Arena Iamgold Was A Hot Mess Friday

The QMJHL has a mess on their hands.

Game two of the President Cup final on Friday in Rouyn-Noranda was forced to be cancelled/postponed due to coolant leaking onto the ice from a pipe below.

A coolant pipe sprung a leak and caused the suspension of G2 of the #QMJHL finals tonight in Rouyn Noranda #CHLhttps://t.co/kZwJmfyGqY

— CBC Montreal (@CBCMontreal) May 7, 2016

The Huskies were leading the Shawinigan Cataractes 2-1 at the time and were set to start the second period. Unfortunately for Rouyn-Noranda, the game will be have to start over from scratch. When that game will be played has not been confirmed at this point. UPDATE:

Breaking news : le match va reprendre à 2-1 Huskies demain. #tvasports

— Mikaël Lalancette (@MLalancetteTVA) May 7, 2016

Here’s the league’s press release:

The Commissioner of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, Gilles Courteau, announced that the game between the Shawinigan Cataractes and the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies is canceled following a problem with the pipes under the ice. Saturday at noon, the Commissioner will decide whether the ice surface is adequate for Game #2 to be played at 4:00 pm in Rouyn-Noranda. A communication will be sent out to that effect. For the time being, the rest of the schedule remains unchanged and the next game, according to League rules, will have to restart from the beginning.

According to multiple media folks, if the game can not be played tomorrow, game two would take place on Sunday in Shawinigan, where game three was scheduled to take place. The schedule for the series would have to be adjusted, possibly resulting in a 1-2-2-1-1 format.

REPORT: Edson Signs With Sea Dogs

According to Paul Edson, Paul Edson has signed with the Saint John Sea Dogs.

I am so excited to announce that I have signed a contract with the Saint John SeaDogs in QMJHL. Thanks to all who helped me along the way!

— Paul Edson (@paul5885) May 7, 2016

The 16-year-old American defenseman is listed at 6’3” and 185 lbs at Elite Prospects. Phil Stacey of The Salem News reports that he is 6’4”.

6-foot-4 elite D Paul Edson leaving St. John's Prep for Saint John Sea Dogs of QMJHL. Big loss for @SJP_Hockey; great opportunity for Edson.

— Phil Stacey (@PhilStacey_SN) May 7, 2016

According to US Hockey Report, Edson has spent the past two seasons with St. John’s Prep, a high school in Massachusetts. He recorded one goal and five assists in 24 games in his freshman season (2014-15). Last year Edson registered four goals and eight assists in 23 contests.

Here’s what Jeff Cox of SB Nation wrote about Edson earlier this week in a post about USHL draft prospects:

He's a tall, lanky blue liner who is still figuring out the game, but his first stride and how quickly he gets on opposing forwards is notable to anyone who's seen him play. He's still a year or two away, but he has pro upside with his size and physical tools.

The Sea Dogs have brought in several American free agents over the past couple seasons and it seems that trend will continue.

Gallant A Finalist For NHL Coach Of The Year

Former Sea Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant has been named a finalist for the Jack Adams Award, given annually to the NHL’s coach of the year.

Dallas Stars coach Lindy Ruff and Barry Trotz of the Washington Capitals were also nominated. The award will be presented at the NHL’s award show on June 22.

From the NHL website:

Gallant led the Panthers (47-26-9, 103 points) to the Atlantic Division title while setting franchise marks for wins and points. Florida had a franchise-record 12 game win streak from Dec. 15 to Jan 10, a record seven-game home win streak (Dec. 10 to Jan. 3) and a record six-game road win streak (Dec. 15 to Jan. 10). In Gallant's second season behind the bench for Florida, the Panthers improved by nine wins and 12 points from a season ago. Gallant is a first-time award finalist.

Gallant coached the Sea Dogs for three seasons from 2009-2012, leading the team to three straight league finals, three Maritime Division championships, two President Cup titles and a Memorial Cup championship. He was an assistant coach with the Montreal Canadiens from 2012-14 before joining the Panthers.

The Summerside native was named the CHL coach of the year in 2010 and 2011.

