To the surprise of no one, the Saint John Sea Dogs are playing for the 2011 MasterCard Memorial Cup championship tonight.
This team went wire-to-wire to ragdoll the competition in the QMJHL, capture the President's Cup in six games over a tough and game but ultimately overmatched Gatineau Olympiques (who have a skilled little Patrice Bergeron clone in Jean-Gabriel Pageau)
The Sea Dogs have been the class of the CHL this season, but they'll have their hands full with Mississauga. Can they go the distance? Unlike with the St. Mike's, the core of the Sea Dogs are 2011 draft kids, headlined by the trio of Jonathan Huberdeau, Nathan Beaulieu and Zack Phillips.
Jacob DeSerres will likely be the x-factor in this game. The former Brandon Wheat King and Flyers prospect came into the Memorial Cup viewed as the weak link on a dominant team, but he's put those fears to rest with a strong performance. He'll have to step up big tonight like he did in the opening match against Missy.
Here's a look at the 2011 draft's key Sea Dogs (We've covered a lot of ground with these guys already, so we'll keep it brief).
Jonathan Huberdeau, LW
We call him J-Money, because that's all Huberdeau's been throughout the playoffs. He did it again in overtime, beating Jordan Binnington to propel his team to the championship game. His 2 goals, 4 points in 3 games are second on the team in scoring to Tomas Jurco. Huberdeau is both a scorer and a playmaker and he can also kill penalties effectively and play a good defensive game. He'll be coveted on draft day- top-three pick we think.
Stock watch: Surging- he's this year's Taylor Hall- his heroics will be fresh on NHL scouts' minds going into the draft process
Tomas Jurco, RW
Jurco kicked off the tournament with a thrilling breakaway and score on J.P. Anderson just moments into the opening contest against Missy. He's been on his game throughout the tourney, scoring highlight reel goals and big ones at that. He has 4 goals and 5 points in three games to lead his team. Skills-wise, Jurco is a clear first-rounder, but his consistency has been the biggest concern, as he tends to go long stretches without doing much. The streakiness coupled with pretty indifferent defensive effort is largely responsible for him dropping out of contention for top-10 consideration but make no mistake- this kid is a heck of a talent. On the right team, he could be deadly.
Stock watch: On the rise- if you're a strong NHL team picking late in the 1st round, wouldn't you love a guy who can dangle like this kid can? You bet you do- warts and all.
Nathan Beaulieu, D
Depending on who you talk to, Beaulieu is either a solid top-10 candidate or closer to 20th overall. It's a strange variance in opinions, and it really gets to the heart of the matter in terms of how interesting the 2011 draft is going to be when everything plays out. He's big, mobile, can fire the puck, play D and run the power play. Some scouts question the hockey sense, but others say it's a strength. Which is it? He's one of the most pure puck movers available in the class. All told, with the tools and upside, we think Beaulieu's wait on draft day won't be a very long one. He has 1-2-3 stats in 3 games at the tournament.
Stock watch: Up; B2011DW predicts top-10 for Beaulieu on draft day- his skill set is simply too coveted, too much in demand for him to drop.
Zack Phillips, RW/C
A shoulder injury against Gatineau has limited this scorer's effectiveness at shooting the puck at the Memorial Cup. He's put up a valiant effort, but he's clearly laboring. It's not going to kill his stock, because NHL teams are well aware of what he can do, but it has effectively limited his upward movement that teammates Huberdeau, Jurco and Beaulieu have taken advantage of. This guy has the size and hockey sense to be a scorer at the next level and it will be interesting to see where he goes in the draft.
Stock watch: Holding steady- a shame about the dinged up shoulder, but he'll have one more chance to shine when the spotlight is brightest.
Ryan Tesink , LW
With a motor that is always revving, this kid is an NHL draft pick in waiting, and it isn't his fault that Central overrated him. Despite having to play on the lower lines, he's managed to make his ice time count with some key goals in the playoffs and a solid performance overall. He's got a ton of weight to add to his 160-pound frame, but he's demonstrated a work ethic and the kind of energy to make a difference at the next level.
