Zachary LAUZON – McKeen's Hockey

QMJHL Trade Deadline: Want to improve your QMJHL team this season? Pay up!

Michael Sanderson — Mon, 17 Dec 2018 17:43:55 +0000

The QMJHL’s silly season is upon us.

The league’s trading period opens up Sunday, and several trades are already in the books, some of which were consummated before the opening bell was officially opened. The period closes up on January 6. One thing to be expected this season: contenders will have to pay to make their teams better heading into the second half.

All eyes are on the Halifax Mooseheads this season as the Memorial Cup hosts in May. Because of this, the team has some extra pressure to build a contender. On paper, they are one of the strongest teams in the entirety of the Canadian Hockey League, but they have struggled a little bit with consistency. The team is noticing some potential issues that may need solving for the tourney, adding to their depth.

Now, if newspaper quotes are to be believed, Mooseheads general manager Cam Russell is not all that interested in blowing up the future for the present, as he observes that his team could be even better next season as presently constructed. However, this year is a guaranteed Memorial Cup berth, whereas future years are earned solely by hard work from August-to-May. The sure thing dictates that this declaration is just posturing, as a Memorial Cup host can expect a heightened market for any assets.

Further, this Mooseheads squad could use some tinkering. Edmonton Oiler forward Ostap Safin, acquired from Saint John at the start of the season, has been in and out of the lineup due to ongoing hip issues. Overager Jordan Maher has simply not been the best fit with the team with just four goals so far, despite his best efforts. Anaheim Ducks prospect Antoine Morand’s game has been as expected, but the numbers are not quite where they should be, with 28 points in 29 games. Potential first rounder Raphaël Lavoie has hit a bit of a snag this season, not looking like himself from last season; he is scoring less and seeing his focus wane at times this season. The offence, a strong suit in prior years, is sixth-best in the league right now, with a few blowouts augmenting the numbers.

New Jersey Devils defender Jocktan Chainey has seen his ice time drop and Chicago Blackhawks blueliner Jake Ryczek has seen his rise, but behind Jared McIsaac and Justin Barron, who have been solid, there is no big third defender option. Despite that, the team has solid defending numbers, tied for second-best in goals against.

To his credit, goaltender Alexis Gravel has been maybe the team’s most valuable player so far this season, but his backup option is Cole MacLaren, a decent choice but not a goalie you want starting against the OHL and WHL champions.

To that end, Halifax will be in on a defenceman this trading period, and potentially a second goaltender as well. If the price is right, they may also look to add to the forward group to try and jumpstart the offence.

Noah Dobson

Thankfully for the Mooseheads, the two biggest names available in the trading period are both defencemen. New York Islanders prospect Noah Dobson is the biggest fish in the pond, and right behind him is Arizona Coyotes draft pick Pierre-Olivier Joseph.

The price for Dobson will set the market, as he is the prize all teams are competing for. Dobson is a game-changer on defence, capable of controlling a game from the back-end, and has championship experience on the biggest stage. Joseph is a very solid consolation prize, as teams who find the price for Dobson too high may rather try to acquire one of the league’s hardest workers and smartest players. The Islanders also have very useful players to add into a Joseph trade to help a win-now team, such as Keith Getson or Anaheim Ducks prospect Hunter Drew, but it’s believed that Jim Hulton is not looking for far-off picks, preferring players that can help as early as next season in exchange for his assets. Having said that, the Islanders are in a contending position, and could choose either to stand pat or add to their team.

What is interesting in the Dobson speculation is that it is rumoured that any deal involving him will have to go through the Chicoutimi Saguenéens, as part of conditions of a prior deal for Bathurst last season. The Sags would rather the assets that Dobson would provide rather than use him this season, as Chicoutimi is a middling team with no real title aspirations this season. The suspense will run into the new year, as Dobson cannot officially be traded until his term with Team Canada at the World Junior Championships are over.

There are some top-level defender and forwards beyond those two, but in goal, most contenders seem to be set with one or two good goaltenders. There are many options for a team to buy for a playoff run – Minnesota Wild prospect Dereck Baribeau from Quebec, Pittsburgh Penguin signee Alex D’Orio in Saint John and fellow Penguin camp attendee Tristan Côté-Cazenave, to name three – but most of the top teams are set in net.

