Do the Habs need another Andreas Dackell ?

Writing about les Canadiens again !

It's been a while, 4 years where my work took me into a different direction and I stopped writing about the Habs.

What got me started again was the retirement of an old warrior, Francis Bouillon. What I wouldn't give to see him on the training staff spending some time around number 24.

A year after David Fischer

Heading to Fort Meyers is usually a prefered destination for those looking for a nice little
budget Florida pit-stop on their way to Miami.

Sure it's a short drive to Naples and you usually jump on the '75 through the Everglades on your way to Miami or Key West.

But while you're stopping in Fort Meyers, don't miss Estero river, Estero bay, and if the beauty of the little enclave hasn't charmed you yet, you'll be happy to know that in this small 18 000 soul town, Germain arena hosts the ECHL's Florida Everblades.

Beautiful blue water and hockey.

And the 20th pick of the 2006 NHL Draft.

The last time I picked up David Fischer's trace was training camp 2010, the jersey wasn't quite the one I expected to see him wear come late Summer, the Canucks had invited him to tryout with their rookie squad, he wasn't retained and shortly after, his agent got on the phone and looked for a place his client could rebuild a career battered by unfulfilled expectations.

Now granted, the 2006 draft past the 20th pick will always remind Habs fans they could have had Claude Giroux, towering centerman Patrik Berglund, but beyond the obvious benefit of hindsight the story and career of David Fischer didn't stop once he knew the CH crest wasn't in his future.

Coach Greg Poss of the Florida Everblades saw in the young defenceman a toolset he could use and after a short meeting with team president Craig Brush decided to give the kid a shot.

David Fischer finished his first ECHL campaign with 29 points in 64 games, 4 points less than team leader Bob Raymond in 8 less games, an output which quickly made him a strong core member on the team's leadership committee.

A strength he found by witnessing his mother's recurring battle with Cancer, per a teammate with the Everblades.

'' I think that Fischer  had allot of worry about things that were out of his control, his mom's illness probably put him at peace with the unpredictable values of life ''

Fischer sees his stint with the Everblades as part of his growing into an NHL defenceman and his entry into Pro-Hockey has definitly been a succesful one.

At season's end Craig Brush added Fischer's name to the list of protected players ECHL team's submit, a sign they want to get Fischer back for an additional season.

Per coach Poss

'' You spend enough time around the minor league system and you quickly spot out the talent, this kid has the talent and the attitude it takes to make it to the next level, he loves the game and knows what it takes to meet expectations. He can't change the past, but he's got the moment and he'll turn out just fine. ''

Old NHL codes might mark an end to NHL prosperity

Ken Holland has decisions to make this summer.

Over the last 2 years he’s seen players go down with debilitating brain injuries in his line-up. In 2009 after a fight Andreas Lilja was forced out of the line-up due to bleeding in his brain, this year Johan Franzen was on the wrong end of a Mark Fistric hit that left concussed.

When asked at the time if Fistric should be suspended Franzen’s words were

‘’ Whenever someone puts his elbow to your face you expect a suspension, I got his elbow right on the jaw, those are the rules right? ‘’

Sounds familiar Habs fans?

During the preseason Franzen had also been targeted by Penguins defenceman Brooks Orpik ( the same Brooks Orpik that broke Erik Cole’s neck in 2006 ) in a hit that referees had judged warranted a game misconduct

Franzen missed time with a Charlie-Horse.

In both cases no suspensions were given.

‘’ I can’t believe it, I’m surprised ‘’

Said Franzen each time he was confronted with the league’s decision making process when it came to evaluating the incidents

Franzen has been an important part of the Red Wings organization, at 6’3 and stats that make him an important power-forward on the team; he is also a player who is now stamped with the ‘’ injury prone ‘’ moniker.

And as Ken Holland sits at his desk this summer, staring down the free agent list, he’ll probably reflect on a year that saw another player almost lose his life to a vicious and unpunished hit.

Max Pacioretty.

A player that his scouts had once compared to Franzen.

For Ken, like allot of other GMs this summer, the free agent decision making process will undoubtedly be tainted by a league incapable of protecting it’s own stars.