Stock watch: Steady as she goes- worth a mid-round pick, but we wouldn't go any earlier than 4th for him
You can see the final match between the Sea Dogs and St. Mike's tonight at 7:00 p.m. on the NHL Network in the U.S.- broadcasting the Rogers Sportsnet feed from Canada.
*(Not affiliated with the Boston Bruins or the New England Hockey Journal)
Showing posts with label Jean-Gabriel Pageau. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jean-Gabriel Pageau. Show all posts
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Last man in: Saint John Sea Dogs clinch QMJHL title in double OT
With the Saint John Sea Dogs trailing 2-1 late in Game 6 of the QMJHL championship series on the road against the Gatineau Olympiques, a potential Game 7 staring them in the face tomorrow (and after Mississauga blew their OHL championship lead to Owen Sound not a nice thought), they looked to their go-to guy.
And Jonathan Huberdeau came through.
Standing just off to Gatineau goaltender Max Clermont's left (and Clermont was absolutely brilliant this series), Huberdau calmly collected a rebound of a Stanislav Galiev shot and slipped it into the net at 19:37 of the final frame to send the game to overtime.
For Huberdeau, it was just one more defining moment for the electrifying forward for whom a top-five pick seems a fait accompli, and he could go as high as third overall, even.
It was Huberdeau's 16th goal and 30th point in 19 games for a team that crushed the competition in the regular season and steamrolled their way to the President's Cup series only to find a fiery, tenacious opponent in Gatineau.
Thanks to the outstanding play of Clermont, who found himself under siege (he took 55 shots tonight, stopping 52 of them), and thanks to the emergence of little center Jean-Gabriel Pageau, who is a highly gifted offensive player we didn't give enough credit to for his skating (can you say serpentine- the kid is a waterbug- cannot catch him) the Olympiques gave the Sea Dogs everything they could handle. Pageau finished with 14 goals and 29 points in 24 games- a real nice performance for a guy we weren't really tracking until recently. Kid's got game and will be interesting to see how much of a boost his playoff performance gives him after a solid 79-point campaign.
In the end however, it was too much. Alexandre Beauregard buried a shot at 15:45 of the second overtime session after the puck hit Gatineau defenseman David Weckworth's skate and bounced right to him. He wound up and drilled a shot that beat Clermont cleanly for the winner. Ironically, it was Beauregard's only goal of the playoffs. Talk about a crowning achievement!
NHL Draft Video has the game highlights here. In French of course, compliments of RDS.
In the end, Saint John was too skilled, too deep, too powerful. It almost wasn't fair. Their netminder is none other than Jacob DeSerres. You might remember him- he was playing for the Brandon Wheat Kings in last year's Memorial Cup. He gets to go back and try to close the deal now. However, DeSerres is so experienced that he's the perfect netminder for this talent-laden team.
Saint John didn't have injured star forward Zack Phillips, lost with a shoulder injury during the series. But it didn't matter, because all year, they've been able to bring talented guys into the lineup.
And did we mention that they won every single game on the road this playoffs to set a QMJHL record? Uh. Huh. This team deserved the big enchilada.
Nathan Beaulieu was solid, finishing the playoffs with four goals and 17 points in 19 games. He was a +2 in this match. Here's a picture his teammate Galiev tweeted after the game. Good stuff- Beaulieu is on the right. Between this huge win and his dad being named head coach of the Sarnia Sting this week, that family is living the dream right now.
Tomas Jurco was flashy at times, but didn't do much in this one. Finished the playoffs with a solid six goals and 18 points in 19 games. He's dangerous and can really score. He needs to work on not trying to beat the whole team all by himself and use his teammates more, but Jurco is getting there.
But we keep going back to Huberdeau- the straw that stirs the drink for this team. 105 points in the regular season, 30 more in the playoffs, including the clutch-as-clutch-can-be 1-1-2 line in the clinching game.
We said when the playoffs started that a long run and strong performance gave Huberdeau a chance to be this year's Taylor Hall if he was up for the challenge. Well folks, he answered that question and then some.