The changed playoff format this season could also have an effect on the trading period, due to the imbalance of talent between the Eastern and the Western Conferences. Starting this year, to prevent so many easy matchups in the first round and to cut down on potential travel, the league decided to drop the 1-vs-16 format and form two conferences of two divisions each. The Maritime teams and the Eastern-most Quebec teams form the 10-team East, and the rest create the eight-team West. There is the potential for wildcards to allow the top 16 teams to make the playoffs, but the weakness of this playoff format is best demonstrated by the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles. At the time of writing, the Eagles would hold home ice in the old playoff format, sitting in eighth spot in the league. Because of the new conference format, though, Cape Breton would be sixth in the East, drawing a tough, contending Baie-Comeau team, on the road no less, in the opening round, rather than 11th-place Quebec. That format change could influence some teams in terms of whether to buy, sell or stand pat this season.

Two definite contenders outside of Halifax that dominate the list of other potential buyers are the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies and the Drummondville Voltigeurs.

Rouyn-Noranda are a very strong team built from within and coached and managed by last year’s Memorial Cup winner, Mario Pouliot. They are hard-working, very deep in net and on defence, and just one player on the entire roster has played for another Q team. Their wildcard is the potential return of injured Pittsburgh Penguin prospect Zachary Lauzon. His return would put the Huskies in limbo with their overagers, and they would have to make a decision on their 20-year-olds.

Joe Veleno

The Voltigeurs are maybe the league’s deepest team, led by Anaheim Ducks prospect Maxime Comtois and Detroit Red Wings first rounder Joe Veleno up front, Chicago Blackhawks first rounder Nicolas Beaudin and New Jersey Devils prospect Xavier Bernard on defence, along with Edmonton Oilers prospect Olivier Rodrigue in goal. Comtois’s return to the Q is maybe the biggest acquisition any team could have made this season. They are a rumoured team for Dobson, and adding Dobson to Beaudin and Bernard defensively would make Drummondville a very tough team to face in the playoffs with that three-headed monster on the back end.

One team that is certainly making some changes is the Baie-Comeau Drakkar. General Manager Steve Ahern has promised that several trades will be announced Sunday. They are heavily linked to the above-mentioned D’Orio.

Further with the Drakkar, Calgary Flames pick D’Artignan Joly has left the team on his own accord, awaiting a trade. Joly and the team have had a bumpy 2018, with player wanting to be more creative and team wishing he was more engaged and aggressive. Joly can absolutely score at this level, but he is an artist more than he is a worker.

Editor’s note – prior to publication, it was announced that Joly had been dealt to Victoriaville

The Rimouski Oceanic were a contender for the league title on paper this season, but they look up at the Drakkar at this point in the year and are facing a decision – do they go for it or hold back and go for it next year. According to bench boss Serge Beausoleil, they will be tentative, but not sell off players who won’t return, including captain Charles-Edouard D’Astous, who drew some interest from the Ottawa Senators in the summer. The Oceanic are the proud team of phenom Alexis Lafrenière, who will return to the league next season, and Rimouski could set themselves up to be an even better team next season.

The Moncton Wildcats may opt to do the same, as they have a high-flying offence, but many players also set to return for next season, namely potential first rounder Jakob Pelletier and Minnesota Wild pick Alex Khovanov, despite some issues on the defensive end. Unlike the Oceanic, though, players not returning next season or otherwise not in the plans for next season could be available for trade.

Among the anticipated sellers, the Acadie-Bathurst Titan have also had a move announced ahead of Sunday’s opening day for the mid-season trading period. They will acquire forward Anderson MacDonald from the Wildcats for a pair of picks. MacDonald has not had the bounce-back season either he or the Wildcats were hoping after he was surprisingly undrafted in last June’s NHL Entry Draft. MacDonald has battled injuries all year, and has played in only four games, largely on the fourth line, before being shuffled out of Moncton to the north of New Brunswick.

The Titan have also all but moved Dobson, fellow blueliner Keenan MacIsaac and forward Ethan Crossman, and will continue to take calls on defender Michal Ivan. The foursome all played key roles for the Memorial Cup winning Titan squad last year, as they look to set themselves up for a rebuild.

