Season Previews 2012-2013 - Halifax Mooseheads

Halifax Mooseheads

2011-2012 Record - 68G-39W-22L-7OT-85P

Drouin-Mackinnon-Fournier

Frk-Boudreau-Ashley

Ryan-Andrews-Ciampini

LacroixCourville-Falkenham-Alcade

Davis/Mullaly

Abeltshauser-Lewis

Gillard-Duke

Hardie-Weegar

Lovell/Desmond

Fucale

Terenzio

Powerplay -

 Frk-Mackinnon-Fournier

Abeltshauser-Drouin

Penalty Kill

Andrews-Falkenham

Lewis-Gillard

Top 5 Scorers 2011-2012

Mackinnon 58G-31g-47a-78p

Grenier 64G-25g-39a-64p

Boudreau 67G-26g-30a-56p

Ashley 62G-23g-32a-55p

Critchlow 68G-21g-29a-50p

Euros - Martin Frk and Konrad Abeltshauser

Overagers - Konrad Abeltshauser, Stefan Fournier and Steve Gillard

Additions - Stefan Fournier

Losses - Alexandre Grenier, Cameron Critchlow, Brad Cuzner, Travis Randell, Sawyer Hannay and Alexandre Côté

The Halifax Mooseheads walk in to this season as the one of the top teams in the QMJHL. Last year they turned heads with a core consisting of mostly 16 and 17 year olds carrying a dynamic offence, and with all of their scorers turning a year older, there are big expectations in Halifax this year.

The Mooseheads had a quiet off-season, acquiring overager Stefan Fournier for a fair of picks in this springs draft, and turning several heads with their draft. At the draft the Mooseheads, who were expected to trade their 1st pick for immediate help, kept their pick and selected Jack Eichel 15th overall. Eichel is a Boston University bound player who wasn't expected to be picked early because of his stated commitment to the US under-17 development program next year. However, the Mooseheads took a flyer on Eichel because GM Cam Russell called him "the best player in the draft" and would have made an impact similar to rookies Jonathan Drouin and Nathan Mackinnon did this year. Eichel has recently decided to turn down the Mooseheads this year to honour his commitment to the U-17 program and keep his NCAA eligibility. After Eichel however, the Moose continued to add depth at the draft, picking up two potential checking line players for this year in Liam Alcade and and Jonathan Lacroix-Courville then making 5 out their next 6 selections from the Maritimes to restock the system.

The Mooseheads head into this year loaded with talent at the forward position, with 9 forwards who could play top-6 minutes on most teams in the QMJHL. The Drouin-Mackinnon-Fournier line expected to be iced will be amongst the top first lines in the league, and the 2nd line of Frk-Boudreau-Ashley should not have a problem putting up points either. The checking line of Ryan-Andrews-Ciampini has excellent match-up potential against other teams scoring lines, and the fourth line will provide some solid energy and grit. The Mooseheads will have no difficulty scoring, but don't be surprised if they acquire another penalty-killing, experienced energy forward to fill in the losses of Cam Critchlow and Travis Randell.

On defence, the Mooseheads received a huge boost this season when news broke that overager Konrad Abeltshauser will only turn pro with San Jose if he makes their team, he will not be put in the AHL. This means there an excellent chance the Mooseheads' best defenceman will be back this year. The Moose also have 3 more solid defencemen in their top four in Trey Lewis, Steve Gillard and Brendan Duke. Their defence will likely be rounded out by Austyn Hardie and Ontario midget standouts Mackenzie Weegar and Brian Lovell. I think the Mooseheads defence is solid enough that they are unlikely to be in the market for defencemen at the Christmas deadline.

In nets, the Mooseheads boast one of the top goaltenders in the QMJHL from last year, 17 year old Zach Fucale. Fucale shocked the QMJHL last year when starting goalie Anthony Terenzio went down by playing lights out for a 16 year old, boasting a 32-18-6 record with a 3.16 GAA and .892 SV%. Fucale broke the QMJHL record for wins by a 16 year old in a season while impressing scouts with his consistency. It is hard to see Fucale not starting this year, even with former starter Anthony Terenzio finally back in the line-up after missing the bulk of last year with a concussion. Even if Fucale stumbles in his sophomore campaign, Terenzio remains a Q caliber starting goaltender eager to prove himself.