The Saint John Sea Dogs are going to Mississauga.
And the 2011 MasterCard Memorial Cup will be all the better for it.
B2011DW will be back this week with a Memorial Cup preview in which we will post capsules on each team with scouting reports on the key draft eligibles. If you're going to Mississauga, we urge you to print them out and have them on hand. If not, you can still print them out as the games will be televised in the U.S. and in Canada- check your local listings.
Game on!
And Jonathan Huberdeau came through.
Standing just off to Gatineau goaltender Max Clermont's left (and Clermont was absolutely brilliant this series), Huberdau calmly collected a rebound of a Stanislav Galiev shot and slipped it into the net at 19:37 of the final frame to send the game to overtime.
For Huberdeau, it was just one more defining moment for the electrifying forward for whom a top-five pick seems a fait accompli, and he could go as high as third overall, even.
It was Huberdeau's 16th goal and 30th point in 19 games for a team that crushed the competition in the regular season and steamrolled their way to the President's Cup series only to find a fiery, tenacious opponent in Gatineau.
Thanks to the outstanding play of Clermont, who found himself under siege (he took 55 shots tonight, stopping 52 of them), and thanks to the emergence of little center Jean-Gabriel Pageau, who is a highly gifted offensive player we didn't give enough credit to for his skating (can you say serpentine- the kid is a waterbug- cannot catch him) the Olympiques gave the Sea Dogs everything they could handle. Pageau finished with 14 goals and 29 points in 24 games- a real nice performance for a guy we weren't really tracking until recently. Kid's got game and will be interesting to see how much of a boost his playoff performance gives him after a solid 79-point campaign.
In the end however, it was too much. Alexandre Beauregard buried a shot at 15:45 of the second overtime session after the puck hit Gatineau defenseman David Weckworth's skate and bounced right to him. He wound up and drilled a shot that beat Clermont cleanly for the winner. Ironically, it was Beauregard's only goal of the playoffs. Talk about a crowning achievement!
NHL Draft Video has the game highlights here. In French of course, compliments of RDS.
In the end, Saint John was too skilled, too deep, too powerful. It almost wasn't fair. Their netminder is none other than Jacob DeSerres. You might remember him- he was playing for the Brandon Wheat Kings in last year's Memorial Cup. He gets to go back and try to close the deal now. However, DeSerres is so experienced that he's the perfect netminder for this talent-laden team.
Saint John didn't have injured star forward Zack Phillips, lost with a shoulder injury during the series. But it didn't matter, because all year, they've been able to bring talented guys into the lineup.
And did we mention that they won every single game on the road this playoffs to set a QMJHL record? Uh. Huh. This team deserved the big enchilada.
Nathan Beaulieu was solid, finishing the playoffs with four goals and 17 points in 19 games. He was a +2 in this match. Here's a picture his teammate Galiev tweeted after the game. Good stuff- Beaulieu is on the right. Between this huge win and his dad being named head coach of the Sarnia Sting this week, that family is living the dream right now.
Tomas Jurco was flashy at times, but didn't do much in this one. Finished the playoffs with a solid six goals and 18 points in 19 games. He's dangerous and can really score. He needs to work on not trying to beat the whole team all by himself and use his teammates more, but Jurco is getting there.
But we keep going back to Huberdeau- the straw that stirs the drink for this team. 105 points in the regular season, 30 more in the playoffs, including the clutch-as-clutch-can-be 1-1-2 line in the clinching game.
We said when the playoffs started that a long run and strong performance gave Huberdeau a chance to be this year's Taylor Hall if he was up for the challenge. Well folks, he answered that question and then some.
The Saint John Sea Dogs are going to Mississauga.
And the 2011 MasterCard Memorial Cup will be all the better for it.
B2011DW will be back this week with a Memorial Cup preview in which we will post capsules on each team with scouting reports on the key draft eligibles. If you're going to Mississauga, we urge you to print them out and have them on hand. If not, you can still print them out as the games will be televised in the U.S. and in Canada- check your local listings.