Editor’s note – Prior to publication, both Crossman and MacIsaac were dealt to Baie-Comeau

One can add the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada to the list of potential sellers, as they may look into cashing in on the remaining assets from three straight strong playoff runs. Montreal Canadiens prospect Joël Teasdale is a name that would garner lots of interest, and they have many useful veterans they do not need this season – Rémy Anglehart, Alex Katerinakis, Luke Henman, Thomas Ethier and Charles-Antoine Giguère come to mind. The Armada could recoup a lot of assets for their collection of forwards.

Editor’s note – Giguère was traded to Moncton prior to publication

The Gatineau Olympiques could also cash in on a few of their players for the future, namely Minnesota Wild prospect Shawn Boudrias and overager Gabriel Bilodeau, who could put up points on a contender looking to upgrade their powerplay. So could Val-d’Or’s David Noel, a St. Louis Blues pick, who is 19, but is currently on the shelf with an eye injury.

The composition of the QMJHL’s top teams will look different between now and January, and despite the high prices, expect a lot of player movement this time around.

Pittsburgh – System Overview

Ryan Wagman — Fri, 15 Sep 2017 20:44:21 +0000

Like many long time contenders, the Pittsburgh Penguins tend to enter draft day with fewer than their regularly allotted number of picks available. 2012 was the last time they had at least seven picks at the draft. Despite this handicap, the Penguins have managed to not only continue thriving, but to thrive with a lineup that is constantly being renewed with homegrown talent.

Even more interesting is that the homegrown talents that have played key roles on the past two Stanley Cup winners were not even particularly highly regarded on draft day. In fact, a roll call of first round picks made by the Penguins since taking Jordan Staal second overall in 2006 is not very encouraging. Angelo Esposito (2007, 20th overall), Simon Despres (2009, 30th), Beau Bennett (2010, 20th), Joe Morrow (2011, 23rd), Derrick Pouliot (2012, 8th), Olli Maatta (2012 22nd), and Kasperi Kapanen (2014, 22nd). From that August group of seven, only Maatta played a direct role in either Cup. An argument could be made to include Kapanen, who was a big part of the return sent to Toronto in exchange for Phil Kessel, but for the most part, high recent picks were of little consequence to the emergent dynasty.

That is not to say that players drafted by the Penguins in that timespan were not of great value though. It is very possible that the team would have won one or zero Cups in the past two years without Bryan Rust (2010, 80th overall), Tom Kuhnhackl (2010, 110th), Scott Wilson (2011, 209th), Matt Murray (2012, 83rd), Jake Guentzel (2013, 77th). A closer look at these five players plus free agent signing Conor Sheary (UDFA, 2015) begins to reveal the secret (non-Crosby/Malkin division) of their success. The Penguins scout one subsection of the hockey world very heavily and master it. In their case, that scouting takes place at the college and pre-college levels. Rust, Wilson, Guentzel and Sheary were all collegians prior to turning pro. All four, each somewhat undersized, were undervalued at the draft due to their size and their general lack of exposure, playing in lower profile leagues (Rust and Guenztel were USHL players, Wilson played in the OJHL, and Sheary played in the New England high school ranks before going to UMass-Amherst.

Looking at the Penguins system today, two items of note stick out. First, it is an incredibly shallow system with only 33 players who even qualify under our prospect guidelines of having a birthdate no older than September 15, 1991, and having fewer than 60 NHL games, or 35 in a single season (30 and 20 respectively for netminders) under their belts. Most clubs have closer to 40, if not more.

The second noteworthy item concerning the Penguins system is that it slants very heavily toward NCAA experience. Of the 33 official prospects in the system, fully 20 of them were, are or will be in college. Compare to seven who were acquired out of Europe, five out of the three CHL leagues, and one who signed as a professional free agent. The Penguins have long understood that the best value to be had in the middle and latter stages of the draft is those late bloomers who are on the collegiate path. This understanding has played a sizeable role in two parades.

Daniel Sprong

1 Daniel Sprong – In spite of the conclusions drawn above, the one truly dynamic prospect in this system was drafted out of the QMJHL. With the possible exception of 2017 1st overall pick Nico Hischier, Sprong may have been the most talented player in the Quebec league over the past two seasons. His shot is near elite, he has great speed and his play off the puck has made tangible strides since being drafted. Had the Penguins not decided to bulk up the bottom six, he would be favored to break through now.

