The 2007 Draft Class

The Lewiston MAINEiacs reloaded their team with prospects heading into the 2007-08 defense of the Presidents Cup title.

The MAINEiacs headed into the draft with the final pick in the first round at #18, but as the draft progressed, they felt it necessary to make a minor deal with the Val-d’Or Foreurs that bumped them up two positions to #16 where they selected defenseman Eric Gelinas.

Hockey Prospects Online says this about the MAINEiacs top pick:

“Gelinas is one of those prospects who is good at everything but not spectacular at one thing. He has a lanky build with above average skating ability. He plays defense with his brain, in that he makes smart reads, contains his man well, and has a very good stick . He isn’t going to put anyone through the boards, but he plays an effective style. He is capable in the offensive zone and that is one aspect of his game that should flourish with more confidence. He plays a mature style, which should allow him to adapt to the Q rather easily.”

Gelinas is listed as 6-2, 165 lbs, and in 44 games for CC-Lemoyne had 5 goals, 14 assists and 50 penalty minutes.

Next for the MAINEiacs at the end of the second round was the selection of center Billy Lacasse at #36. The pick could be viewed as bit of a surprise in a way. Lacasse will be considered as a 17 year-old for the 2007-08 season, and usually in the first five rounds, players in their 16 year-old year are selected. Usually only the “best of the rest” of last years undrafted 16s get drafted early.

Hockey Prospects Online has this to say about Lacasse:

“Billy is the same player he was last season, just a lot more offensive. He is still a buzz saw out on the ice creating a turnover or a scoring chance on every shift. He is still an exceptional penalty killer, and he still likes to play in the high traffic areas. He showed a lot more touch around the net in the second half of the season and he ended up finishing only four goals shy of the league lead. A versatile player who may surprise at the next level.”

Listed as 5-10 / 179, Lacasse in 44 games for Laurentides registered 27 goals and 25 assists with 94 penalty minutes.

Without a third round pick, the MAINEiacs table laid idle for what would be a busy fourth round, and it started with the first two picks. With #55, the team selected defenseman Pierre-Luc Pelletier, and the idea here is longer term, as Hockey Prospects Online illustrates:

“Pellitier is a rock on Levis’ blueline. Don’t expect much in the way of flashy plays when he is on the ice because frankly that isn’t his thing. He is a shutdown defenseman with good size who likes to play physical. When he has the puck in his own zone he does have some troubles, and that is one aspect of his game that will have to improve. His skating is only average, and he will have to improve his footspeed as well. He will no doubt be looked at as a project type of pick.”

Pelletier is listed as 6-1 / 161 lbs and for Levis had 2 goals, 3 assists and 16 penalty minutes in 40 games.

At #56, Lewiston selected center Tommy Dery, and one could wonder if the second comming of Simon Courcelles could be in the waiting as Hockey Prospects Online describes:

“Last season, Tommy was a very successful Bantam level player with Rive-Nord. He is a dynamic centerman with high end offensive skills. He is a bit on the small side but he doesn’t lack grit and he will compete in all three zones. He is average on the draw, which isn’t bad for a kid his age, but we would like to see the defensive side of his game improve, which it will. He has an average shot but he is a very good stick handler with above average vision of the ice.”

Dery is listed as 5-8 / 148 lbs and for Séminaire St-François (SSF) he had 10 goals and 16 assists with 32 penalty minutes in 42 games.

The final pick of the fourth round at #66 saw Lewiston select winger Pier-Olivier Morin, who fits into the grit trend that the franchise appeared to be looking for in this draft, as Hockey Prospects Online concurs:

“Morin had an up and down season. He was solid in the regular season, but he had a playoff run to forget. Morin has a nice mix of skill and grit. He isn’t very heavy but he has no problem playing in the corners, he is willing to compete for loose pucks. We like is competition level and his coach-ability.”

Morin is listed at 5-10 / 148 lbs and in 44 games for Trois-Rivieres had 17 goals, 17 assists and 50 penalty minutes. In 8 post season games, Morin recorded just 2 assists.

