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| Plenty of news today... and like this guy, I'm just the fake newsperson to deliver it! |
First piece of news this morning was word that Sheldon Keefe had been hired by the Sault Ste Marie Greyhounds. The Greyhounds start this week a game under .500 (13-14-2-0) and with the second worst defensive record in the OHL. Keefe also represents their seventh coach in the past 12 seasons, which usually speaks of some sort of dysfunctional situation within the organization. Of course, if there's anyone in the hockey world that can relate to dysfunctional hockey situations, it's new bench boss in the Soo.
Keefe was the captain and leading scorer of the 2000 Barrie Colts. His teammates included Mike Danton (aka Mike Jefferson) and their coach was Bill Stewart. I don't really have to go much further than that or rehash any of the old stories... but since were here, why not? Stewart unsuccessfully tried to smuggle a European player across the US border in the baggage compartment of the team bus. A group of players on the team were accused of sexual assault. When they won the OHL Championship, they would not acknowledge commissioner David Branch. When they arrived in Halifax, coach Stewart refused to be accredited and the team basically embarrassed themselves and the league with a plethora of actions and comments. And of course, this is not getting into his affiliation with David Frost. Needless to say, Sheldon Keefe took the road less (and better off not) traveled to reach the place he is at today.
I had a chance to meet and interview Sheldon Keefe during the 2009 Fred Page Cup, which was hosted by the Commandos and broadcast on local TV. Keefe was in the midst of a very successful stint with the Pembroke Lumber Kings. Of the four coaches in the tournament, he was by far the most standoffish. He wasn't rude, he was willing to accommodate me anytime I required his time and although he and his team exuded a confidence that could've been considered arrogant, he and his club were always very professional with me. The one thing that constantly came to the forefront whenever I spoke with anyone affiliated with the organization was that the guys on the team simply loved playing for their coach and the organization had nothing but the highest respect for him. It seems as if Keefe and the organization fed off one another and in the end, everyone won. The Lumber Kings have consistently been a team to be reckoned with, collecting 5 league titles, two Fred Page Cups and an RBC Cup win during Keefe's tenure with the club. However, for all that success, what the former Colt got out of the deal was far more valuable. He got a second chance. What he did with that chance - carve out his own niche and separate his past from his present and future - was incredibly difficult and something that commands tremendous respect. One tweet on my feed suggested that the appointment of Sheldon Keefe to the head coaching job in the Soo might be the start of the next legendary coaching career in junior hockey. I happen to be of the same opinion.
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Secondly, congrats to Dimitri Jaskin on being named first star for the month of November in the QMJHL. All stats aside (you can marvel at them at your own leisure), Jaskin basically plays the game like a tank on skates. And not just a straight up and down blow away everything in sight sort of tank... some unique pivot on a dime, finesse combined with force tank that can make a difference with the most gentle provocation of the puck... just before blowing away everything in sight. He's the most entertaining European player to don a Wildcats uniform since Alexi Tezikov... and one of the few players in junior hockey who really is worth the price of admission all by themselves. Enjoy the rest of the season watching this guy, Wildcats fans. He truly is a rare breed.
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Third topic of the day was the release of the selection camp roster for Team Canada for the 2013 World Junior Hockey Championships. The Q is represented by a typical number of players for them - seven. Here's a quick rundown, in the order I feel their chances are of making the cut, from least likely to most :
- Francis Beauvillier - forward, Rimouski, 19YO - a former first rounder in the Q draft and a consistent two way threat, he's known as a guy whose not fun to play against... he will make you work for every inch. Unfortunately, the numbers put him more into the "happy to be there" category at this point. A worthy camp selection... just not a guy who I could see on the final roster except perhaps in that fourth line, Steve Dixon/Sasha Pokulok-esque role that Team Canada always seemed to incorporate, particularly during their last gold medal streak.
- Charles Hudon - forward, Chicoutimi, 18YO - Team Canada seems quite high on him and his performance during the Canada/Russia challenge in August only caused his stock to rise. Although he failed to impress during his game in Moncton on Saturday, that one game is obviously no true indication of what this kid brings to the table. Bob MacKenzie has tabbed him as a possibility for a spot on the third or fourth line. I figure he'll most likely get caught up in the numbers game with the intention of having him back as a potential front runner for a spot next year... only that probability of him returning next year will likely get him a serious look this year.
- Xavier Ouellet - defence, Blainville-Boisbriand, 19YO - Outside of the game Blainville played down here about a month ago, I've always been a big Ouellet fan. He's been able to control the tempo of a game since he was 17. He's smooth on his skates, he moves the puck very well and simply does not panic at all. Unfortunately, I see seven other names that I suspect will be ahead of Ouellet on the depth chart. Dougie Hamilton and Scott Harrington, as the only two returning blueliners, are the obvious ones. From that point, the names of Dumba, Murphy, Pouliot, Rielly and Reinhart stick out right away. Spots on the back end will be very much coveted and although I feel Ouellet would not in the least be out of place on Team Canada's final roster, the credentials of the competition may be enough to snuff his chances out.