Marc Savard and league poster boy Sidney Crosby, both victims of vicious hits are looking at difficult moments ahead with insiders even hinting at career ending after effects.

A league insider hinted at what the league may look like come October 2011.

‘’ GMs won’t have a choice and take my word for it, we might see record numbers since the lockout when it comes to fights, team will have to do their own protection work ‘’

‘’ Goons might be making a big return for 2011 ‘’

A new NHL that sponsors promised they would turn away from.

‘’ All it took was a clear signal from the league office, something that insures we won’t be looking at a fatality on NHL ice, because trust me, the backlash of a fatality due to a hit might be so big that it might spell the end of many things for the NHL including massive desertions of kids from minor programs, and then where does your NHL talent come from?  ‘’

‘’ Who wants to see their kid, brother, father dead on the ice ‘’

Rivet

It all goes back to an early November morning in 2006 when RDS’s Yvon Pednault walked to the press box that overlooks Bell Center ice.

The ice had it’s sprinkling of Habs players and noticeable among them was Craig Rivet and a few members of the Canadiens well garnered press corp. The night was going to be a big one for the Habs defence celebrating the Jersey Retirement of ex-GM and Hall of famer Serge Savard.

‘’ He’s one of those guys who’s probably gonna be on TV once his career is over ‘’

Craig Rivet would of course be traded that year for a young unknown by the name of Josh Gorges, followed closely by Yvon Pednault the following year who would leave the RDS broadcast throne to a more modest role with CKAC Radio.

And like Pednault, Rivet’s career didn’t end with the Canadiens, after a brief stint with San Jose, Craig Rivet’s leadership quality saw him a natural fit at the time with Lindy Ruff’s Sabre squad as captain.

‘’ It was a surprise pick for some fans, he was new to the organization and with Luongo named Canucks captain at the time, they were expecting Ryan Miller to be the guy ‘’

Easy to say it hasn’t been an easy ride for the aging Rivet as observers see his career winding down, a brash of injuries in recent years have made him an expendable part of the team on the ice and Sabres management will mull trade options prior to deadline day if you are to believe the rumors following a Sabres team some have say is seriously underachieving this year.

Interestingly enough Craig Rivet’s ascension to the NHL was similar to PK Subban’s if you look at Junior career highs. Rivet although now considered by many as a defensive defenceman topped 75 points ( 19 goals and 55 assists ) with Kingston in the OHL while PK Subban had a junior career high 76 points ( 14 goals and 62 assists ) with Belleville.

Rivet would be called up due to injury at the start of the 1995 season ( a 3-2 loss to Boston ) to save the Canadiens catastrophic season start.

A start that would end Jacques Demers’s reign with the Habs and inevitably a miserable decade for the Canadiens.

At the start of the 1996 season the Canadiens had 3 defenceman aged under 22 in their lineup.

Craig Rivet, David Wilkie and Rory Fitzpatrick.

This year Weber and Subban are the ‘’under 23 ‘’ Habs rookies on Defence, a first since 1996 .

Rivet who was asked if he has a message for Subban on the night prior to facing him said :

‘’ Change your ways ‘’

For many Habs fans the message will sound more like

‘’ Please stay the same ‘’

Festerling

Looking at a looming 2004 NHL entry draft, Brett Festerling had a few decisions to make.

After an injury riddled season that had seen him miss 17 games due to a wrist injury, he had a feeling that he could do better than a spot at 153 on the Central Scouting Bureau list.

A WHL GM at the time mentioned :

'' He was one of those leadership guys who made a good team great, he had decent size and grit ''

Inevitably he opted out and decided that he'd have a better chance next year.

The 2005 season saw Festerling put up career highs in points with Vancouver of the WHL, but the 2005 draft came and went and despite a few inquiries from teams, his name wasn't called up.

'' It was a disappointment, we had a few teams looking but no invitations ''

The call eventually came from Brian Burke, after a discussion with Vancouver Giants GM Scott Bonner,   The Ducks decided to have a closer look at Festerling during their 2005 training camp.

