Les Vikings de Saint-Eustache

It's hard to think of a team that has been more enjoyable to watch game after game than the Vikings, but sadly for them, they just seemed to peek at the wrong time. But still, as a team with some talented 15 year-olds and two 14 year-olds, the developments of the season were very interesting to say the least.

To start things, it only seems appropriate to discuss Charles Hudon. A small-framed center, Hudon has what some described as 'the best hands in the league', and it is a claim with some definite merit. Plus, to back it up, he has excellent vision on the ice, regularly playing the point on the first power play unit which allowed him to make the most of his abilities. He is a speedy forward, but seldom uses it to create offense. Instead, he slows the game down to better see his options and then pounce on the opposition. It is nothing to worry about, as the best goal I saw all year came with him using his speed and his hands. As a matter of a fact, I would argue that his slowing the game down is a major point in his favor, because I fell that he can now add the ability to create offense with his speed thus making him even more of a threat. A player with good vision and smooth hands whom can slow the game down with the man advantage and create havoc with his speed five on five is one dangerous offensive weapon. However, there are some draw backs, in that he can sometimes be soft. His passes can get very soft on the power play and there are some nights where he will shy away from physical play, and that is a major red flag. Junior hockey is nowhere as forgiving as Midget AAA hockey in this regard, and some teams will prefer players who compete harder when confronted with physical play. Still, once passed the early picks, a team looking for some offense will grab him, knowing they will surely have to push him a little, maybe even give him some size on his wing, because he can set them up and finish like few can.

If Charles Hudon finished the season as the top ranked prospect, it certainly didn't start off like that. During training camp, it was Marc-Olivier Roy who was wowing the crowds. Sure he was another small forward, but he possessed an explosive skating stride. He quickly demonstrated he was a quality player in all three zones and a skilled stickhandler, but that was during training camp and the season didn't go as well as any hoped it would. It started well and he was quickly emerging as a first round player, as he was progressing very well during the first few weeks of the season. I can remember a September game against Collège Esther-Blondin where Roy was the best player on the ice for either team. His explosive skating was getting better (if you can believe it) and he was pulling some great dekes with the puck. But, shortly after, he seemed to hit a wall. His skating lost all of its explosion and made it hard for him to produce anything offensively, as everything he created came from using those wheels of his. The whole situation seemed an awful lot like Alexander Semin's a few years back when he played through a lower-body injury in the first half of the season. To Roy's defense, he seemed to start getting his step back right before the holidays, but never back to a level where it was as dominant versus his opposition as it was before. This severel limited his offensive effectiveness because:

A) as previously mentionned, he creates offense with his explosiveness
B) for all the stickhandling skills he has, he is not a goal scorer. Lack of finish is real hole in his game, his points mostly being assists
C) He lost his spot on the power play for a while and even dropped to the bottom of the line-up, cutting into his icetime on a number of nights

In the end, he projects as Jan Bulis-type player, and I really mean that in a very flattering way, because he will do everything you can ask of a player and do it quite well, except score. Were I drafting, I would seriously investigate into him having suffered and played through an injury (because it sure smells like it... players just don't lose explosive skating). If so, the masses would project him as a later pick for 15 year-olds and some team will be getting a steal.

Somewhat lost in the shuffle was Mathieu Lemay, who did draw some attention early on but really came out late in the year. A jack of all trade but master of none, he had a strong playoff series against Châteauguay. Not flashy by any means, but if you follow him around, you can appreciate his reliable contribution. But what makes him quite appealing is his potential. There is a whole other level of hockey inside that frame of his that needs to come out, and while Christophe Lalonde had the better season between the two, down the line, Lemay should be better player. I say this based on the facts that Lemay has more tools but simply lacks polishing, while Lalonde has fewer tools, but the ones he has are further ahead in their development. For instance, Lemay competes and goes into traffic, but Lalonde just foes into corners with little regard for his well being. But, the end result is that Lalonde accomplishes only a little more than Lemay, because Lemay makes a better read. I would classify Lemay as a project type player who needs some seasoning but that can become a valuable asset by age 17.

Speaking of Lalonde, I do respect the fact he had a strong season this year, but I am not sold. I would hope some other team picks him up as I question just how much better of a player can he become. He progressed this year, but not by much in the second half of the season and that worries me. Here's hoping he proves me wrong.

But, one player who did progress quite well was defenseman Sébastien Latendresse. Starting off the year as defensive defenseman, his mobility continously progressed as the season went along and he started chipping into the offense more and more because of it. By season's end, he was a very useful player and should definitely go once the draft gets to the 16 year-olds. He might even make it as a bottom defenseman at 17, but will most likely need some seasoning.

