The following is a rundown
of the Halifax Mooseheads’ picks in the QMJHL draft on Saturday in
Moncton.
They are listed with comments
from general manager Cam Russell and chief Atlantic scout Allie MacDonald
(listed by round-pick with age, height, weight, team and 2008-09 statistics).
1-15. F BRENT ANDREWS,
15, 6-1, 183, Cornwall (P.E.I. midget), 30-12-20-32-18.
Not committed to Halifax yet
because he is mulling over an NCAA option from the University of Maine
… Could have a similar QMJHL impact to Logan MacMillan if he decides
to report … “He’s a great skater, offensively gifted, a big, strong
guy, and he’s got great work ethic to go with it,” Russell said
… “He makes his own room on the ice. He’s not a player the other
team is going to wear down. He skates well, shoots well … He’s a
real package guy,” MacDonald said.
2-19. D JAMIE BISHOP, 15,
6-0, 183, Saint John (N.B. midget), 35-5-15-20-30.
Central Scouting’s seventh-ranked
prospect … Decided just before the draft he would play in the Q …
“We were amazed Bishop was still there. He’s an all-around defenceman,
he’s big, physical, he ran their power play and he’s a great competitor,”
said Russell … “He plays hard on the puck in every area of the rink.
He shoots the puck hard, he’s got good mobility, he’ll go face-to-face
with anybody who’s against him. He’s never backed down from any
challenge,” said MacDonald.
3-49. C MATTHEW BOUDREAU,
15, 5-8, 148, Eustache (Que. midget), 45-18-25-43-4.
Extremely small but finished
only five points behind first overall pick Olivier Archambault … “He
could come in and be one of our top power-play guys in a year or two.
We’re obviously looking for character guys, but we need guys who can
score goals, and he’s a character kid with skill. It’s hard to turn
away from that. You don’t have to be big to play this game anymore,”
said Russell … “I call him a slip-slide guy. He dishes the puck
off well and he’s very evasive,” said MacDonald.
4-67. D TREY LEWIS 15, 5-10,
170, Moncton (N.B. midget), 13-1-3-4-32.
Mooseheads say he has no lingering
problems after having surgery for a long-lingering knee injury … Compares
well to 19th overall pick Jamie Bishop … “Sometimes, you put he
and Bishop on the ice, you have to look twice to know who is who. He’s
physical and does things at good speed,” said MacDonald.
4-72. F CARL GELINAS, 16,
5-11, 172, Trois-Rivieres (Que. midget), 40-13-24-37-61.
Put up great numbers as a 16-year-old
in the Quebec midget AAA ranks and had a point-per-game in the playoffs
… “He’s a hard-working guy, good along the boards. He’s a character
guy and he put up decent numbers,” said Russell.
6-106. D HANNAY SAWYER,
16, 6-3, 190, Moncton (N.B. midget), 34-5-17-22-74.
Sawyer sounds like he’ll
be a fan favourite, if he pans out … Logged big minutes for Moncton
all season … “He competes as hard as any kid we saw in Atlantic
Canada this year. Every minute he’s on the ice, he’s going hard.
He’s a rock’em, sock’em guy. He plays with reckless abandon. He’s
not worried about getting hit or throwing a big hit. He’s a hard-nosed
defenceman,” said MacDonald.
9-145. G JOEL GRONDIN, 16,
6-1, 192, Notre Dame (Que. midget), 31GP, 3.38 GAA.
Had decent numbers on a bad
team and will fight for the backup job behind Mathieu Corbeil, presuming
there are no trades before camp … “He’s a big goaltender. It wasn’t
one of the top drafts for goaltending but he gives us depth. It’s
probably the toughest position to draft … We’ve seen kids
drafted very, very late and they get on a roll and play four years of
major junior hockey,” said MacDonald.
10-163. F BRETT BERNARD,
16, 5-11, 170, Fredericton (N.B. midget), 35-16-14-30-98.
The Mooseheads thought about
taking Bernard in the first five rounds last year, but nabbed him in
the 10th round the second time through … Had a productive year …
“He’s a guy who always seems to be around the puck. Every time you
look on the ice, you find Bernard there. You’re going to be very comfortable
throwing that kid, especially early in his career, on a third line,”
said MacDonald.
11-181. D STEVE GILLARD,
16, 5-10, 184, St. John’s (N.L. midget), 21-4-10-14-24.
Gillard has an NCAA option
at the University of Maine, while his junior A rights are held by the
Woodstock Slammers … Mooseheads took a risk, hoping he’ll report
… Top defenceman at Atlantic midget championship … “He’s such
a quality player, at that point in the draft, why not take a kid like
that and he may change his mind. He’s an offensive defenceman who
skates very, very well,” said MacDonald.
12-197. F KODY ORR, 16,
6-0, 170, Amherst (N.S. junior A), 49-9-10-19-56.
Orr is a smart kid in the classroom
with a 90-plus average, meaning he could have NCAA options if he goes
looking … Played midget with the Dartmouth Subways … Born leader
with captain qualities … “He’s very excited to be coming to our
camp. He plays very well along the wall. He was used in last-minute
situations (for Amherst) and he’s very, very responsible defensively,”
said MacDonald.