Festerling's conditioning and commitment were enough for the Ducks to decide they had an NHL quality prospect on the ice.

After a 2006 season that would see his junior team win the President's cup and a great Memorial cup run,  he would wear the C in 2007 for the Giants before making the jump to the AHL for the Portland Pirates in 2008.

When Beauchemin went down with an injury during the 2008 season, the Ducks didn't have to look too far to find a replacement by Niedermayer's side.

Festerling made his pro debut on the Duck's first pairing. And the hard hitting defenceman quickly made his mark, notably on a hit that some say ended Jeremy Roenick's career.

The Ducks resigned Festerling the following summer to a 2 year contract and with Beauchemin leaving the team started the season with Festerling and Neidermayer paired up again while Boynton and Whitney shared the second pairing, Wisniewski and Brookbank on the third.

He would play 40 games in both 2008 and 2009. with the team seeing over 20 different Defencemen don a Duck Jersey due to injuries and losses to free agency.

A broadcaster would say :

'' He just couldn't secure a spot, these weren't very stable squads, the team was expecting him to be a more fluid player offensively, and they had a few guys looming large on their radar. Anaheim was aiming at a D-Core that could contribute offensively with more regularity ''

Following their 2010 training camp, the Ducks made Festerling go through waivers in a move experts saw as a sign Cam Fowler was NHL ready.

'' Festerling needed to be paired with a guy like Niedermayer to be effective on that team,  when he retired it meant it would be hard to find a pairing he'd fit in, the team's philosophy was to play defence by committee.  ''

Then came the trade.

The media reports from Anaheim around last nights trade.

'' If Montreal is looking to this kid as security in case they lose Gorges to injury long term, it's a good trade for both teams ''

Brett's twin brother Garrett ( not identical ) played for Regina of the WHL, he's currently playing in Europe.

Brett Festerling is an RFA come year end.

So is Josh Gorges.

Could this be a leverage move for the Canadiens ?

Belarus

Is Belarus the new Sweden ?


Asked your's truly  to then Belarus National team coach  Glen Hanlon in 2008.


Hanlon smiled and diplomatically answered '' We're not there yet ''


I sometimes wonder though , if, looking back on it now, Glen's perspective has shifted on the program he left in 2009 to now head the Slovakia National team.


Especially considering the way he left.


In 2009 the BHF ( Belarus Hockey Federation ) decided to part ways with Hanlon in what was considered '' internal matters '', Hanlon simply announced to the press he had resigned .
Hanlon had raised a team from the obscurity of bottom divisional rankings to 8th worlwide. A rise that fans, players and media largely attributed to Hanlon's chemistry with the National Team's veteran core.


A resignation they all took as a sign that Hanlon had had enough of the internal politics within the federation.


Hanlon was replaced by Mikhail Zakharov who also left the program after an injury riddled team underperformed in Vancouver.


Zakharov said to the press at the time.


'' Despite the fact we had allot of injuries, our defence didn't play up to par and we looked lost out there ''




One thing is for sure, it hasn't been an easy road to the NHL for the Belorussian exports.


Following the public spat that trailed the relationship the Kostitsyn's had with Mikhail Grabovski, the headlines inevitably followed prospect Mikhail Stefanovich, highly touted with the Maple Leafs who eventually left North America to a lucrative contract in the KHL after ending up in the ECHL despite a prolific junior career in the Q.


The stories look the same for Sergei Kukushin, Konstantin Zakharov and players like Konstantin Koltsov and Vladimir Denisov, all picks who saw mild interest from their draft teams before falling through to the KHL.


An ex Montreal scout.


'' People often don't understand the mentality of players from poor Russian sphere countries like Belarus.
These guys know that they'll make money from about 21 to 35 years old if they are lucky, and spending 3 years in the AHL is almost like throwing a million or 2 out the window for them they estimate they can make in the KHL. In a country where a doctors monthly salary is 400 to 1000$ A mill is allot of money. ''


'' Take the example of Konstantin Koltsov, even Andrei Kostitsyn threatened to leave Montreal if they decided to send him to the minors in 2007 ''


'' When you evaluate the contract situation of Andrei Kostitsyn, Sergei Kostitsyn and players like Ruslan Salei who will be 39 come 2012. Maybe the Belarus thing was more of a temporary swell, the way Latvia was with Irbe and Ozolinsh. ''




Definitly not Sweden.

