Joel Bouchard Named Head Coach Of Laval Rocket
As many have expected, the Montreal Canadiens have hired Joel Bouchard to be the next head coach of their AHL affiliate. Sylvain Lefebvre had been fired recently as head coach of the Laval Rocket, a job that Bouchard will take after a few years leading the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada of the QMJHL. The deal is for three seasons, and the Canadiens also announced that Larry Carriere, who had previously been GM of the team, will stay on as director of player personnel and senior advisor for Montreal.
Laval finished their AHL season with 12-straight losses and looked completely disjointed for much of the year under Lefebvre. Bouchard will be tasked with building the program up again and developing some more talent for the Canadiens to utilize. Though winning is important at the AHL level, players need to be better prepared for the NHL when they get the call. Montreal does have some talented prospects, but too often they’ve struggled when asked to play a role at the higher level.
Bouchard, a former NHL defenseman who played 364 games in the league, will bring his signature defensive structure that led to such success in the QMJHL. The Armada went to their second consecutive league final and finished with a 50-11-7 record on the year, earning Bouchard a Coach of the Year win. Luckily he’ll have his captain with him, as the Canadiens signed Alexandre Alain to an entry-level contract recently and will likely send him to Laval to start the year.
2018 Memorial Cup Preview
The finale of the 2017-18 major junior season kicks off on Friday with the beginning of the Memorial Cup tournament. Each year, the champions of the three CHL leagues—the OHL, QMJHL, and WHL—and a rotating host team face off in a round-robin tournament with the championship being held on Sunday, May 27. This year’s tourney takes place in Regina, Saskatchewan and features the host Regina Pats of the WHL, the OHL champion Hamilton Bulldogs, the QMJHL champion Acadie-Bathurst Titan, and the WHL champion Swift Current Broncos. Below is a summary of each of the contending squads to help prepare for the upcoming games:
Regina Pats (40-25-7)
The host Pats are not quite on the level of the other three teams, as per usual, but that doesn’t mean they can’t string together enough wins to steal the Memorial Cup away. The Pats finished third in the WHL’s East Division, although their 87 point were good enough for seventh in the league. The team is well acquainted with another Memorial Cup competitor, the Swift Current Broncos, as they finished just behind the eventual champs in the division and fell to them in the first round of the WHL playoffs in seven games. If not for that match-up, Regina had the talent to advance further in the postseason.
The team finished fifth in the league in goals against behind a stout defense featuring three highly regarded NHL prospects: Libor Hajek (NYR), Cale Fleury (MTL), and Josh Mahura (ANA). The offense is led by another standout Ducks prospect, first-rounder Sam Steel (ANA), and has scoring depth in the form of Jake Leschyshyn (VGK), Matthew Bradley (MTL), and draft-eligible Emil Oskanen. The hosts will be far from a pushover in this tournament.
Swift Current Broncos (48-17-7)
The Broncos have the benefit of staying nearby in Saskatchewan and facing a team that they handled all year long in Regina. The team is also on a bit of a hot streak having beaten two division champs, the Moose Jaw Warriors and the Everett Silvertips, en route to their WHL title. Swift Current is a well-rounded squad who finished second in goals against and third in goals for this season. Star center Glen Gawdin (CGY) contributed to both of those marks with both an outstanding 125 points and checking game that earned him over 100 penalty minutes and a +61 rating. Gawdin and partner-in-crime Aleksi Heponiemi (FLA) finished second and third respectively in WHL scoring and form a formidable duo on the team’s top line.
Offensive defenseman Colby Sissons (NJD) and his under-rated pair mate Artyom Minulin are a force themselves on the blue line. However, the key to the Broncos success in the tournament will lie with goaltender Stuart Skinner (EDM). Skinner’s play was incredible in the postseason, as he posted a .932 save percentage and 2.20 GAA in 26 starts. If that level of play continues, Swift Current will be hard to beat.
Hamilton Bulldogs (43-18-7)
The OHL champs were also East Division regular season champs and held the third-best record in the league. They were also third-best in goals against and fifth-best in goals for. Hamilton took their game to the next level in the playoffs though, dropping just five games in four series, including taking down arguably the best team in junior hockey this year, the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, in a six-game final series.