Though the Mooseheads have all the talent a team could ask for at their disposal, they have lost quite a bit of locker room presence over the off-season with overagers Travis Randell and Cameron Critchlow. They also boast a few important players heading into their second "sophomore slump" season. So while expectations are high, it is important that veterans like Steve Gillard, Trey Lewis and Brent Andrews show strong leadership to keep the Mooseheads in top form this year. 

Burning question - How will Nathan Mackinnon, Jonathan Drouin and Zach Fucale follow up their incredible rookie campaigns?

Prediction - 1st in Maritime division, 2nd in QMJHL

Season Previews 2012-2013 - Moncton Wildcats

Moncton Wildcats 

2011-2012 Record - 68G-30W-31L-7OT-67P

Jaskin-Saulnier-Saulnier

Veilleux-Barbashev-Lalonde

Penny-Robichaud-Johnston

Tremaine-Hodge-Howe

Stephans/Deruelle

Downe-Melindy

Racine-Emond

Sweeney-Roussy

Wood/McGurty

Dubeau

Thibeau

Top 5 Scorers 2011-2012

Alex Saulnier 58G-31g-52a-83p

Allain Saulnier 66G-30g-49a-79p

Hrivik 54G-29g-41a-70p

Delisle-Houde 63G-15g-29a-44p

MacAusland 51G-14g-16a-30p

Euros - Ivan Barbashev and Dmitri Jaskin

Overagers - Alex Saulnier, Allain Saulnier and Patrick Downe

Additions - Alex Dubeau, Jonathan Racine, Yannick Veilleux, Ivan Barbashev and Dmitri Jaskin

Losses - Jack Flinn, Charles Johnson, Patrick Delisle-Houde, Devon MacAusland, Marek Hrivik, Roman Will and Scott Trask.

The Moncton Wildcats look much better heading into 2012-2013 than they did last season, adding some premium talent through a blockbuster trade with Shawinigan and the import draft. As a follow up of the Brandon Gormley trade, Shawinigan sent starting goaltender Alex Dubeau, top-4 defenceman Jonathan Racine and scoring winger Yannick Veilleux to the Wildcats in exchange for a bevy of picks that included Shawinigans 1st import draft pick in 2013. The Wildcats then packaged together another load of picks to send to newly founded QMJHL franchise Sherbrooke in exchange for their #1 overall pick in the import draft, where selected Ivan Barbashev. They then used their own pick on St. Louis Blues 2nd round pick Dmitri Jaskin, who has been playing in the top mens league in the Czech Republic the last two years. These five players added over the the off-season will all play big roles for the team next year, really helping Monctons chances of competing in this years strong Maritime division.

For the Wildcats, the forward position will have no trouble filling the net. The Saulnier twins will return as overagers. The twins carried the teams offence last year, and will now have more secondary scoring help with Veilleux, Jaskin, Lalonde and Barbashev joining them in the top 6. The Wildcats bottom 6 leaves something to be desired however, as most of them are energy players and are unlikely to chip in much offence.

The Wildcats have a log jam going on the back end this year, with up to 8 defencemen that could play a regular Q shift in their system. This is after trading away Charles Johnston who was solid for them last year. However, the Wildcats top 4 is quite clear in Patrick Downe, James Melindy, Jonathan Racine and Danick Emond, which is one of the stronger top four groupings in their division.   

In nets the Wildcats sustained a huge loss when Roman Will announced he will not be returning. Will was arguably the best goaltender in the league last year, and carried a mediocre Moncton team to flirting with .500 last year. The Wildcats were certainly expecting this when acquiring Alex Dubeau from Shawinigan who will be their clear cut starter this year. Dubeau went 25-9-2 on the Memorial Cup hosts last year and boasted a 2.56 GAA and a .904 SV%. Backing up Dubeau will be Brandon Thibeau, played 7 games with a 1-6 record with the 'Cats last year.