Oleg Petrov Interview

Q - When you left the NHL I assumed you would be one of the first guys on the KHL bandwagon, It's actually your second year in the Moscow area after an almost 20 year exile, that's allot of time !

A - (Laughing) Mytishchi is a bit like Laval so can I call it the Moscow area ? Actually there had been allot of change since I left, my first years back in the KHL were in Kazan and since I didn't renew my association with them last year we decided to move into a more ''multi-national'' area. My wife is Canadian so the fact we're in a more english -friendly environment now is important.

Q - Second season for Atlant, how are you meshing with the club ?

A - They have World-Class installations and a fantastic coaching staff, you could say it was an easy transition from my previous clubs, but the fact I'm closer to home I think magnifies all the good aspects of playing here. But don't get me wrong, when it comes to professional hockey in Europe, whether you're in Switzerland or Russia the teams go out of their way to make you feel at home.

Q - You had a taste of both, how do you gauge the KHL's progress vs the NHL ?

A - It's still another game here compared to North America, the differences go beyond the product that both leagues put on the ice. The format is different at every level not just the width of the rink. I think that the KHL offers a great product and that fans, players as well as owners are happy with what we're offering.

Q - When you left the NHL, you were in your early 30s, would finishing your playing career so close to where it began something you've considered ?


A - We have a pretty young team, and I think that being part of this veteran core is great because the roles are well defined. I doubt I would ever go back to Switzerland or anywhere else, especially closing in on 40. I mean there are always offers and different opportunities in this game, but I think I'm done moving the family from one spot to another.

Q - You're putting up fantastic numbers this year for someone closing in on 40


A - I think that beyond age, the most important thing for an athlete in today's game is the amount of preparation and motivation that goes in your play. I've kept in shape and most importantly, I've kept my motivation .

Q - The KHL has some good caliber stars who had an impact in the NHL like Jagr, Yashin, Radulov and a few others, last year's top scorer was Marcel Hossa who had difficulty in North America but adapted very well to the KHL how do you explain this ?


A - My opinion is that to have success in the KHL, you need a good skillset and Marcel, like his brother has dominant hockey skills. It can be maturity too, maybe Marcel would be putting up good numbers in the NHL if teams had been more patient.

Q - There is still a sense of disbelief over the Radulov situation back in the NHL

A - People forget the amount of players even until recently who left to go play in North America, there was allot of controversy when Malkin left, but like the NHL is happy to have Malkin, we are happy to have Radulov

Q - You and Jan Bulis still talk about Montreal ?


A - The NHL is still a recent memory for Jan, we have players like Bykov, Zyuzin, Obsut who also played in North America. There are only good memories of course.

Q - Back to the NHL, I remember you and Andrei Markov being very close playing in Montreal, do you guys still keep in touch ?


A - It has been hard for Andrei the last two years as he is recovering from a serious injury, we've never really lost touch. I hope he gets better. Of course now that he speaks English and has the Canadian citizenship he might not make Team Canada in Sochi. I will be sad for him(laughs).

Niederreiter is not a dirty player but ...

Preseason will always be preseason.

You'll see a fair bit of rookies overachieve and of course you'll have a fair bit of underachievers.

Anyone remember those famous training camps where the Habs kept hoping Ron Hainsey would prove to them he was a better investment on Bell Center ice than Francis Bouillon ?

Well don't worry, after signing for 5 years with the Thrashers a few seasons ago, you would've been relieved the Habs never got on the Hainsey bandwagon. Hainsey is having a horrendous camp this year.

But then again, did you expect the Thrashers would ice a contender ?

Back to Nino. And to Habs fans who had the chance of seeing him the preseason, I have a feeling this kid not only overachieved, he might be a better investment than Tavares if you assume that this kid is for real.

