Jonathan Drouin

Jonathan Drouin walks into this year in an enviable position - one of several elite threats on a star studded CHL contender. His Halifax Mooseheads roster possesses names such as Nathan Mackinnon, Zach Fucale, Martin Frk, Konrad Abeltshauser and Brent Andrews, all of whom have been drafted or are high on NHL draft radars. With such a star studded roster, it is not difficult to overlook the talented Jonathan Drouin. Drouin is an outstanding player in his own right, and will get the spotlight he deserves this season as NHL scouts will schedule plenty of trips to Halifax this winter.

The Scouting Report's #12 Preliminary prospect was the subject of big attention early last season when, after being selected 2nd overall by the Mooseheads, Drouin chose to stay in Lac St.-Louis and did not report to the Mooseheads training camp. Drouin dominated the Midget AAA league with 53 points in 22 games until Christmas, when GM Cam Russell and Drouins camp finally agreed the time was right to come to the QMJHL. When he arrived, he instantly made his presence felt as a playmaker, putting up 7 goals and 22 assists in 33 games for the Mooseheads, but when the playoffs rolled around - Drouins as advertised competitive nature shined through as he put up 9 goals and 17 assists in 17 games in Halifax's playoff run. Drouin scored the series winning goal in overtime to complete the Mooseheads comeback against Quebec, and had some highlight reel goals such as this one in game 6 of the Quebec series:

 

 

Scouting Report - Drouin is a good skater with deceptive agility that allows him to avoid punishment from bigger opponents. He has elite hands and supreme vision and his creativity makes his linemates better. Although undersized, Drouin competes hard and shows a willingness to finish checks. A lack of an explosive 'next gear' is the main concern for Drouin at the next level, but this year he’ll have an opportunity to address that.

I had the pleasure to sit down with the Mooseheads winger and last weeks CHL player of the week after yesterdays game against Acadie Bathurst, and we discussed several topics related to his draft year.

So Jonathan, after an exciting playoffs, you ended up having a fairly short summer - Walk us fans through your off-season.

JD - Well I took two weeks off to recuperate after the playoff run, then went to Toronto for 6 weeks with Anthony Duclair to train. I trained with some teammates in Montreal for a while, then I went to train in Minnesota for 2 weeks. I had a great great time at Ivan Hlinka, wearing the sweater and winning gold was a great experience for me I won't forget it anytime soon.

What are expectations like in the locker room for the Mooseheads early this year?

JD - We have a great team, but we're taking it one game and one team at a time, we can't win the Memorial Cup overnight so we plan to stay focused on the present.

What are your expectations headed into this year for you - and what are you looking to improve upon leading up into the NHL draft?

JD - To be honest I have no expectations, it's 100 percent about the team and helping us win through whatever is needed of me, and that's what I'm focused on from here until the draft.

Last question - Tell us something that no one knows about Jonathan Drouin outside of the rink.

JD - Well, I actually like to cook.

I guess we can assume Drouin dishes out sauce both on and off the ice.

Mooseheads Weekend Recap 9/28-29

The Halifax Mooseheads escaped this weekend with an even split, going 1-1 over their Saturday and Friday match-ups. This was a favourable outcome when you assess how they played and who they played against.

On Friday, the Mooseheads had their home opener against Gatineau and the Metro Centre had a wild atmosphere. Almost 9,500 people packed in to see the Mooseheads coming off an 8-1 victory in P.E.I, and most expected the Mooseheads to cruise through the 0-2-0 Gatineau Olympiques. The Mooseheads likely believed the same hype, because from the very start they appeared unfocused and hesitant. That statement excludes Mackinnon, Drouin and Lewis, who played well and provided a necessary heartbeat until the game got out of reach.
The first period was fairly even, with the Olympiques getting some chances and playing physical and the Mooseheads throwing some huge hits and Mackinnon and Drouin creating some great opportunities. In the 2nd, things started to unravel for them. Tomas Hyka scored for Olympiques, and Mackinnon and Drouin hooked up for a beautiful 2 on 1 goal making 1-1. The Olympiques then scored 4 unanswered goals with Tomas Hykas second goal, Martin Reway (2) and Dominic Poulin. At the end of the period, Co-Captain Stefan Fournier got in a fight with Mikael Beauregard and Nathan Mackinnon got in a fight with Olympiques pest Adam Chapman, who beat him handily. Being the second fight in the same altercation, Mackinnon and Chapman were kicked out and the Mooseheads came into the third showing the knew they had lost this game. They appeared a step behind and if not for back-up Chris Clarke filling in well, the final score could have been a lot worse than 6-1.

