Author: Theo Kyres

Looking at Marc Bergevin’s draft record and what he can do to improve

The NHL draft is the single most important date on any general manager’s calendar. It’s where teams build their foundation for the future, the moments which begin a player’s journey to the best hockey league in the world and the event where championships are won. It’s also where we learn about the team’s philosophy and if there’s any shifting trends amongst its future plans. This year’s draft takes place in Buffalo, NY June 24 and 25 and it’s set to be Marc Bergevin’s most important moment as GM of the Canadiens.

Bergevin’s draft philosophy is that size and character dominates actual skill. It’s why Connor Crisp (who will never play a game in the NHL) was chosen before Anthony Duclair; a Montrealer playing extremely well in Arizona. When analyzing Bergevin’s tenure, it’s more than fair to say the Canadiens have largely failed at having top-tier amateur scouting.

Noah Juulsen who was last year’s pick has had a terrible season with a drop from 0.76 to 0.45 points per game. Nikita Scherbak, the team’s 2014 first-round pick has been awful in the AHL with only 15 points in 35 games. Bergevin’s only impact pick was with Alex Galchenyuk who was drafted third overall in 2012 and with Michael McCarron who was drafted 25th overall in 2013. However, McCarron is projected to only be a third-line forward.

This year the Canadiens will likely draft anywhere from eighth to 11th overall. The Canadiens are a team that desperately need a skill-upgrade at the centre, wing and defense positions. Aside from my delusional dream of a lottery win for Auston Matthews, let’s look at who the Canadiens can and should realistically draft.

In the Quebec player category, Pierre-Luc Dubois is someone that, if available, the team has to draft. He’s intelligent, skilled and has tremendous size, a perfect complement for Galchenyuk. TSN Draft analyst Craig Button and Sportsnet lead CHL analyst Sam Cosentino both believe he has top-5 potential but he’s currently ranked eighth in Bob McKenzie’s mid-season draft rankings. Ranked in the 10th spot is Julien Gauthier, who has put up 56 points this season, but lacked in the assist category which has hurt his reputation with scouts.

Ranked right after Dubois is Mike McLeod, who is compared favorably to Ryan Kesler with the speed of Dylan Larkin. One player who might drop is Alex Nylander, brother of Toronto Maple Leafs future star forward William Nylander. Alex is an offensive beast with some size but is a pure winger who can have some inconsistent streaks.

In the defensemen category, there are a few notable players. Button is impressed by  two guys in particular: Olli Juolevi and Jake Bean. Juolevi, ranked seventh, is a smooth-skating, puck-moving defenseman who made a name for himself at the World Juniors and just might be the best defenseman available. Bean, ranked 11th, is a great offensive defenseman who currently leads his junior team, the Calgary Hitmen, in goals with 24.

One potential late first or early second-round player Bergevin should look to acquire is Alex DeBrincat of the Erie Otters. He’s a small player but he’s an elite offensive talent who’s scoring at a higher pace than he did while playing alongside Connor McDavid; the first overall pick from 2015.

Personally, if the Habs are looking for a forward, they should draft Dubois, while if they are looking for a defensemen, they should draft Bean. We’ll just have to wait and see what Bergevin decides to do on draft day.

 

The Stingers’ season ends with a heart-breaking loss in overtime against McGill

In game two of their best of three series against the Redmen, the Stingers delivered a performance full of heart as there was a possibility it could be captain Olivier Hinse’s final game. While Concordia played well, the team lost to the Redman 4-3 in overtime, eliminating them from the playoffs and putting an end to the season.

“I’m just so proud of the guys, they played well, we were missing some key guys and the guys worked their [behinds] off and I’m really, really proud of these guys,” Stingers coach Marc-André Element said.

In the first period both teams played a tight, checking style of game but towards the mid-way point of the period, Concordia seized the momentum from McGill and was forcing the play in the Redmen zone. The Redmen could only counter with their strong transition play, forcing Stingers goalie Miguel Sullivan to come up with some huge stops early to keep it tied.

The Stingers effort in the McGill zone was rewarded late in the period as Stingers forward Scott Oke banked the puck in off of Redmen goaltender Jacob Gervais-Chouinard’s blocker to give them the lead. The Stingers continued to pressure the Redmen but a huge hit by Stingers forward Philippe Hudon was deemed an illegal check to the head which ejected Hudon from the game. Coach Element did not like the call and was visibly upset by the referee’s decision.

The second period was a high scoring affair starting with a goal by Redmen forward David Rose who scored early in the period while on the powerplay. The Stingers replied with a goal by forward Raphael Lafontaine to give themselves a 2-1 lead. Rose would score again for the Redmen to tie it up with a one-timer a little over a minute later.

Midway through the period, Hinse capitalized on the powerplay after Stingers forward Jessyko Bernard took  a shot from the circle, which deflected off of Chouinard and landed on Hinse’s stick. At the end of the second period, it was 3-2 in favour of the Stingers.