The Bulldogs are led by a forward corps that is unrivaled in depth in this tournament: Robert Thomas (STL), Matthew Strome (PHI), Will Bitten (MTL), MacKenzie Entwhistle (ARI), and overage phenom Brandon Saigeon. The only question is whether or not Hamilton has the difference-makers elsewhere in their lineup to keep up in the tournament.
Acadie-Bathurst Titan (43-15-10)
The Titan finished with the second best record and goal differential in the QMJHL and with the Maritimes Division title, but were clearly the best team in the league come playoff time, when they completed two sweeps and lost only four games on their way to a relatively easy championship. Keeper Evan Fitzpatrick (STL) was the star of the show in the postseason, continuing his strong play from the regular season. Forward Antoine Morand (ANA) and potential top-ten pick defenseman Noah Dobson led their respective units, but watch out for Flyers first-rounder German Rubtsov (PHI) to be the key to the Titan’s success in the tournament.
Morning Notes: Free Agency, Veilleux, Sweden
Though we’re only partway through the second round of the playoffs, many fans have already started dreaming about what could happen on July 1st in free agency. Craig Custance of The Athletic (subscription required) gives us an update on each of his top-20 free agents, including superstar John Tavares.
Obviously Custance can’t handicap a market, but he does mention the San Jose Sharks, Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues as potential pursuers if the New York Islanders’ captain does hit free agency. Tavares would have almost every team checking in should he get to the negotiating window a few days before July 1st.
- The Halifax Mooseheads have hired a new head coach for the 2018-19 season. Eric Veilleux will be behind the bench for the QMJHL squad next season, fresh off his own departure from the Colorado Avalanche AHL affiliate. Veilleux has plenty of experience in the Q, having played there as a junior and coached for nearly a decade.
- The IIHF handed out several suspensions yesterday to the Swedish World Junior squad, after the incidents that occurred after this year’s gold medal game. Players and coaches removed their medals before the post-game event was over, including captain Lias Andersson who tossed it into the crowd in frustration. Interestingly though, of the players suspended only goaltender Olle Eriksson Ek could realistically return to the tournament. The others—Andersson, Axel Jonsson-Fjallby, Jesper Boqvist and Rasmus Dahlin—have either graduated through age or are expected to be in the NHL full-time next year. Perhaps the biggest hit will be the coaching suspensions, which includes a three-game ban for head coach Tomas Monten.
Draft Notes: Mock Draft, Rangers, Canadiens, Sabres
Now that the lottery portion of the 2018 NHL draft has clarified, TSN’s Craig Button has already released his first mock draft. No surprise, the Buffalo Sabres are projected to take defenseman Rasmus Dahlin. The Carolina Hurricanes are projected to take winger Andrei Svechnikov at No. 2, who Button compares to Marian Hossa and who could walk in and join Carolina immediately next season, aiding their struggling offense.
Wingers Filip Zadina and Brady Tkachuk are targeted to be taken at No. 3 and No. 4 by the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators, respectively, while the Arizona Coyotes are projected to select defenseman Quinn Hughes with the fifth pick, rounding out the top five.
- While there is no shot at getting Dahlin, the New York Rangers have made it clear they want to move up in this year’s draft. With the eighth-worst record in the NHL this past season, the team moved back a spot in Saturday’s draft lottery. The Rangers have the ninth-overall pick in the 2018 NHL draft, but have after tearing down their team at the trade deadline, the team has quite a few assets to offer a team willing to trade down. The New York Post’s Larry Brooks writes the team is focusing on two teams, including the Ottawa Senators and Arizona Coyotes, two former trade partners, as potential landing spots at No. 4 and No. 5. While it’s considered to be a deep draft and the Rangers would get a quality player at No. 9, there is said to be a drop off around No. 4 or No. 5. The Rangers not only have the ninth-overall pick, but also have two other first-round picks, including the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Boston Bruins’ first-rounders, which could fall anywhere between 24 and 31. They also have two second and two third-round picks.
- The Montreal Canadiens might also be a trade possibility for teams looking to move up. While the team had a couple of extra hours to imagine winning the lottery when they were among the top three first announced Saturday, the team ended up at No. 3. While there are plenty of high-quality wingers that would be available to the team, it doesn’t really help with the team’s top need, which is a big center, writes Stu Cowan of the Montreal Gazette. One interesting option would be if the Canadiens trade down or just reach for center Joe Veleno from the Drummondville Voltiguers of the QMJHL and was coached by Dominique Ducharme, who was just hired by Canadiens as an assistant coach. Cowan compares this situation to the 2016 draft when the Columbus Blue Jackets shocked everyone when they took Pierre-Luc Dubois with the third-overall pick, although no one is complaining now.