 

2. GAT Tomas Hyka, (1) (Mikael Langlois), 3:47
2. HAL Nathan MacKinnon, (4) (Konrad Abeltshauser, Jonathan Drouin), 4:19
2. GAT Martin Reway, (1) (Gabriel Bourret), 9:55 (PP)
2. GAT Tomas Hyka, (2) (Mickaël Beauregard, Emile Poirier), 11:52
2. GAT Dominic Poulin, (1) (Yannick Dubé), 13:20 (PP)
2. GAT Martin Reway, (2) (Taylor Burke), 15:58
3. GAT Dominic Poulin, (2) (Martin Reway, Samuel Courtemanche), 8:37



On a better note, the Mooseheads came into Saturdays game against Cape Breton looking a lot more focused and making the right play more often, as opposed to going for big hits or dekes. Luca Ciampini opened the scoring, the first sign of life from the Mooseheads depth scorers. Brent Andrews then deflected a Trey Lewis point shot and had the Metro Centre fired up, until two opportunistic goals by the Screaming Eagles silenced the crowd before the end of the 1st with goals by Alex Lavoie and Bronson Beaton.

The game was solid back and forth hockey, with the Mooseheads separating themselves and getting a ton of chances in the last five minutes. Overtime was a similar story, but the game ended up in a shootout. Here are the only two goals. (Video: Halifax Mooseheads official youtube)

 

1. HAL Luca Ciampini, (1) (Martin Frk, Matthew Boudreau), 5:00
1. HAL Brent Andrews, (2) (Trey Lewis), 16:12
1. CAP Michael Clarke, (2) (William Carrier, Alexandre Lavoie), 18:09
1. CAP Bronson Beaton, (1) (Justin Haché), 19:57

All in all, this weekend was likely a lesson for the young Mooseheads squad, that no matter how many things are going well for them, they need to stay focused on a team game and they will succeed. It was only when the Mooseheads depth players started creating chances when the ice opened up a little for Mackinnon and Drouin.

Quick Scouting Hits for draft eligibles:

- Martin Reway had two goals and an assist against the Mooseheads, but I'm not certain he'll be drafted. He's an excellent skater and tremendously skilled, but did not even engage in a battle let alone win one. He literally would allow the Mooseheads defensemen to walk out of the corner with the puck untouched. Without a dramatic adjustment from Benoit Groulx, I could not see an NHL scout interested in that.

- Emile Porier looked alright against Halifax, no outstanding trait about him just a solid player with good hands. Could see a team taking him in a later round.

- 16 year olds (2014 eligibles) Kameron Keilly, Clarke Bishop and Alexandre Carrier did not look out place. All stood out as slight, nice skating two-way players. Carrier left in the late 1st with an injury so I did not get a great read on him.

- William Carrier was dominant for the Screaming Eagles, winning most of his battles and creating space with his solid frame. He also showed a great prowess for passing and shooting at full speed, he did not look far off of Mackinnon and Drouin in terms of talent.

- Bronson Beaton blended in with the rest of the Screaming Eagles two-way forwards, scored a goal and showed better skating than last season. He could be on a few teams draft radar.

- Mackinnon and Drouin looked themselves, but Drouin is a lot more poised and prone to controlling the pace of play this season. It seems teams are not as afraid of Mackinnon and are simply backchecking harder on him to defend his lethal speed. The gap offensively between Jon and Nathan has closed, without a doubt.

(Stats via the QMJHL)

Gatineau at Halifax - Season Opener Preview

Can the Moose make it 3 straight wins to start the season?