In the third period, Sullivan stood on his head as the Stingers were outshot 15-7. While McGill did tie the game midway through the final frame, Sullivan was the reason it went into overtime. The shot count was 42-30 in favor of McGill going into the overtime period and it would end 51-36 in McGill’s favor.

“[Sullivan] played really well, really had a good game and if you want to have success you need your goalie to play a game like that and you know what, he had a really good season,” said Element.

In overtime, both goalies had to make big saves to keep the game tied but Sullivan once again outshone his McGill counterpart with some amazing glove hand stops. However, McGill did eventually capitalize on the power play as McGill forward Simon Tardif-Richard scored on a rebound to end the Stingers season.

Despite losing, Hinse, whose CIS career could potentially be over, had nothing but praise for his team.
“They’re a great bunch of young players, they have big hearts and they never stop working,” said Hinse. There’s a change of culture going on and we’re all going in the right direction and I can’t wait to come back and see these guys winning because it’s right there.”

The Stingers men’s hockey season is now over, however, the women’s hockey playoff will be starting within a week.

Captain Olivier Hinse’s hat trick was not enough to overcome McGill’s offensive abilities

After outshooting and outplaying their opponent, the Concordia Stingers could not capitalize on their chances and lost to the McGill Redmen on Feb. 5, by a score of 7-3.  

“We were all over them and I think that even if it’s in a loss I’m proud of myself and I’m proud of the guys,” said Stingers captain Olivier Hinse. “We’re going the right way towards the playoffs.”

Despite McGill having five players in the Top 10 for OUA scoring, Concordia was able to outshoot McGill 43-38. However, with McGill’s finishing ability, the Stingers gave up too many scoring chances and didn’t receive the timely saves needed to compete. The chances given to McGill were enough to give the Redmen a substantial lead early on.

“It’s [McGill], a good scoring team so when you give a lot of scoring chances, for sure they’re going to put it in so we got to limit their scoring chances,” said Stingers coach Marc-André Element.

McGill’s first goal came on their first power-play opportunity and it was a nicely set up goal with defensemen Dominic Talbot-Tassi setting up forward Mathieu Pompei for an open net on the right side.

Later in the first period, Concordia had some bad luck on a blocked shot which became a breakaway goal for McGill. Hinse replied with his first of three on the night after Frederick Roy gave a saucer pass to Hinse, who put it past Redmen goaltender Joe Fleschler. McGill’s Liam Heelis replied less than a minute later to restore the two-goal lead.

After the first period, Coach Element decided to make a goaltending switch after Billingham let in three goals on 14 shots. Element said the move was intended to give a bit of a boost to the team.

Concordia controlled the play in the beginning of the second period but had trouble putting the puck past Fleschler who started the period off with two big saves to keep the two goal lead. After a few chances, the Redmen got another breakaway and once again capitalized on it.

Discipline was an issue in the second period for the Stingers as forward Antoine Masson received a four-minute penalty for high sticking.

After the penalty, Hinse came back with a highlight reel  goal after an incredible individual effort, which saw Hinse score on his backhand while falling. Once again though, McGill displayed its finishing ability with a slap shot from the point to bring the lead back to three.

The key difference in the deciding period was a great goaltending performance by McGill’s Fleschler. Hinse noted that McGill certainly got lucky when it came to their netminder.

“The goalie seemed like he didn’t see the puck at all but he was finding it so sometimes goalies are good like that so we’re giving him credit,” said Hinse.

The game was put out of reach in the third period with two quick goals by McGill. The first of these goals was due to a breakdown in coverage behind the net leading to an easy wrap around goal for McGill, while the second was a floater from the top of the zone.

The Stingers were unable to mount a comeback. McGill was undisciplined throughout the final period and this lead to two five-on-three opportunities for the Stingers, which led to Hinse’s third goal of the night.

The rivalry was in full force as there were 13 penalties called, with 37 total penalty minutes, including a major penalty on a high cross-check by Concordia’s Dany Potvin. The two teams will meet next week on Feb. 12 at Ed Meagher Arena.

The loss puts the Stingers at a record of 8-12-5 for the season. The loss is also their fifth in a row.

Captain Olivier Hinse’s hat trick was not enough to overcome McGill’s offensive abilities

After outshooting and outplaying their opponent, the Concordia Stingers could not capitalize on their chances and lost to the McGill Redmen on Feb. 5, by a score of 7-3.  

“We were all over them and I think that even if it’s in a loss I’m proud of myself and I’m proud of the guys,” said Stingers captain Olivier Hinse. “We’re going the right way towards the playoffs.”

Despite McGill having five players in the Top 10 for OUA scoring, Concordia was able to outshoot McGill 43-38. However, with McGill’s finishing ability, the Stingers gave up too many scoring chances and didn’t receive the timely saves needed to compete. The chances given to McGill were enough to give the Redmen a substantial lead early on.

“It’s [McGill], a good scoring team so when you give a lot of scoring chances, for sure they’re going to put it in so we got to limit their scoring chances,” said Stingers coach Marc-André Element.

McGill’s first goal came on their first power-play opportunity and it was a nicely set up goal with defensemen Dominic Talbot-Tassi setting up forward Mathieu Pompei for an open net on the right side.

