I believe that I speak for a large number of fans whose main interest in these relatively unfamiliar names remains on their hockey abilities, more so than the years-long route taken to the Brossard arena this Monday.
I guess what I'm saying is that I don't want to hear again about years past. I don't want to hear about how the guys feel (sorry, but it's predictably optimistic and thrilled). I want to know how they skated, passed, positioned themselves and shot.
It would be nice to get a scouting report before a life story. After a summer of manufactured stories, it would be a bit of sweet music to read about a slick deke or crisp passing play.
For the most part, the very capable observers are set back to default. The score is reported, the scorers and the story is peppered with quotes. I know that Alain Berger scored twice in a meaningless scrimmage, but most sites tell me little about the player we've been waiting months to see in a Canadiens uniform. Forget about the guys that did not score.
I know it's only been a day, and I would be the fiercest critic of anyone who wanted to read too much from 45 minutes of meaningless shinny, but it's been a really long time since we laid a path for Brutes to win a championship.
If like me you do want to know about how the guys play (all of them, not just favoured picks) then do yourself a favour and check out Dan's Daily Dose.
Dan is doing the diligence that we'd all love to do by attending the rookie camp. Not only that, he's also breaking free of the mould and delivering impressions on the players he is watching on the ice before him.
Yesterday, he didn't cover every player, but he did cover a lot more than anyone else. Moreover, where else are we going to hear that Palushaj didn't look so great or that Ian Schultz still exists.
It's a true breath of fresh air for the Habs fan who's waited a summer for skates to scratch ice and needs to look beyond coincidences to the mundane aspects of hockey like skating and skills. For the fan who wants to know and rate the chances that we'll ever hear these names again, there simply isn't a better way.
What I'm taking away
I'll begin by saying one day is far too soon to form full impressions. One scrimmage as insignificant as one NHL shift in the scheme of things. But even so, trends begin to form:
- Bournival started on the right foot. The plucky Quebecois is someone I'll keep my eye on for sure.
- If it takes baseline skill level to break through to the NHL then Gallagher might be the man. Can the Habs afford to start another small forward? Well that's another question altogether
- Berger is fascinating. Forget two goals. He is big and clearly kept up with his peers that were drafted. Let's count him in the bigger mix.
- Palushaj likely not destined for first line duty. Not to dismiss a player after a day, but let's be honest, we've seen him before and we all thought the same. If you don't stand out with lower level players, it's a rare thing to stand out with high level ones. That said, I already thought he could ably play on a fourth line, so should we care?
- Olivier Fortier injured again. The end of the road sign squarely in his rearview surely now?
- Louis Leblanc generates far too much fuss for what he is, especially on a first day of camp where he played in a diminished capacity and still got headlines
- Goalies? Anyone? Everyone realises that 3rd in line for the Canadiens crease is not really locked up right? Everyone remembers how for every season in recent memory the Canadiens relied on a goalie to take them wherever they went right? Over-the-top monikers aside, it would be nice to hear about someone, anyone that might grab a mantle.
Showing posts with label Fortier. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fortier. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Friday, September 10, 2010
Canadiens Invite Rookies To Camp
Canadiens Rookie camp is just around the corner. 31 players are invited in all.
While I'm sure you'll all get your fill of PK Subban highlights and Louis Leblanc worship elsewhere, I wanted to offer a look beyond to some of the more unfamiliar names involved with this upcoming camp.
The way I see it, the camp for rookies is multi-tiered. For players of the required age who have already played for the Bulldogs and the Canadiens, this camp is a warm-up. For returning players not already ensconced in the organization's own plans, it is the chance to jump up the depth chart, and for first-timers it's both a try-out and the opportunity to learn what separates them from pros like Subban, Weber and the gang.
Canadiens and Bulldogs
Andrew Conboy, Dany Masse, Ben Maxwell, Max Pacioretty, Aaron Palushaj, Ryan White, Frederic St. Denis, PK Subban, Yannick Weber
These players have some places already sewn up. The very fact they are present at this rookie camp should mean that barring a disaster they will be at the main camp as well. Main camp is where they must shine. Underwhelm here, though, and it's a strike on the count.
The returnees
Alexander Avstin, Hunter Bishop, Gabriel Dumont, Andreas Engqvist, Olivier Fortier, Louis Leblanc, Philippe Lefebvre, Dustin Walsh, Joe Stejskal, Robert Mayer
This group contains some of the more interesting names of the whole group. Leblanc and Avtsin top many lists of course, but let's not also forget that Robert Mayer is 4th on the whole organization's depth chart (2 injuries away from NHL duty).
For me the name of the group is Olivier Fortier. He's a rare QMJHL draft pick, and a Quebecois one to boot. Not only that, he's a Team Canada U18 alum. The story recently on Fortier has been injuries. An injury cause him to miss the Canadian U20 tryouts and last season an injury cost him the entire year. He's been pegged as a two-way centre, largely because he won an award to acknowledge his all-around play in the Q, but that might slight him.