Tale of the Tape

Halifax vs. Gatineau

Mooseheads won both match-ups last year - 5-3 in Halifax and 6-2 in Gatineau

Injuries - GAT: Robert Steeves (starting goalie) & Mathieu Boily HFX: Steve Gillard

Leading Scorers - HFX: Jonathan Drouin 2-2-5-7 GAT: Rock Regimbald 1-1-0-1



Halifax Mooseheads fans are buzzing over the Mooseheads (2-0-0) season opener this Friday night against Gatineau (0-2-0), and they have plenty of reason to do so. Coming off an exciting overtime win against Cape Breton and 8-1 schlacking of the P.E.I Islanders Rocket, optimism is abundant in Moose Country. Offensive wizards Nathan Mackinnon and Jonathan Drouin have exceeded expectations to start the season, with Drouin putting up 2 goals and 5 assists for CHL player of the week honours while Mackinnon had 3 goals and 2 assists over the weekend. The Mooseheads have been so dominant in their first two games, they outshot their opponents 91-39. On the injury front, the Mooseheads are healthy with the exception of Steve Gillard, who could be out this weekend with an undisclosed injury. Gillard did not practice this week per Matthew Huest of Metro News.
 

Gatineau, though off to a slow start, still must be respected in this match-up. Coming off losses to Baie-Comeau and Chicoutimi where they put up only one goal in two games, the Olympiques will be hungry for their first win coming into a season of high expectations in Gatineau. In this off-season, the Olympiques acquired a lot of talent (Yannick Dubé, Martin Reway, Taylor Burke & Robert Steeves) and appeared ready to contend. Watch for Gatineau to come out flying to show the QMJHL they are ready to match up against the best.



Up and Down - Where Q teams are trending this year

In a Junior level filled with turnover, here is an unbiased take at where QMJHL franchises appear to be trending this year.

Acadie Bathurst Titan walk into this season trending UP after a strong off-season where they bolstered their depth up front and made themselves known as contenders heading into this season. They boast average goaltending and defence but these are both things the Halifax Mooseheads overcame last season with a powerful offence. The Titan have Zach O'Brien, Brandon Hynes, Christophe Lalancette, Patrik Zdrahal, Adam Zboril and Matthew Bissonette in their top 6 along with strong depth forwards Raphael Lafontaine, Adam Stevens and Alec Jon Banville.

The Baie-Comeau Drakkar are trending UP this season, mostly based on the ideal of player progression. The Drakkar iced a young, competitive team last season and with 2 new Euros and a young scoring core of Félix Girard, Raphael Bussières and Frédéric Gamelin alongside veterans Carl Gélinas and Jean-Philippe Caron. Their back-end is a good mix of veterans and young talents such as 2012 1st rounders Alexis Vanier and Loik Leveille. Phillipe Cadorette is in the lower echelon of goaltenders in the Q this year, but remains a solid starting option.

The Blainsville-Boisbriand Armada are trending UP this year as well, walking into this season steadily ranked with premier teams such as Halifax and Quebec as contenders. The Armada acquired Devils' first round pick Stefan Matteau in the off-season, and his agitator presence will make them even tougher to play against this year. Blainsville possesses likely the best two-way depth in the league, and likely the best defensive squad as well. Xavier Ouellet and Samuel Carrier could both be argued as the best defenseman in the league this year and could be on the same powerplay unit this year. The Armada also have Etienne Marcoux tending the crease this year, who should build on last years excellent season.

The Cape Breton Screaming Eagles walk into this season trending to be the SAME as last year. While Denis Kindl, Jonathan Brunelle and Sebastian Payette graduated, David Hoznik, Justin Haché and Jonathan Oligny replace them. Young talents like William Carrier, Bronson Beaton and Kyle Farrell are expected to progress, there is no outstanding trait to this young team that leads me to believe they will build on last year.

The Chicoutimi Saguenéens lost significant talent and are trending DOWN this year. The Sags loaded up last season acquiring J.P. Pageau, Mathieu Gagnon and Christian Ouellet from Gatineau in an attempt to win the Presidents cup. They fell short in the 3rd round, losing 4-1 to Saint John. What is left is decent offence, suspect defense and solid goaltending. They will be down a few spots from their 8th place finish last season.

The Drumondville Voltigeurs head into this season trending SAME as last season. The Voltigeurs did not go out and acquire talent this off-season, and will have to overachieve to avoid being a bottom feeder. This is fully in reach considering how well coached Mario Duhamel keeps his team, but it is difficult to imagine a team headlined by Olivier Archembault, Marc-Olivier and Nikolas Brouillard will make noise in the QMJHL this year.