- Jonathan Drouin - forward, Halifax, 17YO - He'll be there in 2013... and 2014. As for 2012... he's one of those guys who I strongly feel would be a front runner for a spot if a) he was a year older and, more importantly, b) the NHL lockout wasn't for sure bumping at least two guys off this year's roster (Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Mark Scheifele). He is probably the one guy from the Q most likely to win himself a spot on the final roster based on whatever pure skill he can bring to the table during next week's selection camp, thereby forcing the Team Canada brass to bring him on board. As of now, his odds remain at best 50/50... but alot can happen in a week. If how he adapted to the major junior level after Christmas last season is any indication, Drouin could find himself in a red and white jersey come Christmas based largely on merit.
- Phillipe Danault - forward, Victoriaville, 19YO - This is the second of two guys whom I feel would be front runners for a spot if the NHL lockout didn't automatically take away at least two spots up front. I flat out like Danault... he comes to play, he's always trying to find a way to power himself into a high scoring position, he's amazing positionally as well as patient with the puck in his own zone and he's a very tough customer along the wall. If this was a typical year, I'd say he takes on the role filled on a previous WJC squad by Gabriel Bourque... and I'm a huge Gabriel Bourque fan. How can you not like a guy who can take charge of both on ice as well as off ice situations like those types of guys? I'd love to see him make it, but as of now I'd put the odds at 50/50 or slightly higher.
- Nathan MacKinnon - forward, Halifax, 17YO - Team Canada is a funny animal. Some years they are all over the best undrafted prospect at their disposal... some years they hesitate. It really all depends - just like all of the selections - on the philosophy of the coaching staff as well as how many heads the player himself turns when given the opportunity. Simply put, when it comes to MacKinnon, if he performs in camp like he did during the Subway Super Series, he's on the second line. If he puts up a display like last Sunday in Moncton, he's a first round cut. Based on what I've seen the last couple of seasons, I'm preparing to see the former more than the latter.
- Jonathan Huberdeau - forward, Saint John, 19YO - The only question here is where is he positioned on the first powerplay and will he drive Nugent-Hopkins crazy asking about how much the tab usually costs for the NHL's rookie initiation dinner? Also, will he finish the year in Florida if the lockout is resolved (as of now, I'm going with no).
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Lastly, the Q coaching fraternity suffered it's second casualty in a week with the dismissal of Screaming Eagles bench boss Ron Choules. Choules cut his teeth with the Acadie-Bathurst Titan before coming to the Cape and throughout his time in the league, he's been noted for two things: a vocabulary that would make a sailor reach for his "Dictionary of Modern Profanity" and the overwhelming respect of the media, to whom he's been nothing but accommodating in times good and bad. In his place, the Eagles immediately announced the hiring of former Val d'Or bench boss Marc-Andre Dumont. How many more recycled coaches are the Eagles going to go through before they feel they've found the one who will bring together their dubious list of prospects and turn them into a winner? To me, this move screams "band-aid solution" and although I hope it doesn't happen, I could easily see another face behind the Cape Breton bench by this time next year. As a person who wishes to see all junior programs thrive both off-ice as well as on, I miss an Eagles organization that was committed to a certain philosophy of "will over skill", combining savvy drafting, crafty asset management and competent coaching to squeeze the most out of their players. Ironically, the man who was the face of the franchise during that time, Pascal Vincent, represents the last man hired to guide the Eagles who was not a repeat coach in the Q. Although I admittedly didn't always agree with some of Vincent's moves during his time in CB, you have to admit that things haven't been the same since his departure four seasons ago... nor have things been as fractured since before his arrival.
As for the person I feel for the most (besides Choules himself)? That would be the guy who was the best man at my wedding, a Sydney native and member of the media down there, who had just rented an apartment to the now former coach a couple weeks back. Talk about your lose/lose situations.
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Tomorrow, the Commandos take it to the road in a 7PM clash with the Metro Shipbuilders. The points are valuable... and I know Jeff Leblanc will be reminding his troops quite frequently to take nothing for granted as Dieppe tries to assemble yet another winning streak.
And as a complete aside... Red Bull crashed ice is on TV as I type this... featuring former Acadie-Bathurst Titan Sebastien Morrisette! He was a pain to play against on a flat surface. I can well imagine what he would be like barreling down an icy slope at god knows what speed. Better those other three guys than me.
Locally, former Commandos/Beavers? and Aigles Bleus player Bruno Richard is a regular in those Red Bull events.
ReplyDeleteFor Team Canada, I would give a higher probability to Danault of making the team, about 80%. Others I see making the team are Huberdeau of course, Ouellet and one of MacKinnon/Hudon.