GRAND FORKS, NORTH DAKOTA - APRIL 24: Sweden's Filip Gustavsson, 2016 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/HHOF-IIHF Images)

2 Filip Gustavsson – Technically strong and a very mature reader of the play, Gustavsson, the Penguins top pick in the 2016 draft, made tangible strides in his game in 2016-17. After switching from a 75/25 split in his games between the Swedish junior ranks and the SHL respectively to the reverse, his numbers in both circuits went up. He also featured as the backup for the Swedish WJC squad. Although signed to an ELC, Gustavsson will continue to play in Sweden for at least one more year.

3 Zach Aston-Reese – After signing Hobey Baker Award candidate Ethan Prow (more on him later) as an undrafted free agent last year, the Penguins signed Hobey finalist Zach Aston-Reese this year, with even higher expectations. Never a big scorer in his USHL days, Aston-Reese exploded in his junior year at Northeastern and kept on rising in his senior season. He has a hard shot and plus puck skills, which combined to see Aston-Reese end the year tied for the NCAA scoring lead. His time in the AHL may be brief.

4 Tristan Jarry – In addition to two-time Stanley Cup winner Matt Murray starting in Pittsburgh, two time WHL champion and one time Memorial Cup winner Tristan Jarry is waiting in the AHL to be the backup. He is a very athletic goalie with strong ability to read to read the play. His game took big strides in the AHL this year, exhibiting more calmness between the pipes without harming his solid movements.

5 Dominik Simon – Drafted as a double overager out of the Czech league, Simon immediately came over the AHL and proved to be a near elite scorer in the North American minor pro league with 94 points across his first two seasons. He is an above-average finisher who also grades out well for his skating and his puck skills. Like Sprong, Simon’s short-term prospects may have been hurt by Pittsburgh’s move to added bulk.

6 Josh Archibald – Another victim of the Ryan Reaves revolution, Archibald is nonetheless clearly part of the Penguins future plans as the organization awarded him a two year contract extension this offseason. More of a high IQ two-way winger than a scoring threat, his best tool is clearly his speed, which he brings in spades. Although his AHL production has improved, he will never be a big scorer at the NHL level, but can provide help to an energy line and a PK unit.

7 Zachary Lauzon – The Penguins top pick this year, Zachary Lauzon shows promising ability in his own zone and plays a somewhat heavy game, but lacks the skillset that has made his brother Jeremy a prospect of note in the Boston system. It is not that he lacks for skills, and he does demonstrate confidence when playing the puck, but it is hard to see him ever being relied upon for offensive support.

8 Kasper Bjorkqvist – A great scorer in the Finnish junior leagues, Bjorkqvist was not able to dominate play quite as easily at the NCAA level with Providence. Part of his freshman struggles may have been due to injury, which limited him to 30 games with the Friars. He still flashed a strong snap shot with a tricky release and the occasional fancy dangle. Also has some nascent physicality to his game. It is fair to expect more as a sophomore.

9 Niclas Almari – A smart and mobile defender with great vision, Almari made solid strides in the offensive components of his game this year, his first playing among men. Splitting the season between the two top Finnish leagues, Miiga and Mestis, he plays a mature game. What he lacks in flash, he makes up for in execution and competence. He will not be a threat as a goal scorer, but can provide assistance in keeping the puck moving in the right direction.

10 Anthony Angello – A 6-5” project, Angello had a disappointing sophomore season with Cornell, scoring less and taking too many penalties, but still flashes the occasional ability to take over a shift that suggest that with more consistency of effort, he could find himself much higher on this list in future seasons. He skates well for his size and has a good shot and solid puckhandling skills.

11 Jeff Taylor – After a strong two-way career with one-time NCAA champion Union College, defenseman Jeff Taylor is finally turning pro. Although not flashy, he has come within spitting distance of one point per game in two of his four college campaigns, all the while competing well on defense with poise and a good stick. The Penguins have five NHL blueliner locked up for at least three more years each, but Taylor is a strong in-house candidate to compete for that sixth slot.