Easy to say Niederreiter's attempt at a blind side hit on Cammalleri was enough to make the Habs forward blow a gasket, and of course we've all seen the countless replays of what Cammalleri  did.

But I don't blame these guys for what happened.

It was clear from the start of the whole sequence that referee Michel Cormier had front court seats to the entire sequence.

Was it a perfect opportunity to apply the new rules when it comes to the NHL's new found weariness to blindside hits ?

Sure it was !

But refereeing will never be the NHL's strength.

Try controversy

Lost Prospect Tracker

Cameron Cepek

Born Jan 12 1988 -- Huntington Beach, CA / Height 6.02 -- Weight 181 -- Shoots R

199th Overall / 7th Round in 2006

Prospected to be : California born, Rugged defenceman with passable skillset

Ended up being : Bounced around a few NHL camps including the Canadiens and Red Wings

Last Google Trace : Prince George Cougars, Lake Erie AHL in 2009

Loic Lacasse

Born Apr 23 1986 -- Granby, PQ / Height 6.02 -- Weight 175 -- Shoots L

181st Overall / 6th Round in 2004

Prospected to be : Back-Up goaltender, Good speed and reflexes

Ended up being : Ignored despite good statistics

Last Google Trace : Playing in France, doing well

Oskari Korpikari

Born Apr 5 1984 -- Oolu, Fin / Height 6.02 -- Weight 205 -- Shoots L

217th Overall / 7th Round in 2003

Prospected to be : Big Defenceman with stellar puck presence

Ended up being : Unwilling to move from home

Last Google Trace : After a long stint with Karpat ( Finnish elite league ) ended up signing last summer with Blues Espoo ( Also Finnish Elite League ).

Mark Flood

Born Sep 29 1984 -- Charlottetown, PEI / Height 6.01 -- Weight 190 -- Shoots R

199th Overall / 7th Round in 2003

Prospected to be : Size and some offensive skills

Ended up being : Signed to an entry level deal by the Blue Jackets in 2004

Last Google Trace : Brief NHL stint with the Islanders, on roster with the AHL's Manitoba Moose so far this year.

Why did Fischer fail ?

Standing on the podium in Vancouver, draft day 2006 ready to call the name of their first round pick, they knew.

The Habs knew that the name they had written down on their selection sheet was going to be a long term project, one of those high risk, high reward players.

Fischer had arrived there with quite a pedigree, '' Mr. Hockey '', First team All-State, and a few other honors.

'' Drafting American kids high in the States High School system was a bit of an off the chart things to do at the time, Toews and Kessel were playing in a great system and scouts had been following them for years, but most scouts did their heavy picking in the WHL and OHL, the kids coming out of those leagues were more in line with what the coaches wanted, they were tough, big and fast. ''

A Colombus Blue Jacket scout at the time looked on perplexed, as the kid who was making his way down the isle at pick number 20 was definitely one of those guys you're surprised to see get up this early.

'' The interview with this kid left you with a feeling he was seeing the whole combine as a joke, but at that time some scouts interpreted that as bravado, we didn't. We take our job seriously. ''

Inevitably, Fischer arrived at the podium and following a few handshakes and cap fitting, left for his family and friends who were waiting for him, now a Hab.

Timmins at the time said ( to Hockey's Future ) :


We would have happily taken Fischer at 16, but we took a calculated risk. We looked at the teams that would be picking before us and we didn’t think they would choose him. Throughout the year, you get an idea of who people like. You take notice of who is in the rink.”

His first season with the Gophers would also include a quick stint with the National development program where he was evaluated for a stint with the Junior National team. An evaluation that would not see him selected but at that time, team USA was considered deep on defence.

This scenario would be a precursor to the rest of Fischer's career

An important part, when it comes to understanding Fischer's drop off, is Gopher's coach Don Lucia, who would mentor Fischer throughout his entire stint in the NCAA. Hockey observers as soon as 2007 would start questioning Lucia's methods and development abilities.