And another '93 birthday who will get his name called is forward Christophe Déry. While not a goal scorer, he is a responsible two-way forward (whom killed his fair share of penalties) and can move the puck very well. Think of a poor man's Niklas Sundstrom.

Some random observations:

- G Francis Desrosiers was the best goalie in the league this year on every level except on shots to his glove hand. He has trouble catching pucks and a lot (if not most) goals scored on him were glove side (including overtime winners). The rest of his game is top notch however.

- From the moment he showed up for his first game this season, it was obvious D Vincent Richer lived in the gym last summer. He showed up a lot bigger than last year and the results paid off. When he used his size, he was just crushing opponents like an adult would a child. But, it was understandable that he got sent down from PEI as he would only compete for one or two shifts a game. He eventually got called up and when sent down again, he came back a different defenseman. Second time around, he was competing hard every shift. The stint in PEI did him some good and I would fully expect that he step in a QMJHL line-up next season. For the fans of the team he does this for, expect an Al Iafrate-type guy, for whom when the engine starts pumping, is a real threat from the back end.

- Here's giving some recognition for Matthew Boudreau's tremondous progress this season. I must admit, I never would have expected him to compete for the scoring championship, even if he was a returning veteran, but he did. For Halifax fans, Boudreau is a center that may not 'wow' you with flash & dash, but he slows the game down on the power play and just picks you apart.

- Two 14 year-olds an a team is quite an accomplishment, and to the Vikings credit, both Philippe Venne and Justin Vanier-Guenette looked like they belong. Expect them to cause a lot of dammage next season and make Florian-Guindon arena a scouting hot spot.

The Lac St-Louis Lions - Part 2

As promised, here's a little more insight on the Lions.

Yesterday, when discussing Biega, I brushed on how blueliners have been used on the wing this season. Well, Michael Matheson is another one of those defensemen to spend time upfront. But, it is on the back end that you truly can apprecite his contribution. There honestly is nothing flashy about his game, as he happens to be one of those defensemen who is playing his best when you don't notice him. But if you do follow him around for a bit, you truly begin to appreciate what a steady and reliable player he is. He spent little time on the wing in the second half of the season, and his game started to blossom as a consequence, on some nights forcing you to take notice of his play. He seemed to need a little bit of time to adjust when he was shuffled back and forth. While not a power play quarterback, he's got a heavy shot that he started using more and more in the second half of the season, and his consistent progress is a great sign for a player of his age. He'll need some more seasoning before making the jump, but he's looking like a solid second rounder.

A little later in the draft, when everyone starts running after the 16 year-olds, two Lions should find themselves in high demand. The first would be forward Philip Zielonka. He seems to have truly benefited from the coaching change and has been a solid player for his team this season. What he lacks in size and speed (that surely scared off teams last year), he sure makes up for it in smarts and smooth hands (which should get him drafted this year). While he won't have the junior career Alex Bourret had, I would fully expect Zielonka to be able to contribute to a team's offense in much the same manner. Think of him as a poor man's Brent Aubin.

And finally, because somebody needs to kill penalties on a team, I have to bring up Ryan Eardley's name. While he may only chip in occasionally offensively at higher levels, there is no denying his defensive prowess. He's got good size, good eyes and the proper work ethic to succeed in his own end. He's been a mainstay on the Lions penalty kill and there's no reason to think he won't be able to bring the same dimension to Junior hockey. Some team will probably be looking to steal him with some later round pick, because he'll be ready to challenge for a roster spot at the very next training camp. I would expect the team to step up will be one looking for a player who can fill in immediately a defensive-oriented roster spot. It'll be interesting to see what happens on draft day.

To conclude on the Lions, and this has nothing to do with the players and all to do with management, as someone who saw the Lions win championship after championship when they played at the Verdun Auditorium way back when, it sometimes saddens me to see some of the things I now see. This was once the model organization in the League, but now not so much, and I feel the people running the ship have their part of the blame to take over this. For instance, the Lions run their own hockey school. I've actually seen this program, and talked to one other person who sees it on a regular basis, and we both agreed. The guy on the ice with the kids, Karel Svoboda, for the lack of a better word..... is a nut. The curriculum is pretty solid, nothing special but certainly better than a lot of those other 'developmental' programs, but never have we seen a coach talk/scream in such a condensending way to kids. After a few sessions, these kids confidence level must be shattered. You can't be spoken to in that fashion for that long without having an impact on you. And the worst part is... the kids are actually pretty good players.

