MAINEiacs Look to Defend Presidents Cup Title, Run for Memorial Cup

The Lewiston MAINEiacs are preparing for the draft at a couple different angles.

First priority will be to increase team size, as it was demonstrated in the 2007 Memorial Cup that Lewiston just could not compete with the more bigger clubs of the Plymouth Whalers and champion Vancouver Giants. For the team to achieve it’s goal of adding more size, it will likely come in the form of veteran talent already playing in the league, and that will have to come in the form of trades in order to happen.

Another focal point, adding goaltending depth behind Jonathan Bernier and Peter Delmas. With Bernier likely gone come December to the World Junior Championships and Delmas a prime candidate for the under-18 junior tournament, the MAINEiacs could be in a similar situation as in 2005 when Jaroslav Halak played for Team Slovakia and Bernier for Team Canada at the U-18’s, leaving Lewiston to use third- and fourth-string goaltenders Marc-Andre Perron and Marc-Andre Sauve in their absence. Interim GM & Head Coach Ed Harding, along with Head Scout Serge David, will have to rely on the vision of the rest of the teams scouts to select netminders in this draft, that as you will read below from Mark Haidar, are a very weak group overall compared to most years.

With size and goaltending the topical buzzwords, looking at the lineup, the team will need to address other issues between now and the end of the winter trade period. With Simon Courcelles departing the club due to age, the team needs a strong face off centerman to win draws at key points of games. Another issue is a power play quarterback on the blue line, as the team was able to live with dropping forward Eric Castonguay back to the point for the past year, but may not be able to afford to do it again. With Michal Korenko likely not returning as an overage European 20 year-old and Chad Denny likely turning pro, the MAINEiacs will need a veteran presence on the blue line to work with likely returnees Kevin Marshall, Sebastien Piche, Michael Ward, Patrick Cusack, and Tom Michalik.

Another issue that will need to be addressed by late August is the possible abundance of overage players. With QMJHL clubs limited to three 20 year-olds, players such as Stefano Giliati, Marc-Andre Daneau, Chris Tutalo, Marc-Andre Crete, and Eric Castonguay will be in a battle for the slots, and likely leaving the odd players on the trade block. The buzz going in to the draft is that the 20 year-old issue will wait until training camp to be dealt with, but with the need to add size coming at a cost, it would not surprise to see one or more of the players depart before then in a deal.

Also, the team sets up rather weak on the wings, with Tutalo, Giliati and Danick Hudon-Paquette on the left and Daneau, Castonguay and David Perron on the right. With four of those players being OAs and one being forced out as a result of league rules, the MAINEiacs will need to add depth players to balance out the lines. The club looks strong down the middle with Stefan Chaput, Dave Taylor & Alex Beaton, minus the one face-off centerman. Most likely, Lewiston will address part the forward issue at the upcoming CHL Import Draft later in the month

Team toughness will be another issue to contend with as Tristan Manson retires and no other bonafide fighter amongst the current lot. Although Paquette loves to mix them up and will likely do more of that next season, he is much more of an asset on the ice than in the penalty box. A role player for that purpose given another dimension could come fairly cheap.

All in all, a few issues that will need to be thought out and addressed, and we won’t have all the answers by Saturday afternoon, but a better idea of the direction the team is heading.

The Draft Board for Lewiston

This is current as of 8 AM Friday morning, and any adjustments as a result of trades will be updated on Saturday’s page.

1-18
2-36
3- no pick (traded to Quebec for Simon Courcelles)
4-55 (SJB - Travis Fullerton deal)
4-56 (RIM - Michael Chiasson deal)
4-66 (DRU - Olivier Legault deal)
4-72
5- no pick (traded to Shawinigan for Tristan Manson)
6-108
7-126
8-144
9-162
10-180
11-187 (VIC - Karl Prefontaine deal)
11-198
12-216

A look around at the rest of the league

Taking a peak around the league, I suspect certain teams will be quite busy.

Telus Division

Val-d’Or for one, as the team unloads and looks towards the future. The big name tossed about is Brad Marchand, and with Halifax possessing the fifth overall pick, one could easily think that he could be a Moosehead by the time league Commissioner Gilles Courteau calls for the selection. All in all, the Foreurs have 12 overagers heading into 2007-08, which means 9 will have to be elsewhere by opening night in September. GM Stephane Pilotte will be active in the open market, looking for the best possible deals going to jumpstart his club for the future.

Victoriaville will make a charge for the QMJHL title next season, and GM Jerome Mesonero will likely do some tweaking to his team to prepare for the run. The Tigres may deal their #14 overall pick in the first round in order to sure up the line up.

Baie-Comeau also has an abundance of overagers from their failed attempt last season. Expect GM Jacques Tremblay to find a home for C Alexandre Picard-Hooper, and shop around G Michael Dupont, and D Maxime Morier and Mathew Menard. The buzz with the Drakkar has D Alex Lamontange heading to Cape Breton, and OA winger Olivier Donais destined to Shawinigan as a part of the deal that Baie-Comeau acquired Cataract Jean-Phillipe Paquet during last winter’s trade period.

Drummondville’s GM Dominic Ricard will also be busy trying to impress the Voltigeur fans in attendance for the annual session. There has been talk about Ricard drafting coveted forward Steven Anthony with the 2nd overall pick, but to select a player that swears he’s going NCAA and won’t even be in attendance for the draft may invoke the ire of the Voltiguer faithful. Ricard has at least 8 overagers to make decisions on from their failed attempt last season.

Patrick Roy in Quebec will likely add entertainment value to the draft as he usually does, and it all started soon after the Remparts were eliminated by the Voltigeurs. It’s well documented that D Andrew Androcropoulos, LW Kenzie Sheppard and G Kevin Defosses are on the road out of town, and with LW Maxime Lacroix and D Joey Ryan possibly signing pro contracts, Roy will likely wheel and deal to bolster his team for next season in the OA position as well as goaltending. Never a dull moment with Patrick, always a guy to watch.