The Wildcats walk into this year absolutely ready to contend, with a top-heavy offence and a deep stable of steady defencemen. The only question seems to be how much they can improve on last season. The Wildcats certainly have the talent to keep up with the Halifax Mooseheads, and expect them to be coached well by Danny Flynn.

Burning question - How quickly can the new face Wildcats create chemistry to compete?

Prediction - 2nd in Maritime division, 5th in QMJHL

Season Previews 2012-2013 - Saint John Sea Dogs

Saint John Sea Dogs

2011-2012 Record - 68G-50W-15L-3OT-103P

Cooper-Macaulay-Tesink

Izacky-Anderson-Kelly

Highmore-Cameron-OliverDares

Brown-Morrison-Donaghey

Cuomo/Campbell

Gagné-Weckworth

Durepos-Repe

Hade-Leblanc

Mosher

Auger

Michals

AS

Top 5 Scorers 2011-2012

Gauthier 66G-47g-39a-86p

Phillips 60G-30g-50a-80p

Huberdeau 37G-30g-42a-72p

Jurco 48G-30g-38a-68p

Beaulieu 53G-11g-41a-52p

Euros - Jakub Izacky and Jurij Repe

Overagers - Kevin Gagné, Pierre Durepos and Steven MacAulay

Additions - Jakub Izacky, David Weckworth and Jurij Repe

Losses - Danick Gauthier, Zack Phillips, Jonathan Huberdeau (95% chance), Tomas Jurco, Nathan Bealieu,  Charles-Olivier Roussel, Charlie Coyle, Mathieu Corbeil and Stanislav Galiev 

The defending QMJHL champions Saint John Sea Dogs are primed to rebuild this year, after 3 straight years of leading the league in points. The Sea Dogs are projected to lose all of their top 5 scorers and 8 players drafted in the top 4 round of the NHL draft, which effectively kills any chance of defending their 3 straight regular season champion titles. One thing the Seas Dogs have not lost is their winning character which will help them compete with arguably the weakest roster on paper in the QMJHL.

The Sea Dogs didn't make many moves this off-season, simply adding 19 year old defenseman David Weckworth from Gatineau for a 2013 pick, and having a strong draft where they restocked the system with 2 first round picks. They then replaced their former standout Euros Stanislav Galiev and Tomas Jurco at the import draft with Jakub Izacky and Jurij Repe.

Here is what Coach Mike Kelly had to say about Repe:

"Repe was recruited to play last season in Czech Republic in order to face stiffer competition.. A young player, he possesses a lot of strength while being very mobile. He's an efficient puck mover who is looking to add to his game by coming to North America."

And Izacky:

"Izacky is a dynamic skater who is able to create offence with his speed. He has a tremendous work ethic and is looking forward for an opportunity to prove himself in North America."

Though certainly not marquee imports, they add talent to a roster starving for it.

The forward position is a question mark heading into this year, bringing back a handful of solid QMJHL top 6 forwards such as Ryan Tesink, Stephen MacAulay and Oliver Cooper. They will be backed up by a lot of youth including this springs 8th overall pick Matthew Highmore. The Sea Dogs lack what you would call a top line forward so expect scoring to be at a premium in Harbour station next year.

On defence, the Sea Dogs will be seriously helped by the two returning overagers, Pierre Durepos and Kevin Gagné. Both were top-4 in last years squad, and will provide a steadying influence on the back end. David Weckworth and Jurij Repe round out the teams strong point, their top four defencemen. A recurring theme, there will be youth with the other 3 defensemen with 2012 1st round pick Olivier Leblanc likely earning a bottom pairing and 2nd powerplay spot.

In nets, the Sea Dogs bring back Sébastian Auger, their back up from last year who gained valuable experience playing 22 games. In those games he went 14-2-2 with a 2.65 GAA and .897 SV%. Auger is expected to start for the Sea Dogs this year, and be backed up by 17 year old Drew Michals.