In the book I was reading on scouting, Gare Joyce went out of his way to praise the young 17-year-old in his draft year, noting his on-ice intelligence was paired with off-ice academic prowess. If hockey is to be a career for Fortier, he will have to show intelligence and perseverance, just like anyone else. Where others might have trouble, Olivier already has lots of adversity to call on. I think he'll be an interesting one to watch.
The first looks - Draftees
Brendan Gallagher, Ian Schultz (StL), Morgan Ellis, Brandon Nash, Jarred Tinordi
It will be interesting to see how these junior players will stack up. But this probably isn't the year any one of them takes the Canadiens fandom by storm.
The first looks - Free agents
Kyle Klubertanz (Djurgardens)
This guy is more interesting than the draftees to me simply because he wasn't drafted. The move to earn an NHL contract from an undrafted position impresses me a lot more than being selected in the late rounds. Klubertanz had to perform well against men in the Swedish league to get a look at this camp. Last season was a breakout for Kyle, as he was 5th in defencemen scoring in the SEL. Prior to that, however, he was a drafted player and went a bit David Fischer for the Ducks. Unlike Fischer, he never had a 6 point season, however. And, as the Canadiens will know from watching Ryan McDonagh played a big role for Wisconsin in 2007-08.
The first looks - Try-outs
Jonathan Brunelle (Drummondville, dev’t camp), Sebastien Bisaillon (Kassel), Marc-Antoine Desnoyers (Drummondville, dev’t camp), Nicolas Champion (Rouyn-Noranda), Peter Delmas (Halifax)
Call it the Voltigeurs season-opening camp. Or maybe Habs goalie search 2010. This group of players is actually the most interesting of all the groups for me.
First, there's Jonathan Brunelle who played for Drummonville last season and was eligible for the draft but went overlooked. He actually ignored Don Cherry's advice, went to the draft and heard 210+ names but not his own.
The Canadiens used one of their now infamous 8th round picks to claim another Quebecer off the floor. What they have here is anyone's guess at the moment. But at the least they have a decent-sized forward who has played on a team with most of their other French-Canadian prospects. He himself went from 7 goal, 19-point man to 23 goal, 49-point man after he turned 17. If history is any guide, he might emulate Gabriel Dumont and become a scoring star in the QMJHL at 18. It can't hurt to have him in the wings.
Desnoyers is Brunelle's teammate, and teammate of Phil Lefebvre and Gabriel Dumont. Like them, he's a former companion of Dany Masse. 5 season in the Q, there aren't many he hasn't played with. His draft year he played with Mathieu Carle on the Titan and so has been on the radar for at least a few seasons. DesnoyersVoltigeurs. A Guy Boucher player and a local talent, he's another with a bit of intrigue.
Sebastien Bisaillon is the other defenceman. He's no spring chicken and not an unknown. In fact, he was an Oilers prospect for a while and even played for the NHL club. Comparisons were made by Oilers people to Marc-Andre Bergeron, so you get the idea.
Finally, the goalies. This time it's Halifax's Peter Delmas (a former Avalanche pick) and Nicolas Champion (a small undrafted goalie). Delmas is an interesting case as he was a second-rounder only two years ago for the Avs (a team not exactly stacked between the pipes). In 2008, he was a hot commodity for a while, and ended up the 5th goalie taken in his draft. He's slipped a bit, so I think the Habs are hoping for a rebound on his part. Given the organization's depth, he may not have to rebound too high to earn a contract. Champion is the better statistical guy. But he's small and we know how that hurts a goalie's career prospects. Since his draft (undrafted), he's gone the other way improving season by season. And last year, he put up some great totals by QMJHL standards. His play after his trade from Acadie-Bathurst to the contending Rouyn-Noranda Huskies was eye-opening. He usurped the number one role at once and posted 16 wins with a healthy 0.911 SV% (which is good if you've ever seen a QMJHL defence).
NCAA Absentees
Mac Bennett, Michael Cichy, Danny Kristo, Steve Quailer, Patrick Johnson, Mark MacMillan, Scott Kishel, Greg Pateryn
This group contains some of the more ineteresting prospects, or as we like to call then now, trade bait.Kristo is one of the team's top prospects and will be missed at this camp.
Conspicuous absentees
Petteri Simila (came to dev’t camp), Joonas Nattinen (came to dev’t camp), Maxim Trunev, John Westin (came to dev’t camp)
Apart from those with legitimate roadblocks, there were a few players who either weren't invited or didn't accept to attend. All are Europeans, so have actually begun playing (camps and such). Still, if making the NHL is a goal, it must be pursued wholeheartedly. I give a pass to Westin as an 18-year-old. At the very least Nattinen and Simila visited Montreal once this off-season, even if I do feel Simila's failed Niagara experiment is the end of the road for him with the Habs. Trunev was not expected as he's under KHL contract, but as time ticks on his road to Montreal only gets harder and harder. i'm ot sure who's been advising him, but no camps and KHL contracts - that's the way to play right out of the equations.