- An interesting note from the Buffalo News’ Mike Harrington, the Buffalo Sabres won the lottery twice Saturday. They initially won the No. 1 pick and then again won the No. 3 pick. The No. 3 pick was then was redrawn, which allowed the Montreal Canadiens to move up.
Patrick Roy To Return To Quebec Remparts
Patrick Roy‘s exit from the Colorado Avalanche was anything but smooth, resigning his post as head coach less than two months before the 2016-17 season began. The club moved on to Jared Bednar, who eventually turned them around in year two and took them to the playoffs.
Now, Roy will return to coaching in an old stomping ground. Mikael Lalancette of TVA Sports is reporting that the Quebec Remparts of the QMJHL will announced Roy’s return as head coach tomorrow. The Remparts recently lost their head coach when Philippe Boucher resigned after five seasons with the team. Roy had coached the team for parts of eight seasons previous to his time in Colorado.
Roy had a 349-159-37 record during his first stint with the team, taking them to the QMJHL playoffs every season. They didn’t take home a league championship during that time, but will try again with the legendary goaltender at the helm.
Montreal Canadiens Sign Alexandre Alain
The Montreal Canadiens have signed undrafted free agent Alexandre Alain to a three-year, entry-level contract. Alain is still playing with the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada in the QMJHL playoffs, where the team has advanced to the semi-finals and leads Charlottetown two games to none.
There is a lot to like about Alain, who has taken strong steps forward every year of his junior career. Initially seen as a future dynamic two-way center prospect, he struggled to create offense in his first few seasons and needed a trade from Gatineau to really find his game. This season he took it to another level, producing 87 points in just 65 games and adding another 19 in 11 playoff contests.
Absolutely one of the hardest centers in the league to match up against, there isn’t a single moment Alain stops working on the ice. His tenacity and willingness to go into rough areas are what have really stood out to scouts, even before his offense caught up with him this season.
Somewhat unfortunately, to stick as a center in the professional ranks there needs to be more than just work ethic. He’ll need to show that he can be a consistent offensive producer—or at least facilitate for his linemates—to ever sniff the NHL, though there is certainly a role for him in the minor leagues as the Canadiens try to find more depth down the middle. Alain was playing as an over-ager in junior, meaning he’ll be heading to the AHL’s Laval Rocket next season.
San Jose Sharks Sign Ivan Chekhovich To Entry-Level Contract
The San Jose Sharks have signed another prospect, inking Ivan Chekhovich to a three-year entry-level contract that begins in the 2018-19 season. Chekhovich has been playing with the San Jose Barracuda on an amateur tryout, after being eliminated from the QMJHL playoffs. GM Doug Wilson issued a statement regarding the signing:
Ivan had another productive season in juniors and took his game to a whole new level when he joined the Barracuda this season. He has proven in his short stint of professional hockey that he can keep up with the pace and physicality and, with help from scout Gilles Cote, has already become a difference maker in the Barracuda’s improbable run to the Calder Cup Playoffs. His offensive instincts and creativity make him a dangerous player in the opposing team’s end and we look forward to seeing him develop with our organization.
Selected in the seventh round in 2017, Chekhovich had another strong (but not outstanding) season for the Baie-Comeau Drakkar, but has really made an impact in his short stint with the Barracuda. Scoring nine points in six games, he has shown the quick hands and offensive awareness that made him an interesting prospect last June.
Chekhovich had a wide variety of rankings before the draft, including #52 overall at Future Considerations. His final ranking with the NHL’s Central Scouting was 71st among North American skaters, closer to his eventual selection at #212. There was a chance that he could be drawn back to Russia, but now that the Sharks have him under contract his future looks to lie in San Jose.
Tampa Bay Lightning Sign Otto Somppi To Entry-Level Contract
Watch out NHL, the Tampa Bay Lightning have signed another talented late-round pick. Today, the team announced a three-year entry-level contract for Otto Somppi, signing him ahead of the June 1st deadline. Somppi’s Halifax Mooseheads were eliminated from the QMJHL playoffs earlier this month, likely ending his junior career.