Garth Snow ( Islanders GM ) :

Okposo was an important player for us, and we quickly realized that the program there was an absolute mess. Kyle wasn't getting better, to many of our guys, he was regressing. We were angry, the whole point of putting these kids through US Colleges is to take advantage of the schedule there to help them improve and develop, and quite frankly the coach bears a huge part of that responsibility.

It didn't help that his teams would perform poorly during the collegiate schedule,  Fischer's appearances at Habs development camps would raise questions on how by 2009 Fischer had not only failed to fill up his impressive frame, but start to even regress when it came to the availability of his offensive arsenal.

An ex-Hab scout : 

Development camps always end with a meeting where we have the coaching staff explain to the rookie what we want him to work on for the year ahead. I remember someone from conditioning coming out and telling me that he just photocopied last year's notes and gave them to David, 

Fischer would continue his run with the Gopher's, making appearances at Habs rookie development camps along the way.

But come the summer of 2010, it was clear to Habs brass that Fischer had not panned out according to plan.

He was released only to make a brief appearance at the Canucks rookie development tournament that pitted the Canucks rookies against those of other teams.

To one Canuck broadcast observer :

He looks lost out there.

Only the future knows what's in store for David Fischer going forward, one thing is clear, for now it won't be in a Habs jersey.

Training Camp 2010-2011

Going into the rookie evaluation camps and training camp this year has been an intrinsically educational experience for me as I can really get a feel for doctrine variations between the 3 coaches I have had a chance to observe over the last few years.


Claude Julien's approach to training camp was one deeply rooted in execution and speed, Guy Carbonneau didn't give his camps a real rhythm  until you hit the exhibition schedule and Jacques Martin on his side seems to put an emphasis on '' On-Ice '' scenarios and strengths.


Needless to say I haven't seen guys skate so fast this early on in a long long while.


The rookie conditioning camps were a bit of a bore overall, with youngsters Avitsin and Leblanc the real focus for Habs brass. Leblanc was coming off a great season in the US Collegiate system and an electric start to his career in the QJMHL, arriving in camp you could quickly see that although a few of his gauges indicated NHL ready when it came to work habits, hockey Smarts and grit, his speed and overall strength are far from NHL ready.


Avtsin was another thing altogether. Big, fast, strong on the puck with almost Kovalevian flashes of greatness at times, but if you expect this kid to back-check on a regular basis, you haven't sold the idea to him yet, which is definitely something that Jacques Martin will be pitching to the Hamilton staff once Avtsin starts skating at Copps Coliseum.


Other youngsters like Subban, Pacioretty, Palushaj, Weber and Schultz have been participating with a more evaluative mindset, you could feel they were observing roster-spot rivals, mainly gauging and comparing their summer conditioning and readiness to others.


Once real camp started conditioning was the main talk on the press-bench.


Lapierre is faster, actually, they all look faster ! Plekanec's already stellar speed was complimented by improved action on the backcheck with wider and stabler strides, a trend I've seen with a few players this year. Summer training puts an emphasis on reinforcing the groin, hamstring and a few other areas when it comes to skating but skating coaches have also taught players to adapt their skating to enhance natural fluidity which puts players less often in a vulnerable position.


'' These are pro-Athletes, they've been strengthening their bodies all their lives. There has been an evolution in training over the last ten years and it's easier for us to detect weaknesses in ligaments and muscles and not only correct the issue, but also act on a more preventative basis by correcting and minimizing stress in their motions. ''


My Evaluations so far ( Will add more as camp continues ) :


David Desharnais :


I won't bore you with the obvious size discrepancy we've all noticed when Desharnais skates to the bench and happens to stop right next to Ryan O'byrne, we get it, he's small, the issue here is how small, the answer, you've got it ... VERY small. at 5'6 ( generously on skates ) Desharnais's speed is so important to his game that once a shift over-extends or  a few hits happen to complicate his shift you're sitting there wondering if this guy really has a fighting chance on a Habs team already littered with forwards on the petite size.


+ : Speed, skillset and mindset
- : Durability over a grinding NHL season ?