Unsuccssful try-outs
Tanner House, Myles Harvey, Thomas Baumle, Jean-Christophe Blanchard, Riley Gill, Francois Brisebois, Joseph Quattrocchi
The last group are those that tried out at development camps but didn't get this invitation. Four (Baumle, Blanchard, Gill and Q) are goalies, giving you all some idea about the trouble Montreal is having establishing some depth at this position.
While I'm sure you'll all get your fill of PK Subban highlights and Louis Leblanc worship elsewhere, I wanted to offer a look beyond to some of the more unfamiliar names involved with this upcoming camp.
The way I see it, the camp for rookies is multi-tiered. For players of the required age who have already played for the Bulldogs and the Canadiens, this camp is a warm-up. For returning players not already ensconced in the organization's own plans, it is the chance to jump up the depth chart, and for first-timers it's both a try-out and the opportunity to learn what separates them from pros like Subban, Weber and the gang.
Canadiens and Bulldogs
Andrew Conboy, Dany Masse, Ben Maxwell, Max Pacioretty, Aaron Palushaj, Ryan White, Frederic St. Denis, PK Subban, Yannick Weber
These players have some places already sewn up. The very fact they are present at this rookie camp should mean that barring a disaster they will be at the main camp as well. Main camp is where they must shine. Underwhelm here, though, and it's a strike on the count.
The returnees
Alexander Avstin, Hunter Bishop, Gabriel Dumont, Andreas Engqvist, Olivier Fortier, Louis Leblanc, Philippe Lefebvre, Dustin Walsh, Joe Stejskal, Robert Mayer
This group contains some of the more interesting names of the whole group. Leblanc and Avtsin top many lists of course, but let's not also forget that Robert Mayer is 4th on the whole organization's depth chart (2 injuries away from NHL duty).
For me the name of the group is Olivier Fortier. He's a rare QMJHL draft pick, and a Quebecois one to boot. Not only that, he's a Team Canada U18 alum. The story recently on Fortier has been injuries. An injury cause him to miss the Canadian U20 tryouts and last season an injury cost him the entire year. He's been pegged as a two-way centre, largely because he won an award to acknowledge his all-around play in the Q, but that might slight him.
In the book I was reading on scouting, Gare Joyce went out of his way to praise the young 17-year-old in his draft year, noting his on-ice intelligence was paired with off-ice academic prowess. If hockey is to be a career for Fortier, he will have to show intelligence and perseverance, just like anyone else. Where others might have trouble, Olivier already has lots of adversity to call on. I think he'll be an interesting one to watch.
The first looks - Draftees
Brendan Gallagher, Ian Schultz (StL), Morgan Ellis, Brandon Nash, Jarred Tinordi
It will be interesting to see how these junior players will stack up. But this probably isn't the year any one of them takes the Canadiens fandom by storm.
The first looks - Free agents
Kyle Klubertanz (Djurgardens)
This guy is more interesting than the draftees to me simply because he wasn't drafted. The move to earn an NHL contract from an undrafted position impresses me a lot more than being selected in the late rounds. Klubertanz had to perform well against men in the Swedish league to get a look at this camp. Last season was a breakout for Kyle, as he was 5th in defencemen scoring in the SEL. Prior to that, however, he was a drafted player and went a bit David Fischer for the Ducks. Unlike Fischer, he never had a 6 point season, however. And, as the Canadiens will know from watching Ryan McDonagh played a big role for Wisconsin in 2007-08.
The first looks - Try-outs
Jonathan Brunelle (Drummondville, dev’t camp), Sebastien Bisaillon (Kassel), Marc-Antoine Desnoyers (Drummondville, dev’t camp), Nicolas Champion (Rouyn-Noranda), Peter Delmas (Halifax)
Call it the Voltigeurs season-opening camp. Or maybe Habs goalie search 2010. This group of players is actually the most interesting of all the groups for me.
First, there's Jonathan Brunelle who played for Drummonville last season and was eligible for the draft but went overlooked. He actually ignored Don Cherry's advice, went to the draft and heard 210+ names but not his own.
The Canadiens used one of their now infamous 8th round picks to claim another Quebecer off the floor. What they have here is anyone's guess at the moment. But at the least they have a decent-sized forward who has played on a team with most of their other French-Canadian prospects. He himself went from 7 goal, 19-point man to 23 goal, 49-point man after he turned 17. If history is any guide, he might emulate Gabriel Dumont and become a scoring star in the QMJHL at 18. It can't hurt to have him in the wings.