After a long break that went to the tail end of the sixth round, Lewiston took the first of three goalies in their next six picks. First off, Kirk Rafuse from Nova Scotia, who had a breakout season for Truro in “Peter Delmas” like fashion as Hockey Prospects Online says:

“After making the Bearcats, and not playing much throughout the begining of the year, Kirk came alive in the new year. Number one keeper Darcy Stewart went down with an injury in January, and Kirk filled he boots better than anyone expected. He is a very good technical goalie, who has had a taste of success this season. He shined as the number one goalie for Nova Scotia at Canada Games, and he played confidently for the powerhouse Bearcats. He is a pretty heady goalie, and does not make lapses in judgement, nor does he get down on himself when his game is not clicking. In this year’s draft, with top end goaltending at a premium, he will likely go early, and have a solid season in the Q next year.”

Rafuse is listed as 5-10 / 160 lbs, and in 1044 minutes for Truro registered a 2.41 GAA and 0.909 save percentage. 

The seventh round saw Lewiston deal off its pick to Shawinigan for American born winger Todd Chinova.

The Stratford, Connecticut native will make Lewiston his third home in three seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Originally drafted by the Quebec Remparts in the fifth round (#85) in 2005, the 17 year-old played on the 2006 Memorial Cup winning team in his rookie season.

Last January, Chinova was traded from the Remparts to the Cataractes for a sixth round pick in this years draft. At 6-0 / 203 lbs, Chinova will bring a strong physical presence to Lewiston for the 2007-08 campaign. In a total of 56 games, Chinova had one goal with three assists and 39 penalty minutes.

 In the eighth round, the MAINEiacs picked up another Truro product in center Stephen Horyl, and could find a depth role on the team come August. Hockey Prospects Online writes on him:

“Stephen has adjusted to the speed of Junior A quite nicely. He played a lot of minutes during the regular season on the second line. He brings a lot of energy to the ice, and he has nice hands. He has a nice little wrist shot, and gets into high traffic/reward areas. A question about his future is whether or not he will be able to play the same game in the Q. As solid as Junior A defensemen are, he will not get the same opportunities at the next level. He will, however, play a good two-way game. He won’t put up the same points in the Q, but he will be a nifty third liner.”

Horyl lists at 5-8 / 175 lbs and in 53 regular season games for Truro had 18 goals and 30 assists and 28 penalty minutes.

The ninth round saw the MAINEiacs take their second netminder of the draft in Marc-Antoine Coulombe, a teammate of early fourth round pick, Pierre-Luc Pelletier. Hockey Prospects Online liked the way he progressed this season:

“Coulombe had a wonderful season. He came in off the radar and grew on us as the season progressed. Levis was by no means a defensive juggernaut this season and Coulombe kept them in a lot of games they had no business being in. He has good size and quickness, his technical skills need some work but that is to be expected for a kid who was in his first season in AAA.”

Listed as 6-1 / 192, Coulombe had a respectable 3.34 GAA and 0.896 save percentage in 1457 minutes for Levis.

Into the tenth round, Lewiston would look again to the Maritimes to select winger Marc Bourgeois. As Hockey Prospects Online says, he’s a grinder whose game may or may not translate well in the Q:

“His CSR tournament did not do him much just ice, but it still was pretty representative of his game on the whole. Marc is not a high octane-scoring machine. With the Crushers, he played a ‘grinders’ game. Good skater, good eye for the corner. He is very good at getting the opposition off their game. He hits often, but his hits do not have a big effect. He is very good on the cheap shot to get under the opposition’s skin. His game may project well in the Q, and he would be a solid pick late in the draft, but at the same time, he may be a better Junior A player.”

Bourgeois lists at 5-9 / 172 lbs and in 52 games for Weeks-Pictou he had 7 goals with 18 assists with 84 penalty minutes.

The remaining picks, information is pretty scattered.

In their first pick of the 11th round, the MAINEiacs selected towering defenseman Justin Parsons, who from accounts is listed as 6-6 / 220 lbs from Tri-Pen in Nova Scotia Midget AAA. Later on in the 11th, Lewiston selected their final goaltender of the draft and only American in Damien Pinheiro of the Foxboro Stars. Pinheiro was the MVP for a recent showcase tournament in Montreal for PowerShack hockey out of Rhode Island. The final pick of the entire draft at #216 was winger Hubert Joncas, making the third player taken from Levis. Joncas is listed as 5-9 / 160 and scored 8 goals with 32 assists in 44 games, along with 26 penalty minutes.

More to come on the draft… stay tuned.

offthepost@lewistonhockey.com