President Cup Final Predictions

The QMJHL’s President Cup final begins on Wednesday between the Shawinigan Cataractes and Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. Here are our predictions for the series.

Lorne: The 2016 QMJHL playoff season has pretty much gone according to Hoyle - except for the huge upset by Blainville-Boisbriand over Val-d'Or in round one.  And now the top two seeds - and two of the three division winners - face-off for league supremacy. 

Shawinigan took some time to jell - notably after major changes during the midseason trading period as well as bringing in a new head coach. But the Cataractes looked very good against Saint John in the semifinals. Led by New York Islanders prospect Anthony Beauvillier, Shawinigan boasts three very strong forward lines and a solid defence. Likely most importantly, they are backstopped by one of the most successful goaltenders in QMJHL history - Philippe Cadorette. 

On the other hand, Rouyn-Noranda has been one of the best teams in the entire CHL all season. And the strong got stronger after Christmas with the addition of power forwards Timo Meier and AJ Greer, along with star defenceman Nikolas Brouillard. Due largely to injuries and suspensions to key players, the Huskies struggled somewhat in the semifinals against Moncton. But led by league MVP Francis Perron, the Huskies dug deep and made it through to the finals. 

Shawinigan will provide stiff opposition but I'm sticking with my choice from the beginning.  It'll be dogs over cats - Huskies in 6. 

Windsor To Host 2017 Memorial Cup

It was announced this morning that the Windsor Spitfires will host the 2017 Memorial Cup.

According to a CHL press release, “the 99th edition of the MasterCard Memorial Cup will take place May 18-28, 2017, at Windsor’s WFCU Centre, featuring the host Spitfires along with the champions of the Ontario Hockey League, the Western Hockey League, and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.”

The QMJHL was once rumoured to be hosting the 2017 tournament, and the Sea Dogs had expressed interest. But the CHL opted to keep the current rotation in place. There has been plenty of speculation that the 2018 Memorial Cup will also be held in Ontario and feature a different format. But that has not been confirmed by the CHL.

The Sea Dogs have previously expressed interest in hosting the 2019 event.

This year’s Memorial Cup will be held in Red Deer.

In other news…

• Rouyn-Noranda’s Timo Meier has been suspended for the first game of the President Cup final for a hit in game six of the Huskies’ semifinal series against Moncton.
• The Halifax Mooseheads have named Andre Tourigny their new head coach.
• Someone made a chart estimating ticket revenue for every CHL club. Unsurprisingly, Quebec, London and Edmonton led the way.
• The current QMJHL Entry Draft order has the Sea Dogs picking 10^th overall. Saint John’s pick is owned by Baie-Comeau but they do own Charlottetown’s first round pick.

Huskies To Play Cataractes In Q Final

Gracious in defeat @monctonwildcats #TakeCharge pic.twitter.com/oLaeYVH9nM

— Rockys (@RockysSportsBar) May 1, 2016

The Rouyn-Noranda Huskies will play the Shawinigan Cataractes in the President Cup final.

The Huskies advanced to the league’s championship series with a late comeback victory over the Moncton Wildcats this afternoon. The Huskies, who were down 3-0 at one point in the second period, scored three goals in the third period to beat Moncton 5-4 and win the semifinal series in six games. The Wildcats were up 4-3 with three minutes left in the game, but two goals by Rouyn-Noranda within a 1:02 span ended Moncton’s season.

Shawinigan advanced to the league final on Friday after eliminating the Saint John Sea Dogs in five games.

Neither club team won a QMJHL championship previously The Huskies last appeared in the final in 2008 while the Cataractes are making their first appearance since 2009.

The Huskies finished first overall in the league standing while the Cataractes finished second. Rouyn-Noranda won three of the four meetings between the two.

The best-of-seven series begins on Wednesday in Rouyn-Noranda.

Calendrier De la finale mercredi et vendredi a RN / dimanche et lundi A Shawinigan/ mercredi a RN / vendredi a Shawinigan et dimanche a RN

— Stephane Leroux (@StephRDSJunior) May 1, 2016

The winner will represent the QMJHL at the 2016 Memorial Cup in Red Deer. The OHL final has London taking Niagara while Seattle will face Brandon for the WHL championship.