Desnoyers is Brunelle's teammate, and teammate of Phil Lefebvre and Gabriel Dumont. Like them, he's a former companion of Dany Masse. 5 season in the Q, there aren't many he hasn't played with. His draft year he played with Mathieu Carle on the Titan and so has been on the radar for at least a few seasons. DesnoyersVoltigeurs. A Guy Boucher player and a local talent, he's another with a bit of intrigue.
Sebastien Bisaillon is the other defenceman. He's no spring chicken and not an unknown. In fact, he was an Oilers prospect for a while and even played for the NHL club. Comparisons were made by Oilers people to Marc-Andre Bergeron, so you get the idea.
Finally, the goalies. This time it's Halifax's Peter Delmas (a former Avalanche pick) and Nicolas Champion (a small undrafted goalie). Delmas is an interesting case as he was a second-rounder only two years ago for the Avs (a team not exactly stacked between the pipes). In 2008, he was a hot commodity for a while, and ended up the 5th goalie taken in his draft. He's slipped a bit, so I think the Habs are hoping for a rebound on his part. Given the organization's depth, he may not have to rebound too high to earn a contract. Champion is the better statistical guy. But he's small and we know how that hurts a goalie's career prospects. Since his draft (undrafted), he's gone the other way improving season by season. And last year, he put up some great totals by QMJHL standards. His play after his trade from Acadie-Bathurst to the contending Rouyn-Noranda Huskies was eye-opening. He usurped the number one role at once and posted 16 wins with a healthy 0.911 SV% (which is good if you've ever seen a QMJHL defence).
NCAA Absentees
Mac Bennett, Michael Cichy, Danny Kristo, Steve Quailer, Patrick Johnson, Mark MacMillan, Scott Kishel, Greg Pateryn
This group contains some of the more ineteresting prospects, or as we like to call then now, trade bait.Kristo is one of the team's top prospects and will be missed at this camp.
Conspicuous absentees
Petteri Simila (came to dev’t camp), Joonas Nattinen (came to dev’t camp), Maxim Trunev, John Westin (came to dev’t camp)
Apart from those with legitimate roadblocks, there were a few players who either weren't invited or didn't accept to attend. All are Europeans, so have actually begun playing (camps and such). Still, if making the NHL is a goal, it must be pursued wholeheartedly. I give a pass to Westin as an 18-year-old. At the very least Nattinen and Simila visited Montreal once this off-season, even if I do feel Simila's failed Niagara experiment is the end of the road for him with the Habs. Trunev was not expected as he's under KHL contract, but as time ticks on his road to Montreal only gets harder and harder. i'm ot sure who's been advising him, but no camps and KHL contracts - that's the way to play right out of the equations.
Unsuccssful try-outs
Tanner House, Myles Harvey, Thomas Baumle, Jean-Christophe Blanchard, Riley Gill, Francois Brisebois, Joseph Quattrocchi
The last group are those that tried out at development camps but didn't get this invitation. Four (Baumle, Blanchard, Gill and Q) are goalies, giving you all some idea about the trouble Montreal is having establishing some depth at this position.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Canadiens Depth Preview: The Centres (Part 2)
It has been said for some time that a major strength of the Canadiens has been organizational depth. Up to last season, depth was nothing more than a nice thought, but youngsters graduating at impressive rates, the depth is now being put to the test.
Ahead of what should be an exciting season, I wanted to take a look at the team's overall depth at each position. I'm starting with centres. Part 1 will be big-team guys, Part 2 will be the farm system as it stands now.
Based on team lists, prospect lists and my evaluations, here is the list of centres in order of importance to the team:
First call-ups
Brock Trotter
Other than a name that would make any American Ryder Cup player proud, what do we know about this young player.
Well, for starters, we should know that with Grabovski and Locke traded, Higgins and Sergei now entrenched as wingers and everyone else largely devoid of top-tier professional hockey experience, he is the next in line. A couple of injuries to some centres and Brock Trotter could be wearing bleu, blanc, rouge. Gosh, that would be memories of Craig Darby on the second line.
A look at his career stats tells us that Brock Trotter, barring a drastic change in personality, will never be an top-line forward in the NHL. Despite an obvious level of talent (based on this week's showing), his results from Metropolitan Junior to Hamilton show that he can score but never to the point of being prolific.
So, if not an offensive star, or a giant (he's 5'9"), what drew the Canadiens to Brock in the midst of his NCAA season last year. Well, it's the steady improvement, for one thing – last season was his best. And, on top of that, he fits nicely into the mould of the new Canadiens prospect: an educated, mature player with patience and determination.