Game on!
Friday, May 13, 2011
CHL Playoffs update : OHL, QMJHL, WHL championship series
(Thanks to Blogger's crash yesterday, having to re-post this. Luckily, I backed up this post and the one on Bobby Carpenter when they reappeared briefly last night or I would be SOL)
It's May and that means the CHL playoffs are winding down, with the Memorial Cup still ahead this month.
B2011DW checks in with a post to update what is going on in the OHL, QMJHL and WHL championship series.
OHL: Mississauga 3, Owen Sound 3
The Memorial Cup host city Mississauga St. Michaels Majors were the OHL favorites and although they lost a 2-0 series lead, the blew the doors off the Attack in Game 5, chasing goalie Michael Zador in the first 10 minutes and then ripping the not-100 percent Scott Stajcer after he came into the game in relief.
The game ended in ugly fashion, with Majors coach Dave Cameron drawing a $2,500 fine for his postgame comments.
With the Majors up 3-2 and riled up, tonight's tilt in Owen Sound will be a barn burner. And even with home ice, Owen Sound is going to have a tough time countering the emotion and fire we expect Missy to bring with them. As you will read below, the Attack prevailed in Game 6, setting up a Game 7 showdown that could be the defining match in the entire CHL postseason will be back in Mississauga.
EDIT: 2011-eligible Jordan Binnington came into the Owen Sound nets for Game 6 and got the job done, leading his team to 3-2 lead on the strength of 41 saves. Binnington had not played since late March when he was shaky against the London Knights in the opening round of the OHL playoffs. The Attack replaced him with Zador, who closed out London and then went with the Zador-Stajcer combo until last night.
QMJHL: Saint John 3, Gatineau 1
The Sea Dogs ragdolled everyone on their way to the QMJHL championship series, and while the Gatineau Olympiques have given them a lot to handle (thanks primarily to the goaltending of Devils prospect Max Clermont) the 'Dogs are just too deep, talented for Gatineau.
Last night, it was Ryan Tesink, a 2011-eligible who is skilled, but has a very light frame and has had trouble seeing ice time for the stacked Saint John club, who scored in double overtime to give his team a commanding lead in the series.
One player for Gatineau who has emerged in the postseason is center Jean-Gabriel Pageau. Although very small at 5-9, 165, and not a great skater, he's been highly productive, scoring 32 goals and 79 points this season, and then adding 12 goals and 27 points in 22 playoff games. His hockey sense is off the charts and he has tremendous hands. Think of him as a smaller version of David Krejci, who also played his junior hockey in Gatineau. Pageau won't be an early pick in 2011, but given how much offense he's brought as a late-92 in his second major junior season, we think he's worth a late-round flyer.
We got word that Saint John scoring ace Zack Phillips left the game with a shoulder injury and are not sure of his status. Losing him would be a big blow. Jonathan Huberdeau scored and continues his blistering postseason pace with 15 goals and 28 points in 17 games.
WHL: Kootenay 3, Portland 1
Matt Fraser scored at 13:08 of overtime in Game 4 to give the Ice a win after blowing a late two-goal lead in regulation. 2011 prospect Ty Rattie scored to tie the game with just 17 seconds left. B2011DW includes Rattie as a favorite- he may not have size and blinding speed, but he's creative, dynamic in short areas and has a knack for scoring huge, clutch goals. Rattie is not as highly regarded as teammate Sven Bartschi, who is another 2011 prospect enjoying a strong playoff run, but we feel has the chance to be every bit as successful as the bigger name Swiss winger.
Kootenay has gotten tremendous goaltending from Nathan Lieuwen all spring- he's a no-brainer for being drafted in his third and final year next month. You just know NHL teams are kicking themselves for not having signed him when they could after being passed over in 2009 and 2010 over concussion issues. He's huge, athletic and proving to be a clutch stopper.
The series moves back to Portland for Game 5 Friday night.