In Gatineau, the Olymipiques are trending UP without a doubt. After a middling season in 2011-2012, the Olympiques had an action packed off-season acquiring scoring winger Yannick Dubé from Victoriaville, and Acadie-Bathurst starter Robert Steeves. They proceeded to take the talented scorer Martin Reway in the Euro draft and had 1st round picks Alex Carrier and Kameron Keilly make the roster out of camp. The Olympiques are young and have improved at every position. Robert Steeves went down until at least Christmas with an injury which hurts the club. When you factor in the fact that Benoit Groulx always has a disciplined, two-way team on the ice, the injury becomes less of a factor than expected.

The Halifax Mooseheads have big expectations heading UP to this season, mostly based on the fact that their young core that includes Nathan Mackinnon, Jonathan Drouin, Martin Frk and Zach Fucale has another year of progression under their belt. Add in veterans such as Konrad Abeltshauser, Stefan Fournier, Darcy Ashley and Brent Andrews and you have a unique contender. The Mooseheads have no glaring holes heading into this season, though another premier forward or defenseman would certainly help separate the Mooseheads from other teams at the top of the pack.

The Moncton Wildats are trending UP after an electrifying off-season where they finished a trade with Shawinigan, sending back picks for top 4 defenseman Jonathan Racine and starting goaltender Alex Dubeau. They also acquired arguably the best Euro tandem in the league in St. Louis Blues draft pick Dmitri Jaskin and #1 Euro pick Ivan Barbashev. Moncton now has weapons up front, even more abundant depth on defence and a quality starting goaltender to replace Roman Will. They are my dark horse to go deep in the playoffs because of their excellent depth.

In P.E.I., the Rocket (amongst a well-needed name change) are trending the UP this season, acquiring some solid players in the off-season in the off-season in Alex Micallef and waiver pick-ups Erik Robichaud and Charles Johnson. They used the #2 overall pick to select Alexis Pépin who should make his presence felt immediately on a PEI team starved for offence. The Rocket are by no means contenders, with progression of young players like Yan Pavel Laplante, Ryan Graves and Matthew Bursey another last place finish doesn't seem likely on the Island.

The Quebec Remparts appear to be headed into this season the SAME as last year. It will be difficult ot imagine the Remparts improving much on a borderline dominant season like 2011-2012, but after losing Louis Domingue, Gabriel Desjardins and Mikael Tam this off-season I feel like the Remparts only offset their losses by bringing in Nikita Kucherov and having their young core progress. The Remparts will still fill the net with ease, but the goaltending and defence are suspect enough that the QMJHL is not any more afraid of this years Remparts than the year than last year.

The Rimouski Oceanic head into this season the SAME as well. The Oceanic replaced some of the veteran losses they sustained this off-season by adding to a pool a 1995s that is as deep as any in the league. They turned heads by getting Anthony Deluca, Maxime Gravel and Frédérik Gauthier to report, players who all had NCAA commitments and are capable of making significant impacts this year. Two new Euros Vladimir Bryuvikin and Jan Kostalek should fill the void of Petr Straka and Jakub Culek. It is impressive that even after losing Jerome Gauther-Leduc, Alex Belzile and Alex Mallet they will likely finish in and around the 6th seed again this year. Cheers to GM Phillipe Boucher for such a stand-up job.

The Rouyn-Noranda Huskies are trending UP after a solid off-season where they acquired some good veteran talent in Gabriel Desjardins and Andrew O'Brien. The Huskies have solid Euros returning that will drive there offense once again, Denis Kamaev and Sven Andrighetto and with some more depth could turn heads by improving on last years 15th place finish by a good margin. The pressure will be on 2011 defensive rookie of the year Robin Gusse to find consistency to enable the Huskies to do so.

The Saint Johns Sea Dogs are undoubtedly trending DOWN heading into this season, losing 6 of their top 9 scorers from last season. The Sea Dogs will have a transition year on their hands this year, after 3 years of dynasty-like dominance. With two less talented new Euros and a rookie-laden roster, the Sea Dogs will fight with the bottom feeders to keep out of the Bottom 5 this year. Jonathan Huberdeau will return until the end of the NHL lockout, which is a nice boost for the young players and franchise but Huberdeau is no superman.