This is the insight we can get from Trevor Timmins:
Hockeywise, Timmins feels Brock's a smart playmaker whose strength is from the blueline in, and scouting reports put it this way:
All in all, a good prospect. Had he been drafted, there would be no questioning his stats or ability. But, Brock seems to have overcome all that and made his way up the depth chart. He benefits (in my rankings) from Maxwell probably being tested for durability, as in any year beyond this one (and probably sooner than that), Brock falls below Ben. For now, for me, he's the Johnny-on-the-spot.
Ben Maxwell
Hockey's Future designates Ben Maxwell the number 7 prospect in the Canadiens system, the number 3 who is not on the big team already – behind Ryan McDonagh and Max Pacioretty.
This is significant, if only because the website now sees Ben as more promising than Kyle Chipchura (the maligned) and David Fischer (falling out of favour there as he commits to more college time). While I question the leapfrogging of Chipchura (and this week will tell), it is good for the organization that a young centre is progressing. Because, as you've seen already, the depth at this position is tied together with string.
Ben, like Brock, has not set the world on fire with his scoring. A look at his stats show a consistent output, without any eye-catching achievements. I'll grant that today's WHL is not the one in which Pat Falloon and Ray Whitney ran rampant, but point-per-game in junior is not usually the makings of an NHL scoring champion.
If we're looking for positive signs with Maxwell, it appears to be his clutch play – never a bad thing. In 10 playoff games last spring, Ben contributed 6 goals for his team, with 3 assists – outscoring his teammates. 2 years previous, it was 8 points in 6 games in the playoffs. No Memorial Cup or anything, but at least the Ice won a playoff round last season...
He's also big. well for a Canadiens centre anyway. Over 6' tall and a frame big enough to hold 200 lbs (though it doesn't yet). His junior coach doesn't exactly rave about Ben, but he does seem to pinpoint what we might expect:
If we're looking for negative signs, Ben is already showing himself to be as fragile as Havlat or Gaborik in junior. It was an elbow injury two years ago that limited Ben to less than 40 games, whereas last year a freak calcification event. It will remain to be seen if he is durable enough for the pros, or whether freak occurrences are not so freak with him. If he can't be healthy and play big, it seems he might not be worth the risk. That being said, a year with some top fitness and strength coaches in Hamilton may cure his ills and pave the way for an NHL career in the not-too-distant future.
David Desharnais
I'll go out on a limb and say that if David Desharnais was 3 years younger, he would have been drafted in the top 3 rounds of this year's draft. Now that the moratorium on small players has been lifted, he can be appreciated for his skill.
But small he is – Theo Fleury small. He's listed at 5'6" and we all know how they embellish those numbers. And though there is anew day for small players being drafted, it is still a hard road for tiny players to crack the big leagues and stick. What it ends up taking is top-line skill, because no one is playing a 5 footer on the checking lines. His talent analysis gives some idea of what kind of player he could be:
So, does David have the skill to overcome? Anyone who looks at stats alone would have to say yes. But, I think there's good evidence from elsewhere too. Take his progression, for example. Junior scoring star, to consistent junior scoring star. Undrafted – this is sometimes enough to break anyone's spirit (see his teammate Maxime Boisclair). David toughs it out and dominates the ECHL. He then leads his team to the championship.
I think this camp is a real junction for Desharnais. Given the lack of forwards in Hamilton he will play there to start with. but, impress enough in the next two weeks and he's call-up material. Given that Corey Locke is gone, I think we have a new little super-scorer to root for.
Ryan White
Durable, reliable, and already 200 lbs, Ryan White rounds out the top-level talent among prospects at centre.
Hockey's Future wants to project White as an energy forward. Not having seen enough of him, I would ask whether this means: energy forward because he plays like a Tasmanian devil, or energy forward as code for not good enough to ever reach beyond that.
Over the years, there have been plenty of people to back up the reservation of the scouts. Highly rated early in his draft year, many GMs passed on Ryan. Team Canada passed on him too. Sooner or later, this opinion has to add up. Something can't be quite right.
Even so, the Canadiens in a pickle with centres have signed White to 3 years – meaning that he'll be a Bulldog and perhaps an occasional Canadien for now. I think Gainey has made the right move. Ryan White's a player who leads his team in scoring, who has played no less than 59 playoff games in 4 years, who from all accounts plays a rough-and-tumble style while not forgetting that the goal in hockey is to score goals not win fights. I even see evidence of maturity in Ryan with a mere 8 PIMs in 16 playoff games last spring vs. 36 the year before.
Last year, I think I had Ryan White playing a game or two in my predictions. This year, I see the same. In the long run, I think Ryan could be the Hab of this bunch, but for now he'll be a Bulldog waiting behind the other three guys.
Minor leaguers
Mathieu Aubin
Huge, but not physical. Hands, but no feet. His scouting report reads like a cell-phone contract. You think there are benefits there, but the conditions that come with them are quite big drawbacks.