The Sea Dogs have simply lost too much talent to compete in their division, and will have troubles keeping up with teams like Acadie-Bathurst, Halifax and Moncton offensively. Expect them to duke it out with PEI, Drumondville and Shawinigan for the final few playoff spots.

Burning question - Will the Sea Dogs have the biggest regular season point differential in the CHL this year?

Prediction - 6th in Maritimes division, 16th in QMJHL

Season Previews 2012-2013 - Cape Breton Screaming Eagles

Cape Breton Screaming Eagles

2011-2012 Record: 68G-23W-42L-3OT-49P

Potvin-Veliky-Carrier

Guevremont-Farrell-Lavoie

Campbell-Clarke-Beaton

Murphy-Bishop-Corriveau

Millman/MacEachern

Haché-Woodworth

Oligny-Leduc

Arsenault-Desmarais

Deslauriers

Hoznik

Trudeau

Top 5 scorers in 2011-2012

Brunelle 68G-30g-55a-85p

Carrier 66G-27g-43a-70p

Lavoie 65G-23g-24a-47p

Clarke 68G-14g-26a-40p

Kindl 62G-18g-20a-38p

Overagers - Jonathan Oligny, Dany Potvin and Alexandre Lavoie

Euros - David Hoznik and Adam Veliky

Additions: David Hoznik, Justin Haché and Jonathan Oligny

Losses: Jonathan Brunelle, Denis Kindl, Cory Macintosh and Sébastien Payette

The Screaming Eagles come into this year as a young rebuilding team that still has a veteran presence. They are not expecting to contend this year, however management made several moves over the off-season that would lead one to believe there is plenty of room for the Screaming Eagles to surprise people this year.

This off-season the Screaming Eagles reloaded a lacklustre back-end by acquiring Justin Haché from Shawinigan for a 2013 1st, Jonathan Oligny from Drummondville for a 2013 3rd and David Hoznik from Victoriaville for a 4th in 2013. Without taking from the current depth the Screaming Eagles were able to ensure the fans will be more optimistic coming into this season than last. The Screaming Eagles also had a bevy of high picks in this springs entry draft where they selected 6 players in the first 3 rounds of the draft, replenishing their system with much needed talent. Their first 3 three picks were strong two-way forward Clark Bishop with the 3rd overall pick, strong technical goalie Alex Bureau at 21 and scoring forward Zach Moody of Nova Scotia at 32nd.

For forwards, the Screaming Eagles head into this season with concerns over who will carry the offensive load with the departures of Jonathan Brunelle and Denis Kindl. William Carrier, Alexandre Lavoie and Adam Veliky are the most likely candidates, but beyond them it is up in the air which depth forwards will be able to contribute. I could certainly envision Kyle Farrell, Bronson Beaton and Michael Clarke being the key depth scorers next year. Watch for the Screaming Eagles to be locked in many low scoring games next year.

On defense, the Screaming Eagles are looking much better than last year heading into this season. The additions of steady defensemen Justin Haché and Jonathan Oligny will bring a calming presence to a back end that had notable issues away from the puck in their own zone and in breaking out of their own zone. With all of the crew becoming one year older, expect far better from the Screaming Eagles defence which will help them compete in a Maritime division bursting with offensive talent.

Between the pipes the Screaming Eagles head into next season in very stable shape, with the newly acquired David Hoznik expected to start and last years starter Philippe Trudeau currently appearing to be the back-up. Hoznik is an above average Q goaltender, who was drafted by the Vancouver Canucks   71st overall in 2011. He is the type of goalie who could certainly go out and steal Cape Breton some games this year, which will be well appreciated by Screaming Eagles fans who are used to the likes of M.A. Fleury, Ondrej Pavelec and Olivier Roy tending the crease for their team. Expect Philippe Trudeau to be used as trade bait heading into the pre-season, as the Screaming Eagles have 3 capable Q back-ups in Jacob Fancy, Francis Léonard-Mayer and Alex Bureau.

I fully expect the the Eagles to improve on their 49 points from last year, but the additions certainly won't carry them to being contenders. At best I see a difficult team to play against that fights to stay around the .500 mark, which is not bad considering how young of a team the Screaming Eagles will be icing.

