By all accounts Shawinigan appears to be the team that improved the most during the trade period, adding Brandon Gormley, Morgan Ellis and Jonathan Narbonne, all three considered high-end defencemen, but it’s not like the Sea Dogs are chopped liver as stated by Peter McGuire in the Telegraph Journal.. The defending Memorial Cup champions have four NHL first-round draft picks on their roster and a more-than-capable supporting cast.
Despite missing key players like Stanislav Galiev (5 games played), Jonathan Huberdeau (14GP) and Ryan Tesink (20GP) for extended periods this season and the fact that the team was missing four players during the world juniors, this team is still in first place overall with a record of 31-12-0-2, one point ahead of the Quebec Remparts.
And they also picked up former NHL first-round pick Charlie Coyle from Boston University without giving up any players or draft picks.
The Sea Dogs may not have landed Brandon Gormley, but when everyone is healthy,they will have added four high-end players.
“The biggest question around the league is, ‘How good is Saint John going to be?’”, Kelly said in the Telegraph Journal. “Nobody has seen Charlie Coyle and nobody knows how much of an impact he’s going to have. It’s the same thing with Galiev and Tesink when they return. We’re very comfortable with our team and we told the kids that.”
Hoping For Villemaire To Return....
Recently acquired Maxime Villemaire returned home to Quebec for personal reasons after playing just one game for the Sea Dogs. Saint John had surrendered a first-round draft pick in a complicated three-team deal with Drummondville and Rimouski.They still have not given up on Villemaire. In fact, Kelly said the Sea Dogs feel good about the 19-year-old returning to the lineup. If that doesn’t happen, Kelly said what normally happens in a case where a transaction goes awry is the teams involved get together to make things right, even though the original deal is registered with the league.
A Galiev update
The talented Russian no longer has a cast on his wrist. He’s wearing a splint and is skating regularly. His next doctor’s appointment is early February and the team hopes to have him back in the lineup by the middle of next month.
Stars On Ice-At Harbour Station....
A cross section of talent from this year’s world junior tournament will be at Harbour Station Thursday night.
The Saint John Sea Dogs have defenceman Nathan Beaulieu and forward Jonathan Huberdeau back from Team Canada, along with Slovakian sniper Tomas Jurco and American Charlie Coyle.
The visiting Shawinigan Cataractes have two players who skated for Canada – Brandon Gormley, the tournament’s top defenceman, and forward Michael Bournival.
“It will be a couple of top teams playing,’’ Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant said of the contest, which begins at 7 p.m. “You always want to play those big games.’’ ( all quotes from Telegraph Journal)
Charlie Coyle, a former first-round draft pick of the San Jose Sharks, will be making his Dogs debut.
“He was a first-round draft pick in the NHL and that says enough about the kid,’’ Gallant said. “He’s a power forward with great hands.’’
Coyle, who was scheduled to arrive Monday night, left Boston University shortly before Christmas to play for Saint John (31-12-0-2), first overall in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
Before adding Gormley, Shawinigan (29-10-2-2) acquired Morgan Ellis, the league’s third star of the week after tallying seven points in three games. Acadie-Bathurst’s Zach O’Brien is the first star after notching nine points in three games, while Moncton goalie Roman Will is second after posting a .966 save percentage and 0.97 goals-against average in three games.
Jonathan Huberdeau admits it will be strange facing Gormley and Bournival after spending several weeks as teammates with Team Canada, which faced its share of adversity.
“It was hard against the Russians (in the semifinal),’’ Huberdeau said. “We were down 6-1, but we never quit and almost came back.’’
Although Canada settled for bronze, the tournament was a personal victory for Huberdeau, who returned from a foot injury suffered in early November.
“It was hard to get my conditioning back, but I think I had a good tournament,’’ he said.
Nathan Beaulieu is still savouring the overall experience, including a pre-tournament stay in the Rocky Mountains.
“Banff was one of the most beautiful spots I’ve ever seen,’’ he said. “We stayed in a resort to get away from everything before the tournament. It was really cool and it’s an experience I’ll never forget. I met a lot of good people out there and friends I’ll be in touch with for the rest of my life.’’
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