I demoted Matthieu to the minor leaguer category because I see that Mathieu's best chance may have passed him by. Take this from his scouting report:
Guess what, none of the materialised. He got a chance in Hamilton, but was largely a flop as an offensive player. He was demoted to Cincinnati, where he did win a championship, but was leapfrogged by Desharnais.
A turn-around is possible, but not necessarily anticipated. A shame, because a big francophone centre who can score is something we have missed for decades.
Ryan Russell
Ben Maxwell's older and shorter Kootenay teammate. He outscores Ben at every turn, so why is he lower in the depth chart? Well, that's just the way it works, isn't it?
The main knock on Ryan is that he is small and he plays small. he is gifted offensively, but not to the point of a Desharnais, so he falls down the chart there. he has flopped in the pros thus far, making his climb up that much more daunting. When you are the small forward, it helps to be the best one around if you want to make it. Behind Koivu, Plekanec, Trotter and Desharnais makes Russell's task a very tough one indeed.
The good news for Ryan is that he is still young. Things could turn around with a decent stint (probably in Cincinnati). But in all honesty, barring a catastrophe or a miracle training camp from Russell, i don't see him as anything more than a piece in a trade for the Habs.
For the future
Olivier Fortier
I've seen the phrase diamond in the rough tossed around a lot recently. When it comes to prospects, it is a phrase I would reserve for the few. Olivier is one of those players.
There's no doubt he's in the rough – he doesn't lead his team in scoring, he doesn't win Memorial Cups (though he'll play in one as a host, this spring). To make him a diamond, I saw this piece of evidence from Timmins:
Add to that, the Guy Carbonneau trophy he won last spring, and we have an intriguing player here.
http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif
Obviously, my reservations about drafting a defensive player (expressed regarding Chipchura) apply here, but from reports, his attitude and evidence, he looks like a player, to borrow the words of Mr. Timmins. If he even gets to the point of Chipchura, that'd be very encouraging indeed.
Not this year, though. he'll be playing junior and in the Memorial Cup (hopefully for Canada, too). Next year, we'll see where we're at with him.
Other
Olivier Latendresse
Though a goal in a scrimmage can't hurt, Olivier has a long way to climb to even see time as a centre in Hamilton. He has shown great progress in the ECHL, but hasn't yet grasped hold of an AHL opportunity.
he is an intriguing addition to the organization. Guillaume's brother could conceivably help him in the way Andrei relished having Sergei around, though Gui will have to make do with same franchise proximity, I think. Olivier is another smallish offensive-minded centre, and to boot he is from the area, which is great. I would wish him all the luck, but a game in a Habs sweater seems a long way off.
Yanick Lehoux
The last man in the order. He's the career minor leaguer in this order. His career serves as a reminder to the other guys about what they should most likely expect, and how failing to grasp an opportunity and hold on for dear life can be costly.
Lehoux is not here to play in the NHL (I don't think). He has 10 games with Phoenix under his belt, but his 6 AHL seasons speak greater volumes. A nice addition to help Hamilton from repeating their miserable 2008, but not one for the Habs.
He's so low-profile that most of us didn't notice his signing in the summer. But I'll tell you, having so many Montrealers down on the farm dying for a chance to get up to the bigs might not be such a bad thing...
Ahead of what should be an exciting season, I wanted to take a look at the team's overall depth at each position. I'm starting with centres. Part 1 will be big-team guys, Part 2 will be the farm system as it stands now.
Based on team lists, prospect lists and my evaluations, here is the list of centres in order of importance to the team:
- Saku Koivu
- Tomas Plekanec
- Robert Lang
- Maxim Lapierre
- Kyle Chipchura
- Steve Begin
- Brock Trotter
- Ben Maxwell
- David Desharnais
- Ryan White
- Mathieu Aubin
- Ryan Russell
- Olivier Fortier
- Olivier Latendresse
- Yanick Lehoux
First call-ups
Brock Trotter
Other than a name that would make any American Ryder Cup player proud, what do we know about this young player.
Well, for starters, we should know that with Grabovski and Locke traded, Higgins and Sergei now entrenched as wingers and everyone else largely devoid of top-tier professional hockey experience, he is the next in line. A couple of injuries to some centres and Brock Trotter could be wearing bleu, blanc, rouge. Gosh, that would be memories of Craig Darby on the second line.
A look at his career stats tells us that Brock Trotter, barring a drastic change in personality, will never be an top-line forward in the NHL. Despite an obvious level of talent (based on this week's showing), his results from Metropolitan Junior to Hamilton show that he can score but never to the point of being prolific.
So, if not an offensive star, or a giant (he's 5'9"), what drew the Canadiens to Brock in the midst of his NCAA season last year. Well, it's the steady improvement, for one thing – last season was his best. And, on top of that, he fits nicely into the mould of the new Canadiens prospect: an educated, mature player with patience and determination.
