 2022

Notebook: Q players shine in Canada win

MONCTON - Quebec Major Junior Hockey League players impressed in Team Canada's 6-0 pre-tournament win over Switzerland on Monday night at Avenir Centre.

Canada's third line of Joshua Roy (Sherbrooke), Nathan Gaucher (Quebec) and Zach Dean (Gatineau) created Canada's first two goals in the 6-0 victory.

“[Dean, Gaucher and Roy] set the tone for us," said Canada head coach Dennis Williams after the game. "They were grinding their opponents, working together and feeding off each other. [Establishing chemistry] is never an issue when you come to an event like this. Everyone is coming from across the country and different leagues, but we are all here for a common goal. It’s one team and one country, and you could see a lot of that chemistry on all our lines tonight.”

A few other notes from the game...

  • There is clear chemistry between Shane Wright and Connor Bedard on Canada's top line. Wright had two goals and an assist while Bedard had three helpers.
  • Roy is one of four players on Team Canada who was a first overall pick in a CHL league draft. Roy was taken first overall by Saint John in the 2019 QMJHL Entry Draft.
  • Switzerland featured an all-QMJHL top line of Attilio Biasca (Halifax), Jonas Taibel (Moncton) and Louis Robin (Val-d'Or).
  • There were loud cheers for Taibel and fellow Wildcat Miles Muller when the rosters were announced in the building.
  • Sea Dogs defenseman Vincent Despont was listed on Switzerland's fourth pairing (all players were permitted to dress). He didn't play a ton.

Canada faces Simon Nemec and Slovakia in pre-tournament play on Wednesday in Moncton. Nemec was taken second overall by the New Jersey Devils in this year's NHL Draft. He was also selected fourth overall by the Cape Breton Eagles in the 2021 CHL Import Draft.

BIG CROWDS AND LINES
The qplex in Quispamsis was packed for Monday's world junior pre-tournament game between the United States and Finland. The US won 5-2 on the strength of three second period goals.
In Moncton on Monday, the Avenir Centre was packed (or very close to it) for the first of two Canada pre-tournament games that will be held at the venue. There were long lines outside the building prior to doors opening which... were kind of solved by people getting out of the line and walking around to different entrances.
The full schedule for Moncton's "World Juniors Community Festival" can be found online.

TEAM OF THE WEEK
Sea Dogs forward/defenseman Cam MacDonald was named to the QMJHL's team of the week.
MacDonald had four goals and four assists in three games, helping the Sea Dogs earn at least a point in all three contests against the Cape Breton Eagles. The Tampa Bay Lightning prospect was used both up front and on the backend.

BREAK BEGINS
The QMJHL's holiday break is underway.

The Sea Dogs don't return to game action until Wednesday, Dec. 28 when they host the Charlottetown Islanders at TD Station. The team travels to Bathurst on Friday, Dec. 30 and then hosts the Moncton Wildcats in a special 2 p.m. matchup on New Year's Eve.

The New Year's Eve contest has been hyped for months and will feature a Spice Girls tribute band performing at both intermissions.
PICKS
The Sea Dogs are no doubt looking to acquire some picks for the next couple QMJHL Entry Drafts during the holiday trade period.

Here's a look at Saint John's draft bank, per the French fan message boards:

2023: 2BC -4Vic-6-10-11-13-14
2024: 6VDO-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14
2025: 1-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14

The Val-d'Or Foreurs currently have Saint John's first-round pick in this year's draft. 

OTHER THINGS
  • The Athletic has more on the recent filings that say London police investigators have reasonable grounds to believe that five members of Canada’s 2018 world junior team sexually assaulted a woman in a hotel room in 2018.
  • QMJHL Central Scouting has released its initial rankings for the 2023 QMJHL Entry Draft. The list only consists of the 32 players who earned an 'A' rating.
  • According to the Cape Breton Post, former Sea Dogs forward Cater McCluskey will remain with the Eagles for the rest of the season.
  • Former Sea Dogs forward Marshall Lessard continues to deal with injury troubles. After getting traded to the Baie-Comeau Drakkar, the overage forward has appeared in just four games with his new club and hasn't played since Nov. 13. Le Journal de Quebec reports that Lessard is now healthy and will return after the Christmas break.
  • According to the USA Hockey website, the United States' world junior team went to Vito's after their pre-tournament win over Finland at the qplex. "... the team was treated to a delicious meal of Italian fare at Vito’s, featuring chicken parm, pasta, vegetables and salad," notes the website.
  • The Seattle Thunderbirds enter the holiday break in the No. 1 spot in the CHL Top 10 Rankings.
  • The Winnipeg Free Press reported last week that the Winnipeg Ice were recently fined $500,000 by the Western Hockey League for failing to have a new arena ready for the 2023-24 season. Both the WHL and Ice have released a statement saying the Free Press report is false. The bigger story remains that the Ice still have no legitimate plans for a new rink. The team has been playing on the University of Manitoba campus since moving to Winnipeg in 2019.
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