We know that Mississauga and Owen Sound already have two of the four seats at the table for the Memorial Cup. It sure looks like the other two places will be seized by Saint John and Kootenay. Their series aren't over yet, and this is the playoffs- anything can happen- but they are firmly in control of their destinies right now.
It's May and that means the CHL playoffs are winding down, with the Memorial Cup still ahead this month.
B2011DW checks in with a post to update what is going on in the OHL, QMJHL and WHL championship series.
OHL: Mississauga 3, Owen Sound 3
The Memorial Cup host city Mississauga St. Michaels Majors were the OHL favorites and although they lost a 2-0 series lead, the blew the doors off the Attack in Game 5, chasing goalie Michael Zador in the first 10 minutes and then ripping the not-100 percent Scott Stajcer after he came into the game in relief.
The game ended in ugly fashion, with Majors coach Dave Cameron drawing a $2,500 fine for his postgame comments.
With the Majors up 3-2 and riled up, tonight's tilt in Owen Sound will be a barn burner. And even with home ice, Owen Sound is going to have a tough time countering the emotion and fire we expect Missy to bring with them. As you will read below, the Attack prevailed in Game 6, setting up a Game 7 showdown that could be the defining match in the entire CHL postseason will be back in Mississauga.
EDIT: 2011-eligible Jordan Binnington came into the Owen Sound nets for Game 6 and got the job done, leading his team to 3-2 lead on the strength of 41 saves. Binnington had not played since late March when he was shaky against the London Knights in the opening round of the OHL playoffs. The Attack replaced him with Zador, who closed out London and then went with the Zador-Stajcer combo until last night.
QMJHL: Saint John 3, Gatineau 1
The Sea Dogs ragdolled everyone on their way to the QMJHL championship series, and while the Gatineau Olympiques have given them a lot to handle (thanks primarily to the goaltending of Devils prospect Max Clermont) the 'Dogs are just too deep, talented for Gatineau.
Last night, it was Ryan Tesink, a 2011-eligible who is skilled, but has a very light frame and has had trouble seeing ice time for the stacked Saint John club, who scored in double overtime to give his team a commanding lead in the series.
One player for Gatineau who has emerged in the postseason is center Jean-Gabriel Pageau. Although very small at 5-9, 165, and not a great skater, he's been highly productive, scoring 32 goals and 79 points this season, and then adding 12 goals and 27 points in 22 playoff games. His hockey sense is off the charts and he has tremendous hands. Think of him as a smaller version of David Krejci, who also played his junior hockey in Gatineau. Pageau won't be an early pick in 2011, but given how much offense he's brought as a late-92 in his second major junior season, we think he's worth a late-round flyer.
We got word that Saint John scoring ace Zack Phillips left the game with a shoulder injury and are not sure of his status. Losing him would be a big blow. Jonathan Huberdeau scored and continues his blistering postseason pace with 15 goals and 28 points in 17 games.
WHL: Kootenay 3, Portland 1
Matt Fraser scored at 13:08 of overtime in Game 4 to give the Ice a win after blowing a late two-goal lead in regulation. 2011 prospect Ty Rattie scored to tie the game with just 17 seconds left. B2011DW includes Rattie as a favorite- he may not have size and blinding speed, but he's creative, dynamic in short areas and has a knack for scoring huge, clutch goals. Rattie is not as highly regarded as teammate Sven Bartschi, who is another 2011 prospect enjoying a strong playoff run, but we feel has the chance to be every bit as successful as the bigger name Swiss winger.
Kootenay has gotten tremendous goaltending from Nathan Lieuwen all spring- he's a no-brainer for being drafted in his third and final year next month. You just know NHL teams are kicking themselves for not having signed him when they could after being passed over in 2009 and 2010 over concussion issues. He's huge, athletic and proving to be a clutch stopper.
The series moves back to Portland for Game 5 Friday night.
We know that Mississauga and Owen Sound already have two of the four seats at the table for the Memorial Cup. It sure looks like the other two places will be seized by Saint John and Kootenay. Their series aren't over yet, and this is the playoffs- anything can happen- but they are firmly in control of their destinies right now.
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