This is the insight we can get from Trevor Timmins:
"Brock was on our draft list and our scout visited his family before the draft. We knew the player and the person. When he indicated he was coming out of college and turning pro, we were Johnny-On-The-Spot."
Hockeywise, Timmins feels Brock's a smart playmaker whose strength is from the blueline in, and scouting reports put it this way:
"Trotter is extremely strong from the blueline in and displays a strong nose for the net."
All in all, a good prospect. Had he been drafted, there would be no questioning his stats or ability. But, Brock seems to have overcome all that and made his way up the depth chart. He benefits (in my rankings) from Maxwell probably being tested for durability, as in any year beyond this one (and probably sooner than that), Brock falls below Ben. For now, for me, he's the Johnny-on-the-spot.
Ben Maxwell
Hockey's Future designates Ben Maxwell the number 7 prospect in the Canadiens system, the number 3 who is not on the big team already – behind Ryan McDonagh and Max Pacioretty.
This is significant, if only because the website now sees Ben as more promising than Kyle Chipchura (the maligned) and David Fischer (falling out of favour there as he commits to more college time). While I question the leapfrogging of Chipchura (and this week will tell), it is good for the organization that a young centre is progressing. Because, as you've seen already, the depth at this position is tied together with string.
Ben, like Brock, has not set the world on fire with his scoring. A look at his stats show a consistent output, without any eye-catching achievements. I'll grant that today's WHL is not the one in which Pat Falloon and Ray Whitney ran rampant, but point-per-game in junior is not usually the makings of an NHL scoring champion.
If we're looking for positive signs with Maxwell, it appears to be his clutch play – never a bad thing. In 10 playoff games last spring, Ben contributed 6 goals for his team, with 3 assists – outscoring his teammates. 2 years previous, it was 8 points in 6 games in the playoffs. No Memorial Cup or anything, but at least the Ice won a playoff round last season...
He's also big. well for a Canadiens centre anyway. Over 6' tall and a frame big enough to hold 200 lbs (though it doesn't yet). His junior coach doesn't exactly rave about Ben, but he does seem to pinpoint what we might expect:
"He’s a key guy for us because when you play teams with three good lines, Ben will be matched up with somebody who has a real good physical presence. Ben is a guy who will make things difficult for opponents. He generally responds quite well in the physical department.”
If we're looking for negative signs, Ben is already showing himself to be as fragile as Havlat or Gaborik in junior. It was an elbow injury two years ago that limited Ben to less than 40 games, whereas last year a freak calcification event. It will remain to be seen if he is durable enough for the pros, or whether freak occurrences are not so freak with him. If he can't be healthy and play big, it seems he might not be worth the risk. That being said, a year with some top fitness and strength coaches in Hamilton may cure his ills and pave the way for an NHL career in the not-too-distant future.
David Desharnais
I'll go out on a limb and say that if David Desharnais was 3 years younger, he would have been drafted in the top 3 rounds of this year's draft. Now that the moratorium on small players has been lifted, he can be appreciated for his skill.
But small he is – Theo Fleury small. He's listed at 5'6" and we all know how they embellish those numbers. And though there is anew day for small players being drafted, it is still a hard road for tiny players to crack the big leagues and stick. What it ends up taking is top-line skill, because no one is playing a 5 footer on the checking lines. His talent analysis gives some idea of what kind of player he could be:
"He has a strong instinct around the net and is excellent with the puck. The young center likes to use his teammates in the best possible way but will never shy from shooting the puck."
So, does David have the skill to overcome? Anyone who looks at stats alone would have to say yes. But, I think there's good evidence from elsewhere too. Take his progression, for example. Junior scoring star, to consistent junior scoring star. Undrafted – this is sometimes enough to break anyone's spirit (see his teammate Maxime Boisclair). David toughs it out and dominates the ECHL. He then leads his team to the championship.
I think this camp is a real junction for Desharnais. Given the lack of forwards in Hamilton he will play there to start with. but, impress enough in the next two weeks and he's call-up material. Given that Corey Locke is gone, I think we have a new little super-scorer to root for.
Ryan White
Durable, reliable, and already 200 lbs, Ryan White rounds out the top-level talent among prospects at centre.
Hockey's Future wants to project White as an energy forward. Not having seen enough of him, I would ask whether this means: energy forward because he plays like a Tasmanian devil, or energy forward as code for not good enough to ever reach beyond that.
Over the years, there have been plenty of people to back up the reservation of the scouts. Highly rated early in his draft year, many GMs passed on Ryan. Team Canada passed on him too. Sooner or later, this opinion has to add up. Something can't be quite right.