12 Frederik Tiffels – Drafted after a strong freshman season at Western Michigan, Tiffels was unfortunately never able to improve upon those numbers. Despite that mild disappointment, the German national moves very well, accelerating strongly and shows a willingness to crash and bang along the boards and behind the net. He also flashes occasional fancy stickwork. He turned pro this summer.

13 Connor Hall – A decent skater when he is healthy enough to take the ice, Hall’s development has been hampered greatly by injuries thus far. After playing only 39 games for the Kitchener Rangers in his draft year, he was limited to a mere 17 games this year. Solid in his own zone, he has yet to show that he will be able to produce much in the way of offense, even when healthy. He is expected to be recovered from his mid-year shoulder surgery for the start of next season.

14 Clayton Phillips – A plus puck player who can handle himself in his own zone despite middling size. Phillips shows best when transitioning the puck out of his own zone. He is patient on the puck, calm and makes precise passes. He has a high panic threshold, which helps minimize his size deficiency. Although not a big point producer, there is plenty of value in having a mobile defenseman who can clear the zone.

15 Teddy Blueger – Drafted out of the famed Shattuck St. Mary’s prep school in 2012, Latvian Blueger spent a full four seasons at Minnesota State-Mankato before turning pro last year. He showed a promising, if limited, two-way game as a rookie AHLer last year. He was trusted to kill penalties and has good hands, useful for both faceoffs and playmaking.

16 Adam Johnson – Around two months after signing Zach Aston-Reese as an NCAA free agent, the Penguins bought Johnson away from his last two years at Minnesota-Duluth after a very good sophomore season that ended in an NCAA title game and then an eye opening rookie camp. The former USHL scoring champ was often the first player to get things going offensively for the Bulldogs. An average at best skater, his plus offensive instincts allow his entire game to play up.

17 Ethan Prow – A powerhouse offensive defenseman at St. Cloud State, Prow signed as a free agent with the Penguins last year but struggled to recreate much offensive impact as a rookie with Wilkes-Barre Scranton. He can skate well and plays physically against mid-sized and smaller players, but the pace of the pro game seemed to set him back. Already 24 years old, this year is a critical one for him.

18 Linus Olund – A double overaged draft pick out of Sweden, Olund improved from one point in 23 games for Brynas in 2015-16 to 15 points in 39 games this year. He is good on his feet, with an above average shot and good hockey sense. On the downside, he avoids physical play. He is expected to return to Brynas for a third season this year.

19 Jean-Sebastien Dea – A solid skater who forechecks and can provide secondary offense at the AHL level, Dea’s game has seemingly plateaued in the last year. He could likely perform passably in a fourth line, energy role, although it is more and more unlikely that it happens in Pittsburgh.

20 Thomas Di Pauli – A plus skater with good puck skills and a decent shot, Di Pauli signed with Pittsburgh as a free agent last summer after not signing with Washington, who had originally drafted him in the fourth round of the 2012 draft. He improved year over year at Notre Dame, but his rookie pro season was a washout, as injuries limited him to 21 largely ineffective games.

A system as shallow as Pittsburgh’s is hard enough to write about as is, but the fact that they traded away their first round pick – as well as another forward in Oskar Sundqvist who would have slotted in their top ten, in exchange for one of the last goons in the game in Ryan Reaves, makes it even harder. They have done a great job of scavenging late bloomer and underappreciated talent from the NCAA ranks in recent years, but there is no guarantee that that strategy can continue to succeed at similar rates.

2017 NHL Draft Grades: Metropolitan Division – Pittsburgh Penguins

McKeen's Hockey — Sun, 02 Jul 2017 13:21:32 +0000

Shortly after 1:00pm CST, on Saturday, June 24, 2017, the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins selected William Reilly, a defenseman from RPI as the 217^th player selected, bringing the 2017 Entry Draft to an end. With a few days of hindsight between me and the bowels of the United Center, the urge to spew out hot takes flushed away, it is time to analyze the strategies and selections employed by the league’s 31 teams.

The analysis will focus on the first five rounds, as it is clear to most long-time observers that the final two rounds are often taken up with long-shots, favours to regional scouts, among other reasons. I will, of course, call out some astute late picks, but will not judge a team for the names called in the final hour. The apocryphal story of Pekka Rinne, drafted as an eighth round after-thought in 2004 based mostly on his play in game warm-ups. Few other scouts would have seen him at all, and he has had a very good career, which is not yet over. For the most part, though, those picks have little statistical likelihood of having NHL careers and teams should not be judged there.