PK Subban :


So how do you call him ? Subbanator, Subbie, Subbs, Subbomb ? PK Subban inaugurated rookie camp with enough grit, speed and confidence to make you believe that ... well ... that he shouldn't be in rookie camp. As the physical evaluations went on, PK once again dominated the result sheet under Andrei Kostitsyn's uncomfortable stare ( That's right PK beat Andrei at the vertical straight line jump among other things ) PK still has his shortfalls when it comes to choosing his moments to join the rush and when to hover around the blue line.  PK is listed at 5'11' on the Press kit, but some websites have him at 6'0, which is the same height as Jaroslav Spacek. He looked a fair bit smaller than Spacek from where I stood but then again, Is Spacek really 6'0 or 6'1 ... I should have walked around with a measuring tape ...


+ : Speed, Offensive instincts and solid grit
- : Defensive decision making, hate saying it but needs to be a bit less selfish with the puck


Louis Leblanc :


Louis Leblanc is one of those guys that the coach spends very little time repeating stuff to ex : 


Muller : Hard ahead, skate around the net, take the puck, rush, deke shoot, GO
Leblanc : ( Woooosh, he's gone does the drill effortlessly ... )


Muller : Hard ahead, skate around the net, take the puck, rush, deke shoot, GO
Pacioretty : Around the net ? ( pointing with his stick )
Muller : GO !!!! GO !!!! GO !!!!


Louis is fast and one of those guys that just doesn't stop working, he's a player who will own whatever part of the ice he's working in, give him the front of the net, he's not going to budge, give him the corner, sorry guy, the puck is his. One of my main worry when watching this kid ( and he's still very much physically a kid ) respond to the fanbase and media-circles around him. The pressure is high and very much palpable. In one episode, Leblanc was talking to me about his summer training regimen right after a relatively quiet and relaxed 15 minute  Pacioretty interview, it was made clear to me from the start I had exactly 3 minutes to do this before he'd be whisked away to his next appointment. Leblanc felt a bit overwhelmed, let's hope this doesn't take Latendressian proportions ... Who am I kidding, you all know it will ... 


+ : Relentless grit, skills, mindset and on-ice leadership qualities
- : Size makes you wonder how Louis spent his summer, in 1 year since his draft year, he doesn't look that different weight-wise.


Gabriel Dumont : 


Gabriel Dumont has been a revelation for me this training camp, at 5'9 and a tad over 180 pounds Dumont is one of those guys who will pick and chose the way he uses his speed and make it count. There is nothing about Dumont that spells quit, he won't stop to see what's happening around him, as far as he's concerned, he is what is happening out there and that makes him a player impossible to hate. Unfortunately like allot of the diminutive forwards this camp, you tend to clump them in the same category of small guys with speed that can't really match up against big defenceman on the forecheck and big forwards on the backcheck.


+ : Pure scoring forward, fearless grit, an uncanny nose for the finishing move that takes 0.0001 second to make.
- : You can already imagine Zdeno Chara's mouth watering at seeing this guy going for the puck near the boards

Andreas Engqvist :

I wonder sometimes what the discussion was in Gainey / Gauthier's office when the name Andreas Engqvist came up.

Gauthier : Tell me about Engqvist.

Scout : Well he's not much of a scorer, I mean ... he's not really fast, he's big though.

Gauthier : Ok so can he speak french ?

Scout : A few words, but ....

Gauthier : BRING HIM TO ME !

Ok, I'm probably tired, but yes, I heard him say '' HOHOHO UN PEU '' which qualifies as being bilingual right ? right ...  No seriously Engqvist is one of those rare guys who'll make you look for the Q key on your keyboard when talking about a hockey player, but all grammatical follies aside, it is true, Engqvist is big, very big and to my amazement pretty good on skates, good enough to make you look twice, he will battle where the battle happens and won't back down from physical play, one of those players who has allot of fun making small offensive players miserable. he's got defensive hockey sense and knows how to use it to drive you mad. A Jacques Martin type of player.

+ : Hockey brains, Size and Execution

- : Not the most motivated offensive guy you'll meet, one of those '' good without the puck '' guys. has skills though, but kind of Andreas Dackell like ...

Hope you enjoyed the read ... I'm off !