Later in the first period, Concordia had some bad luck on a blocked shot which became a breakaway goal for McGill. Hinse replied with his first of three on the night after Frederick Roy gave a saucer pass to Hinse, who put it past Redmen goaltender Joe Fleschler. McGill’s Liam Heelis replied less than a minute later to restore the two-goal lead.

After the first period, Coach Element decided to make a goaltending switch after Billingham let in three goals on 14 shots. Element said the move was intended to give a bit of a boost to the team.

Concordia controlled the play in the beginning of the second period but had trouble putting the puck past Fleschler who started the period off with two big saves to keep the two goal lead. After a few chances, the Redmen got another breakaway and once again capitalized on it.

Discipline was an issue in the second period for the Stingers as forward Antoine Masson received a four-minute penalty for high sticking.

After the penalty, Hinse came back with a highlight reel  goal after an incredible individual effort, which saw Hinse score on his backhand while falling. Once again though, McGill displayed its finishing ability with a slap shot from the point to bring the lead back to three.

The key difference in the deciding period was a great goaltending performance by McGill’s Fleschler. Hinse noted that McGill certainly got lucky when it came to their netminder.

“The goalie seemed like he didn’t see the puck at all but he was finding it so sometimes goalies are good like that so we’re giving him credit,” said Hinse.

The game was put out of reach in the third period with two quick goals by McGill. The first of these goals was due to a breakdown in coverage behind the net leading to an easy wrap around goal for McGill, while the second was a floater from the top of the zone.

The Stingers were unable to mount a comeback. McGill was undisciplined throughout the final period and this lead to two five-on-three opportunities for the Stingers, which led to Hinse’s third goal of the night.

The rivalry was in full force as there were 13 penalties called, with 37 total penalty minutes, including a major penalty on a high cross-check by Concordia’s Dany Potvin. The two teams will meet next week on Feb. 12 at Ed Meagher Arena.

The loss puts the Stingers at a record of 8-12-5 for the season. The loss is also their fifth in a row.

The men’s hockey team was dominant on Nov. 27 against the west division’s Badgers

The Stingers were dominant in a one-sided effort which saw them crush the Brock Badgers by a score of 7-1 on Nov. 27 at Ed Meagher Arena.

The Stingers seem to have found their offensive touch during their last four games, outscoring opponents by a combined 12 goals; they’re 3-0-1 during this latest stretch. Brock on the other hand, has lost their last three games with a goal differential of negative 14 and this game continued the trend.

The first few minutes of the game were tense. Both sides were playing tight, checking hockey. Halfway through the first period, Stingers captain Olivier Hinse, the team’s leading scorer, ripped a shot on the power play after forward Scott Oke set him up on a one-timer. Brock then responded with a goal by Sammy Banga off a scrambled play in front of the net.

However, towards the end of the first period, the Stingers started to dominate the play and were clearly the better team, outshooting and out-chancing their opponent by a wide margin.

Hinse scored a goal off of a rush to start the second period, a period which saw  the Stingers score five of their six unanswered goals. After Hinse scored, the game got tight for a few minutes before the Stingers found an extra offensive gear and took the play to the Badgers.

Brock goalie Real Cormier was solid in the first but after stopping 23 of his first 24 shots, he allowed three on the last four of the period.

The next goal was a rocket from Stingers forward Jessyko Bernard after defenceman Frederick Roy opened up the zone with a solid play on the boards. This was followed by a speedy, intelligent defensive play by Alexandros Soumakis who fed Luca Ciampini for his first of two goals during the period. Speed was a huge factor as the Stingers utilized it to establish their torrid pace and strong cycle game to keep the game out of reach for Brock.

In the third period, Stingers goaltender Miguel Sullivan made some fantastic saves and the Stingers continued to control the play even when Brock tried to impose their physical play. Roy was rewarded for his hard work on the penalty kill and great defensive coverage with a nice tip-in goal to make it 7-1.

The game got rough in the third period, as Soumakis left the game with an undisclosed injury.  There were also a few tense moments after high hits on Hinse and Sullivan, but both would be all right.

Ciampini, who scored two goals during the second, now has seven goals in his last four games and explained the difference he’s felt during that stretch

“Just going to the net, using my shot, playing hard, I’ve got my confidence and we’ll just keep going from there,” Ciampini said.

Sullivan was another key factor in the game as he made key stops, including an incredible diving save in the third.

“It was outstanding, probably the best game I’ve ever been a part of,” Sullivan said. “They (Stingers) were strong offensively and strong defensively and they were all clicking.”

Stingers coach Marc-André Element was quite happy with the result and had praise for his goaltender’s effort,

“He kept us in the game, he [had] some key saves and this is what we want from our goalies,” said Element.

Element also praised his team’s attention to detail during the game.

“It’s one of the first games of the season that we played 60 minutes,” Element said. “We did all the little details we were asking for.”

The following night on Nov. 28, the men lost to York University 4-3. The Stingers now have a record of 6-7-3 on the year.