Even so, the Canadiens in a pickle with centres have signed White to 3 years – meaning that he'll be a Bulldog and perhaps an occasional Canadien for now. I think Gainey has made the right move. Ryan White's a player who leads his team in scoring, who has played no less than 59 playoff games in 4 years, who from all accounts plays a rough-and-tumble style while not forgetting that the goal in hockey is to score goals not win fights. I even see evidence of maturity in Ryan with a mere 8 PIMs in 16 playoff games last spring vs. 36 the year before.
Last year, I think I had Ryan White playing a game or two in my predictions. This year, I see the same. In the long run, I think Ryan could be the Hab of this bunch, but for now he'll be a Bulldog waiting behind the other three guys.
Minor leaguers
Mathieu Aubin
Huge, but not physical. Hands, but no feet. His scouting report reads like a cell-phone contract. You think there are benefits there, but the conditions that come with them are quite big drawbacks.
I demoted Matthieu to the minor leaguer category because I see that Mathieu's best chance may have passed him by. Take this from his scouting report:
"The Canadiens are expecting big things from Aubin offensively in 2007-08. Last year he bounced between Hamilton and Cincinnati, never comfortably finding a home. This year, the club will be looking for him to fill some of the offensive void that may be created should the elder Kostitsyn, Chipchura, and/or Grabovski make the jump to the NHL. The thought is a more settled environment and regular shift could help accelerate Aubin's growth and take advantage of his offensive potential."
Guess what, none of the materialised. He got a chance in Hamilton, but was largely a flop as an offensive player. He was demoted to Cincinnati, where he did win a championship, but was leapfrogged by Desharnais.
A turn-around is possible, but not necessarily anticipated. A shame, because a big francophone centre who can score is something we have missed for decades.
Ryan Russell
Ben Maxwell's older and shorter Kootenay teammate. He outscores Ben at every turn, so why is he lower in the depth chart? Well, that's just the way it works, isn't it?
The main knock on Ryan is that he is small and he plays small. he is gifted offensively, but not to the point of a Desharnais, so he falls down the chart there. he has flopped in the pros thus far, making his climb up that much more daunting. When you are the small forward, it helps to be the best one around if you want to make it. Behind Koivu, Plekanec, Trotter and Desharnais makes Russell's task a very tough one indeed.
The good news for Ryan is that he is still young. Things could turn around with a decent stint (probably in Cincinnati). But in all honesty, barring a catastrophe or a miracle training camp from Russell, i don't see him as anything more than a piece in a trade for the Habs.
For the future
Olivier Fortier
I've seen the phrase diamond in the rough tossed around a lot recently. When it comes to prospects, it is a phrase I would reserve for the few. Olivier is one of those players.
There's no doubt he's in the rough – he doesn't lead his team in scoring, he doesn't win Memorial Cups (though he'll play in one as a host, this spring). To make him a diamond, I saw this piece of evidence from Timmins:
"At every level he plays, his coaches can’t say enough good things about him. They know each and every time he steps on the ice what they’re going to get. He’s a low-maintenance player. He’s a solid two-way player – Ihttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif can’t say he has any real weaknesses. He’s got that twinkle in his eye – he’s going to be a player. The last guy that I saw with that look was Maxime Lapierre.”
Add to that, the Guy Carbonneau trophy he won last spring, and we have an intriguing player here.
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Obviously, my reservations about drafting a defensive player (expressed regarding Chipchura) apply here, but from reports, his attitude and evidence, he looks like a player, to borrow the words of Mr. Timmins. If he even gets to the point of Chipchura, that'd be very encouraging indeed.
Not this year, though. he'll be playing junior and in the Memorial Cup (hopefully for Canada, too). Next year, we'll see where we're at with him.
Other
Olivier Latendresse
Though a goal in a scrimmage can't hurt, Olivier has a long way to climb to even see time as a centre in Hamilton. He has shown great progress in the ECHL, but hasn't yet grasped hold of an AHL opportunity.
he is an intriguing addition to the organization. Guillaume's brother could conceivably help him in the way Andrei relished having Sergei around, though Gui will have to make do with same franchise proximity, I think. Olivier is another smallish offensive-minded centre, and to boot he is from the area, which is great. I would wish him all the luck, but a game in a Habs sweater seems a long way off.
Yanick Lehoux
The last man in the order. He's the career minor leaguer in this order. His career serves as a reminder to the other guys about what they should most likely expect, and how failing to grasp an opportunity and hold on for dear life can be costly.
Lehoux is not here to play in the NHL (I don't think). He has 10 games with Phoenix under his belt, but his 6 AHL seasons speak greater volumes. A nice addition to help Hamilton from repeating their miserable 2008, but not one for the Habs.
He's so low-profile that most of us didn't notice his signing in the summer. But I'll tell you, having so many Montrealers down on the farm dying for a chance to get up to the bigs might not be such a bad thing...
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