Another example was the situation with the head coach last season. The way Danny Dupont was acting behind the bench, he was making Mike Ditka look like he's reading the paper. It was incredible to watch a coach shout so much.... and never over anything positive. I will give the devil his due and admit that he is a good tactician, but there is a lot more to coaching than Xs and Os. And in that regards, it was just awful to watch. The yelling, the complaining, the gesturing ... and everything in a completely 'over the top' way. And I assure you that if a coach loses control, you can be pretty sure the next people to lose it are the players on the bench in front of him, and on a lot of nights, it is exactly what happened. Which was too bad, because they had a pretty good team, and started the year strong because of that talent. But as soon as other teams coaching started kicking in, the Lions started sinking despite having more talent than their opponents. That season might have been the first time I ever heard of parents holding meetings to see what could be done about replacing the coach. And my sympathies to those parents, who had to spend 4 digits to have their kid play on the team to only be forced to watch that nonsense going on behind the bench.

While I realize this will not be the most popular point of view, I write it sincerely hoping the Lions can better themselves and find their way again, to once more become the model franchise it deserves to be, because I truly feel the players deserve it.

The Lac St-Louis Lions

It's been a tough year for the Lions, but things did pick up in the second half (keep an eye on them in the playoffs - they've been finding ways to win lately). The weird thing with the Lions is that the 15 year-olds were terrific, generally it's the 16 year-olds who didn't do their part. From a scouting perspective, performing 15 year-olds are a God send, so the Lions were a popular destination this season.



With Halifax finishing last and the Maritimes supposedly producing one or two spectacular talents, I'll play along and say the Mooseheads will draft the local kid first overall. But sooner or later, someone will have to draft a Quebec player, and if the first Quebec player drafted isn't Dillon Fournier, that team will have a lot of explaining to do.

Fournier is really a terrific defenseman. A large framed, smooth skating, puck moving defenseman with the hockey sense to back it up. I actually like him better than I did Simon Desprès in his QMJHL draft year. Dillon is just that impressive. He competes very hard every shift, never shies away from physical play (but sadly doesn't initiate it often enough - because when he did, he truly flattened out some players) and what I like best about him, is that he simply kept getting better as the year went along. He went from a skilled defenseman to one who can take control of the play is his own end - truly impressive.

This consistant progress as they year went along also happened to be the undoing of Marc Biega. Playing as a 14 year-old last season, he started the year as an early favorite to go first overall. However, while still maintaining first round status, he has long fallen out of the race for first. With Biega, it isn't a question about tools, because his skill level is probably the highest of any Quebec AAA player, it isn't about hockey sense, because he actually makes smart decisions look easy. No, with Biega, it's all about hard work (or lack thereof). From the start of the year until Christmas, Biega was on the ice working only to make it seem like he was working. When he made a soft pass that became a turnover, you would see him smash his stick as if he was upset. But next shift, he would go back out there with the same indifference in his play, completely lacking intensity. And when he'd get burned, he'd go back to acting upset, with no response in his play to follow. He really was working to just make it seem as if he was working.

I heard a number of different theories over this -he's just bored with the caliber of play, he's hiding an injury, the new coach doesn't push him like the old one- but I don't buy any one of them. My feeling is he simply let his status go to his head. But, when the second half of the season started, his work ethic began to show progress. Playing on a team that dresses 7 defensemen (with one playing the wing), Biega found himself on some nights as the designated defenseman to go play the wing. And while it did little to spark his play in the first half of the season, the best hockey he played in the second half came with him playing the wing. Most notably, in one of the best games I saw this season pitting the Lions against Séminaire St-François, Biega was on the wing and setting the standart for hard work. While his hockey sense is definetely better suited for the blue line, that intensity with his skill on the back end equals one dominant defenseman. And for that reason, he will be a first round pick, but, by not competing, he sure missed out on a lot of development and even saw some players pass him by (most notably, Dillon Fournier).

The final Lion I want to touch on today (got to save something for next time) is Patrick Walsh. Simply put, this guy is money. Now I can already hear some of you telling me that 29 points in 37 games is nothing special, but that's because the numbers don't tell the whole story. Walsh is the best two-way player out there, bar none. I've seen him play with success at both center and left wing, and at 15, he's already a skilled penalty killer with good size and speed. Lost in the shuffle would be his skill set. Don't be fooled, this guy can finish, and I have seen him raise his game to dominant levels on some nights. He's got early first round pick written all over him, because the demand for a hard working, two-way player who can score is always there. He's not the offensive dynamo Quebec usually produces in top end players, but he's just so reliable. Plus, he's pretty sure to go early, because he's exactly the type of player Pascal Vincent wants to build the Montreal Juniors around, and if he's there when they pick, they'd be nuts not to grab him, and since they're picking no later than mid-first round ....

I'll make sure to cover the rest of the prospects next time.