Selected in the seventh round in 2016, Somppi broke out this season in a more offensive role, scoring 83 points in 59 games for the Mooseheads. Known for his incredible hands—and semi-regular lacrosse-style plays—the 20-year old Finnish forward has many things teams look for in young prospects. A good defensive mind, if a little weak on his stick at times, Somppi can play a solid two-way game and contribute at both center and the wing. That versatility will come in handy as he tries to carve out a role for himself at the next level.
Tampa Bay has continued to develop a pipeline of talent in their minor league system, graduating players like Ondrej Palat (7th round, 2011), Jake Dotchin (6th round, 2012), Brayden Point (3rd round, 2014) and Anthony Cirelli (3rd round, 2015) in recent years. Though Somppi has a long way to go to be an impact player at the NHL level, he’s another talented player for the system to work with and hopefully squeeze some value out of.
An Underwhelming 2018 Goalie Draft Class
There are already 15 teams whose 2017-18 season has come to and end, with eight more joining the group in the next week or two. For those teams, full attention has already been turned to preparing for the off-season. The first major event of the summer is the NHL Entry Draft, coming up on June 22-23, where teams can add promising young prospects at every position. However, for any teams in need of a major addition in net to the pipeline, the 2018 class leaves a lot to be desired.
The days of goaltenders being selected early in the first round may be over, but at least one goalie has been selected in the first fifty picks of the draft every year since the turn of the century, including several years with multiple first-round keepers. That streak may come to an end in 2018. Somewhat lost in the hype of top prospects like Rasmus Dahlin and many other high-ceiling forwards and defenseman is the fact that few see any young goaltenders worthy of value picks this year. The first mock drafts from NHL.com and Yahoo both fail to include any keepers in the top 31 picks and Sportsnet‘s latest Top 31 makes no mention of one either. The Hockey Writers takes it one step further, including just one goaltender among the first 75 players in their Top 93.
That one goalie, Czech pro Jakub Skarek, is a polarizing prospect. Skarek has good size and put up good numbers for HC Dukla Jihlava, one of the worst teams in the top Czech league, earning his top ranking among European goalies by NHL Central Scouting. Yet, Skarek also looked completely over-matched at the World Juniors and many feel is still a very raw talent, lending some explanation to what some feel is a third-round grade. Skarek may be the best the class has to offer though. The QMJHL offers a relatively strong group – Alexis Gravel, Olivier Rodrigue, and Kevin Mandolese – but all pale in comparison to top prospects from recent draft years.
Could one of these goalies slip into the first round? It would be a major surprise. The top fifty picks? That could more likely, but at this point in the pre-draft process seems to also be a stretch. So, for those teams in need of a top goaltender in the system, and there a quite a few, this may be the year to look for a sleeper in the late rounds rather than reach for an underwhelming option early on.
Filip Zadina Joins Czech World Championship Team
Now that his Halifax Mooseheads have been eliminated from the QMJHL playoffs, Filip Zadina could settle in and wait for the upcoming draft, where he is expected to be among the very first few names off the board. Instead, he’s headed to join the Czech Republic men’s team as they prepare for the upcoming World Championships.
While it’s not clear if Zadina will suit up in the tournament for the Czech’s, the fact that he has been invited to their training camp shows just how talented the youngster is. The 18-year old recorded 44 goals and 82 points in the regular season for the Mooseheads, while being one of the most dangerous players at the World Juniors and putting up another 12 points in 9 playoff games. His year has been quite impressive, and an appearance at the Worlds would be icing on the cake.
Though he may still go third behind Rasmus Dahlin and Andrei Svechnikov (or even fourth behind Brady Tkachuk), Zadina figures to be a franchise-changing offensive talent in the NHL. The sniper can create offense all by himself by beating players with his speed and goaltenders with his shot, and he could likely slide onto an NHL powerplay right away. While he may need a bit more seasoning to develop his all-around game, there’s little doubt he can make an impact at the next level.
We won’t know where he’s going until the day of the draft, but on April 28th we’ll get an idea of where he could end up. That’s the draft lottery, where the Buffalo Sabres have the best chance at selecting first overall. Whoever ends up in second will have quite the decision on their hands, while third and fourth won’t complain about the superstar talent that falls to them.