Each draft class will be graded using the 20-80 scale that we use in our player specific scouting reports throughout the site. In this context, a 50 is essentially an average grade in light of the picks the team had on draft day. A 20 would mean the draft is an unmitigated disaster while an 80 would be the best draft class of all time. As those things can only be truly seen in retrospect, most classes will trend towards 50 at this point, so pay attention to those we see as outliers.

Finally, all grades are incomplete. Actual winners and losers in this draft class will not be known until 2023 at the earliest, after those who will have “made it” will have played out their entry-level contracts. What I am looking at here is whether, knowing what we know now, the drafting team got good value.

RD	#	CS	MCK	PLAYER	P	AGE	HT/WT	TEAM
2	51	143-N	hm	Zachary LAUZON	D	18	6-0/190	Rouyn-Noranda (QMJHL)
3	93	99-N	hm	Clayton PHILLIPS	D	18	5-10/185	Fargo (USHL)
5	152	NR		Jan DROZG	LW	18	6-0/170	Leksands (Swe Jr 18)
5	155	57-E	hm	Linus OLUND	C	20	5-11/185	Brynas (Swe)
6	186	NR		Antti PALOJARVI	D	18	6-1/180	Lukko Rauma (Fin Jr)
7	217	NR		Will REILLY	D	20	6-2/190	Rensselaer (ECAC)

RD	#	PLAYER	P	TEAM	GP (W)	G (L)	A (T)	PTS (GA)	PIM (Sv%)
2	51	Zachary LAUZON	D	Rouyn-Noranda (QMJHL)	63	3	18	21	90
3	93	Clayton PHILLIPS	D	Fargo (USHL)	56	7	13	20	35
5	152	Jan DROZG	LW	Leksands (Swe Jr 18)	17	7	14	21	10
5	152			Leksands (Swe Jr)	4	3	2	5	0
5	155	Linus OLUND	C	Brynas (Swe)	39	8	7	15	2
5	155			Brynas (Swe Jr)	12	8	9	17	12
5	155			AIK (Swe 2)	2	0	0	0	0
6	186	Antti PALOJARVI	D	Lukko Rauma (Fin Jr)	47	1	10	11	14
7	217	Will REILLY	D	Rensselaer (ECAC)	35	2	13	15	68

Pittsburgh Penguins – Draft Grade: 35

From their thought process at the end of the first round, through pretty much the end of Day Two, I did not understand the machinations of the Pittsburgh Penguins. The most amazing thing happened on day one, with some intriguing talent, including Klim Kostin, still on the board, the Penguins dealt the #31 pick, along with decent AHL prospect Oskar Sundqvist, to St. Louis for a second rounder and Ryan Reaves, a fourth line pugilist and one of the last remaining designated fighters in the NHL. There is a reasonable argument to be made that Sundqvist has more present value than Reaves and the 31^st pick is definitely more valuable than pick 31. This is a huge opportunity list that will only hit the Penguins in three or four years.

When the Penguins finally made picks, they mostly underwhelmed. Second rounder Zachary Lauzon is mostly seen as a viable pick in the range of the fifth or sixth rounds. He is a decent skater and plays hard, but is bland on the puck. Third rounder Clayton Phillips has a similar profile, trading some jam for some puck moving brio. Even if I include Ryan Reaves in my calculus, it is very possible that the Penguins not only will not see any future impact players acquired at the 2017 draft but have the unique distinction of actually having made their team worse.

Best value: Linus Olund, C, Brynas (5/155): A double overager, Olund spent most of this season in the SHL with Brynas and began to show that he belonged. He is above average on his feet, with a good shot and burgeoning hockey IQ. When he is ready to leave Sweden, he could be a dark horse.

Biggest head-scratcher: Zachary Lauzon, D, Rouyn-Noranda (2/48): Older brother Jeremy is a pretty good prospect in Boston’s pipeline and was zachary’s teammate with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. Zachary is not as good as his brother. He is OK at a few things, but has no standout skills.