Burning question - How much room do the Screaming Eagles have to improve with their new additions?

Prediction - 4th in Maritime Division, 13th in QMJHL

Season Previews 2012-2013 - PEI Rocket

PEI Rocket

2011-2012 Record - 68G-19W-43L-6OT-44P

Laplante-Duffy-Beran

Pépin-Messenger-Provencher

Marcotte-Yetman-Bursey

Chenier-Bent-Ottereyes

Mcgrath

Micallef-Oligny

Pavelka-Werthner

Graves-Phaneuf

ChenierAllard/Trickett

Lagacé

Bibeau

Top 5 scorers 2011-2012

Duffy 68G-34g-48a-82p

Beran 68G-22g-39a-61p

Currie 68G-30g-16a-46p

Bernard 55G-17g-27a-44p

Croteau 63G-15g-19a-34p

Euros- Matej Beran and Tomas Pavelka

Overagers - Ben Duffy, Alex Micallef and Owen Werthner

Additions- Owen Werthner

Losses- Jessyko Bernard, Alex Noël, Olivier Croteau, Pier-Antoine Dion, Marc-André Lévesque and Wes Herrett

The PEI Rocket walk into this year with things looking up. After a draft littered with high picks their system has been replenished and it would appear that this years' #2 overall pick Alexis Pépin is primed to make an immediate impact for the Rockets. However, these high picks came because of the Rockets' last place finish in 2011-2012 season where they only mustered a measly 44 points in 68 regular season games.

Over this off-season, the Rockets were rather quiet, sending a 9th round pick to Sherbrooke for overage defenseman Owen Werthner and trading away their 2 import picks for 3rd and 8th round picks in in the QMJHL draft. The Rockets have also just agreed to a deal in principle with the Blainsville-Boisbriand Armada for defenseman Alex Micallef for 2 2013 draft picks. Their real chance to improve arrived through the draft, where they selected 7 forwards, 5 defensemen and a goalie with their 13 picks. They stayed within the Maritimes as well selecting 6 prospects from Atlantic Canada. It is likely you will see 4 or 5 players make the team next year out of this years draft, which certainly indicates how little depth they had last season.

The Rockets lack star power outside of Ben Duffy and perhaps Matej Beran up front, but certainly have enough energy and talent in the bottom 9 to sustain pressure and hold their own. The top line of Laplante, Duffy and Beran will be leaned on for the bulk of the scoring, while the organization will hope a few depth forwards such as Matthew Bursey and Victor Provencher can break offensively to help share the load. The Rocket are hopeful Lac St. Louis player Neil Robinson will report instead of pursuing NCAA hockey, Robinson would be a helpful offensive addition for their forward core.

On the back end the Rockets actually have a pretty stable crew of top 4 defensemen in Tomas Pavelka, Jimmy Oligny, Owen Werthner and Alex Micallef. Micallef is an important addition for the powerplay and will likely be their #1 offensive guy on the point. Past the top 4, the Rockets have some solid youth on the bottom pairing in last years' first round pick Ryan Graves and free agent addition Dane Phaneuf (younger brother of Dion). Newly drafted Mark Trickett or Alexandre Chenier-Allard will round out their teams defence. This years defence will undoubtedly be better then last year with the additions of two top-4 defensemen in Werthner and Micallef.

In nets the Rockets are set with their starter from last year returning in Maxime Lagacé and backup Antoine Bibeau returning looking to improve upon last years rough statistical year. Both goalies had a GAA over 4 and a SV% under .900, mostly due to peppering they received with the leagues worst team in front of them. Both goalies are solid and with improved defense on the way look for Lagacé in particular to have a breakout year.

Though improvements have certainly been made over this off-season, The Rockets have a long way to go before being contenders. Gordie Dwyer and company have their work cut out for them to make the playoffs this year, even with the very forgiving playoff format.

Burning question - Will Duffy end his career on the island or will he be moved at the deadline to advance the rebuild?

Prediction: 5th in Maritime division, 15th in QMJHL.