SEA DOGS MAKE GOALTENDING CHANGE AT DEADLINE

SAINT JOHN - In the final hour of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s trading period, the Saint John Sea Dogs and Halifax Mooseheads pulled off a goalie swap.

The Herd sent 19-year old goaltender Mathieu Corbeil-Theriault to Saint John in exchange for fellow 19-year old backstop Frederic Piche. Halifax also receives a third draft pick in the 2012 QMJHL Entry Draft from the Sea Dogs.

The Sea Dogs have been rumoured over the past two weeks to be making some kind of change in goal - but none involved Corbeil. Over the summer, it was thought that the Sea Dogs may go after the Columbus Blue Jackets prospect at the entry draft as he appeared to be one of the better ‘tenders available at the time. But that turned out to be nothing more than speculation, obviously.

Corbeil’s numbers are not great – but neither are the Mooseheads. He has a record of 7-15-0-1, a 3.76 goals against average, and an .867 save percentage. Over the past month or so, the netminder has, at times, struggled to keep the No. 1 job from rookie Anthony Terenzio.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for him,”Mooseheads general manager Cam Russell said to the Chronicle Herald.

“I don’t think he could be upset with this at all. He’s going to a contending team and he’s going to get a change of scenery. Things weren’t working out for him here. I’ve been traded myself and sometimes it’s the best thing that can happen for a player.”

Corbeil will surely consider the trade a late Christmas gift, going from the cellar dwelling Herd to the top team in the country. With a solid defense core featuring the likes of Simon Despres and Eric Gelinas, his numbers will likely improve over time.

Drafted by the Blue Jackets in the fourth round of the 2010 National Hockey League Entry Draft, the Montreal native played in 74 games prior to this season, amassing a record of 11-53-0, a GAA of 4.01, and a save percentage of 0.880. Not great numbers, but, again, the Mooseheads haven’t been so great either. Corbeil and the Moose have failed to make it into the post-season for the past two seasons.

“We like Mathieu’s size and athleticism and we think he can help us down the stretch,” said Sea Dogs director of hockey operations Mike Kelly in a release.

Here is an excerpt from Hockey’s Future on the goaltender:

At 6'6, the Montreal native naturally covers a large amount of the net. Coupling that with quickness between the pipes and an excellent glove hand and it is easy to see why Corbeil was invited to attend Hockey Canada's goaltender camp this summer. Although his game still needs plenty of work, especially controlling rebounds and mentally bouncing back from a bad goal, Corbeil is a project who could pay big dividends for whichever team selects him.

Piche was having a career year with Saint John prior to being dealt this afternoon. The well-traveled goaltender has a 14-2-0-2 record with a 2.56 goals against average and .910 save percentage. He has been rotating with Jacob DeSerres in the Sea Dogs crease, creating a solid goaltending tandem.

Given Corbeil has caught the eye of NHL scouts, the new duo should be able to equal that performance – whether the two rotate or not (reality says that rotation won’t last into the playoffs.) The potential for Corbeil to a very good goaltender for Saint John is definitely there.

The Sea Dogs play Corbeil’s former team on Saturday at the Halifax Metro Centre.

With that, the QMJHL holiday trading period has come to a close. The Sea Dogs appear to have done quite well, filling their holes on defense with Jason Seed and Eric Gelinas and acquiring some more grit in Alexandre Beauregard.