The Shawinigan Cataractes appear to be walking into one of the biggest DOWNwards turnarounds the CHL has seen in a long time. After winning the Memorial Cup last season, the Cataractes will bring back only 9 players, all of whom played depth roles on last years squad. The Cataractes will be a living example of how quick fates can turn after genuinely 'going for it', which turned out well worth it in the end. On the bright side, they will ice a lot of youth this year and will bring in Slovak standout Patrik Koys next year, so the future looks fairly bright the franchise that seems to almost be the consensus pick for last in the league this year.

The Sherbrooke Phoenix are not really capable of being judged, but I will say that I expect the group to take time to bond and that Sherbrooke will finish in and around 15th.

The Val d'Or Foreurs are trending UP headed into this season, after this up and coming team took a big step forward acquiring Memorial Cup hero Anton Zlobin, and Bathurst defenceman Jérémie Fraser. This bolstered the Foreurs already solid roster. With solid goaltending, a strong mobile defence group and some marquee forwards up front such as Zlobin, Anothony Mantha and Cedrick Henley.

Last but not least, the Victoriaville Tigres are trending DOWN based on the talent they traded away this off-season and lack of depth. The Tigres, clearly not happy with what happened in last years playoffs traded away Stefan Fournier, Brandon Hynes, David Hoznik and Yannick Dubé in a span of two days. That leaves them with leaving them with a few impact forwards such as Phillip Danault, Phillippe Halley and Phillippe Maillet. Behind them are a few solid top 9 forwards, but nothing to write home about. The young defense corps is below average with Stars draft pick Troy Vance leading the way. One of their strong points should be Chicago draft pick Brandon Whitney in net, who is big atheletic and ready to step into the upper echelon of QMJHL goalies.

There you have it, my take on the turbulent trends that you see every off season in Junior, and the excting parity that comes with it!

Game Report - Mooseheads vs. Screaming Eagles 09/09/2012

There was a heated Maritime division match-up in Halifax today, and the puck hasn't even dropped for the regular season yet.

The Mooseheads (4-2-0) played the Screaming Eagles (1-2-1) in pre-season action today and the Screaming Eagles prevailed 5-3 over an undisciplined Mooseheads squad. William Carrier (2), Charles Guevremont, Kyle Farrell and Michael Clarke scored for Cape Breton and Matthew Boudreau, Jonathan Drouin and Steve Gillard responded for the Mooseheads.

The game was fast paced, and momentum switched sides often until the middle of the third, where William Carrier scored the go-ahead goal, quickly followed by Martin Frk taking a retaliatory interference run and then slashing Jonathan Oligny in the face, leading to a 7 minute Screaming Eagles powerplay. Phillipe Trudeau was outstanding in nets, making key save after key save protecting the Screaming Eagles lead.

Mooseheads tidbits:

Jonathan Drouin was a standout, putting his skillset on display throughout the game and causing more havoc for the Screaming Eagles than Nathan Mackinnon, who was solid but not as spectacular as usual for the Mooseheads in his first game of the year.

New addition Randy Gazzola did not look much smaller than Sawyer Hannay, donning the same #77 Hannay wore last year. Gazzola played well for the Mooseheads and was fed good minutes, showing offensive prowess and hockey sense while also playing well in his own. Gazzola was the only positive player today for the Mooseheads. However, backwards skating and footspeed may be a concern against faster players.

Brian Lovell and Mackenzie Weegar also looked good, with Weegar showing off his hands and skating on several rushes while Lovell played a more conservative style then expected.

Liam Alcade stood out with his physicality and skating, making the crowd take notice every time he stepped on the ice with his high energy style of play.

Screaming Eagles tidbits:

This June's 1st pick for the Eagles Clark Bishop looked good for the Eagles, Bishop is an excellent skater that brings intensity every shift. He used his speed to create space for linemates well today, and looks like he will be a fan favorite this year in Sydney.

William Carrier impressed today, putting up two goals and being a consistent threat for Cape Breton. Carrier already has pro-calibre size and plays a mature two-way game to go along with a great shot and hands. Carrier could hear his name called in the first 15 picks next June if he keeps progressing.

Zach Moody, Cole Murphy and Kyle Farrell all also looked good up front for the Screaming Eagles.

Stay tuned for the next game report, following Fridays game against Saint John!