Rimouski will likely be active in turning the tide as the Oceanic finished in the basement in the Telus Division for the second straight season. GM Andre Jolicoeur made a gong show out of last years draft in Charlottetown in trying to trade up for Saint John D Maxime Sauve, to no avail. Rimouski won’t have a first round pick at the onset, but one would be foolish to think they won’t make things interesting, as they always do, no matter the year or the circumstance. Jolicoeur will do all he can to get the ship to the .500 mark or beyond after two rough years, and will trade anyone and anything to do it. Look for Rimouski to make a deal for a goaltender, and defense.

Rouyn-Noranda will look to build on last season’s third round playoff achievement and give Victoriaville a run for it’s money in the Telus Division and the league title. GM Andre Tourigny selects 9th overall in the first round and could move the pick for more offense. Outside of that, the Huskies look solid with the core of 19 and 18 year-olds returning.

Chicoutimi looks to build off of last season’s first stage of rebuilding, and GM Richard Martel may look to add defense with his sixth overall pick. Another team that has virtually no goaltending depth, the Sagueneens will likely take a goalie either at 24 or 60, the final two picks that it has in the first five rounds. Martel has a way of making drafts interesting, and could make a few moves to shake things up.

Gatineau enters the session with decisions to make with overagers. C Darryl Smith, C Dave-Bertrand Duclos, D Chad Loikets, D Ken Dufresne and G Ryan Mior could be shopped around to potential buyers. With a weak group of 18’s, expect GM Benoit Groulx to look for a 17 year old defenseman with the Olympiques pick at #13 overall. Groulx went off the chart last year in picking consensus third rounder Travis Stacey in the first round, and it very well could happen again.

Shawinigan could pull off a few deals as the Cataractes prepare to improve on last season. With Donais coming over from Baie-Comeau, GM Jacques Blouin will look to move one of RW Patrick Bernier, C Francis Pare and LW Sean Smyth. Rumours are swirling that G Marc-Andre Perron could end up in Bathurst. The Cats pick fourth overall, and may surprise some folks and pick G Maxime Clermont early, as Shawinigan has no virtually goaltenders in the pipeline.

Eastern Division

Bathurst appears to have deals in place for Tomas Svoboda of Drummondville for a pick and Guillaume Mailloux will come over from Rouyn-Noranda to complete the deal that sent D Mathieu Roy to the Huskies back in January. Rumours have GM Sylvain Couturier shopping C Jordan Clendenning around with Svoboda’s pending arrival, and there could be a need for a goaltender for the Titan pending on the decision around G Brant Miller. If the Titan start the season with Miller, they will most certainly try to upgrade at Christmas if necessary. The Titan have seven picks in the first five rounds and have the assets to do some serious dealing to improve their team to make a long run in the postseason.

Cape Breton currently has no pick in the first three rounds, but it has been widely advertised that Scott Brannon will go to Moncton for the first round pick that the Screaming Eagles sent in the Luc Bourdon deal last winter. GM Pascal Vincent will be busy dealing overagers as decisions will be made around G David Davenport, D Beau Prokopetz, RW Brad Gallant, LW Dean Ouellet and C Jonathan Laberge. With the return of the first round pick at #17, the Eagles need pretty much everything going ahead, so it will be the “best player available” for them at that point. I suspect that Vincent will do all he can to restock the cupboard and will be busy on the floor making that happen.

Halifax and the 5th overall pick and what they will do with it is likely the most intriguing story in the draft. If Steven Anthony is still on the board, do they gamble and take him, or do they package it to get Brad Marchand from Val d’Or? Only GM Marcel Patenaude knows for sure what is going to happen. Look for overager LW James Pouliot to get shopped around, and possibly G Roger Kennedy. Halifax will likely look for goaltending depth in the middle rounds of the draft, also.

Moncton and new GM & Head Coach Danny Flynn could be quite active in the trade front, with too many overagers and the need for goal scorers and depth players. Overage G Jhase Sniderman has been on again / off again trade bait, and one wonders with the lack of 20’s on the Saint John Sea Dogs that LW Chris Morehouse may be destined to play for his home town team.

PEI and GM Serge Savard will likely be active as well, with one apparent deal done sending RW Joey Haddad to Cape Breton for overage D Jason Swit. This likely leaves LW Sebastien Laferriere out as LW Geoff Walker and C Brett Morrison will be the other two 20’s. D Pascal Boutin could be heading off the island as rumours have swirled of his pending departure. The Rocket will likely be looking for offense at #11.

Saint John baffles me. Word out from GM Jacques Beaulieu is that they will select D Simon Despres with the first overall pick in the draft, making it three straight top overall picks that the Sea Dogs will take a defenseman. This makes zero sense. The Dogs seriously need offense and goaltending, and just because Despres may be the “best player available”, common sense says take Louis Leblanc at #1 and a goalie at #19 to give Travis Fullerton hope of a competent back-up. Makes too much sense, and won’t happen. If anyone knows what the plan is in Harbour Station, feel free to email me. The Dogs will add 20’s as for outside of Fullerton, they have none.

St. John’s could also be active as they have an excess of overagers, two of which being goaltenders. It may be time for GM Real Paiement to say good bye to one of them, the one being Ilia Ejov as he is both 20 and European, and on a team struggling to get fans in the door, it may be better for Paiement to use both slots to his advantage instead of burning them on one player. That leaves Pierre-Alexandre Marion to come back between the pipes and makes sense as to why Paiement acquired him from Drummondville last winter. Defense and goal scorers will be on the wish list for the Fog Devils at the draft table.