Tonight it's Cats vs Cats as Moncton pays a visit to the Victoriaville Tigres. Playing the Tigres for the second time in a week made me think of a tale from the not-so-distant past that I'm sure many Cats fans will fondly remember... and Victoriaville would like to forget.
Over the past couple of season, Danny Flynn has taken some criticism from outsiders for his coaching philosophy (something we don't hear as much now that the team has a seven game win streak in it's pocket... funny how that happens). One thing I think everyone can agree with however, is that his track record in regards to asset management has been solid more often than not. The Marquardt for Savard and a first trade (which tied in nicely to the Bussieres for Bourque trade) has already been documented here and is filed under the header Best! Trade! Ever! The ability to use available assets to snag players such as Nicolas Deschamps, Kelsey Tessier and Alex Wall are also great examples. However, the most recent example of the Cats GM's ability to get the most for his money would have to be the deal made with Victoriaville last winter... a deal that probably goes down as the second greatest trade in team history.
Flashback to September, 2010. The Cats - fresh off their second President's Cup victory - were in the first year of a rebuild. While several parts of that championship team remained, certain bodies were brought in to fill the void left by departing stars, commonly called "the cycle" in junior hockey circles. One of those bodies was an 18 year old blueliner from Detroit who had never played above the high school level in his native Michigan. His name was Daniel Milan and he arrived with an ability to join the rush and a cannon for a shot tucked under his arm. Sure, he wasn't the most sound guy in his own zone but hey, you can teach defense... natural offensive ability, that was just something you either had or didn't have.
Milan came roaring out of the gate, with 23 points in 29 games by the end of November. Among that were two five game point streaks and even a slow, steady improvement in his own zone. He was never going to win a Kevin Lowe trophy, but he seemed to be an amazing find out of seemingly nowhere for the Wildcats. Sure, his production dropped off after that point in the season (15 points in the remaining 39 games that year) but whatever... he had never played above the high school level. That's a big step no matter who you are... and the longer schedule of the Q certainly didn't work in his favor either. Many people (including myself) didn't look at that dropoff with any serious concerns, the Tampa Bay Lightning overlooked it to the point where they signed him to a contract and we all waited to see what else the Michigan kid could bring to the table the following year.
We're still waiting.
From December, 2010 to January, 2012, Milan put up 20 points in 72 regular season games with the Cats. Now I know what a person not familiar with this story will say; "stats aren't everything"... and that person would be correct... usually. The problem was that Milan, being the strongly offensive minded defensemen who was not as strong in his own zone, relied heavier on the ability to put up points more than certain other players. So... what to do with Daniel? Would a change of scenery help? That was unknown at the time. What was known was that the ability the recoup assets from a player that was added to his team's roster for nothing was a very appealing notion to Danny Flynn.
Enter the high-octane 2011-2012 Victoriaville Tigres.
Les Tigres were vying heavily for a Memorial Cup berth... and as it so often happens when a team is going for it during a season when their league is hosting the tournament - and, by extension, there are double the representatives from that league - teams tend to try their best to corner the market on players they feel will make a difference in their lineup (while also preventing other teams from scooping them up). Dan Milan was a guy they were eyeing... along with his stats from early 2010-11, no doubt. The deal was announced on January 2, 2012. Daniel Milan to Victoriaville for a pair of defensemen: Dannick Emond and Jacob Sweeney. They were 18 and 16 years old at the time, respectively.
Since his arrival, Emond has been a big, steady body on the Cats blueline. He'll never score 20 goals from back there, but he'll prevent his fair share with excellent positioning, the strength and puck protection skills to prevent turnovers and great patience, both with and without the puck. Usually the saying pinned on defensive dmen is "if you don't notice them, they're doing their job"... I find with Emond however, he makes you take notice. He's calm under pressure when the 4000+ people in the stands are sweating it out.
Jacob Sweeney, a former first round pick of the Tigres (2011), has improved steadily all season while moving in and out of the lineup. It should be noted that this has shifted to him being almost exclusively in the lineup as of late thanks in no small part to the progression he's shown since the start of the year. Players who get shunted in and out of the lineup normally only get put in permanently once they've given their coaches enough reasons not to take them out and in that regard, Sweeney is no exception. In a league where being a 16 or 17 year old defenseman can be a very daunting task to most players, the Quebec City native has brought to the table a great deal of confidence and smart decision making both with and without the puck (two traits that go hand in hand, it should be noted). At this early stage of his junior career, he's already shown an uncanny ability to skate the puck into the opposition's zone as well as the hockey sense required to be able to safely move up in certain offensive situations when the opportunity presents itself. In the next couple seasons, Sweeney will be regarded as one of the savviest offensive defensemen in the Q... and you can mark that prediction down. I fear it will not be with the Wildcats as he is a prime asset in any trade proposed by Moncton in an effort to strengthen the lineup in this contending year... but somewhere, he will be a star.
I will conclude by saying that this entry was not intended to downgrade Daniel Milan, who early in his Wildcat career gave this team an enormous boost, allowing them on occasion to take points away from the opposition they may not have had any business taking. As well, the value he brought back the other way in his trade to the Tigres can't be disregarded. It was Milan who commanded that value based on previous performances. As well, although Milan never got on a roll with Victoriaville, with six points in 29 games, the Tigres quick exit in the playoffs last spring (a sweep, coming at the hands of the 14th ranked Baie-Comeau Drakkar... Victoriaville was ranked 4th going in) was a total team effort, or lack thereof combined with running into a very determined Drakkar team. Daniel Milan should be applauded for his efforts with the Cats. He was an asset far more often than he was a liability and I for one appreciate what he brought to the table during his tenure here.
Still, every time Sweeney or Emond do something very well out there (which is multiple times each game), I usually turn to the person beside me and say "Let me get this straight... we traded Milan... and got this???".
Thanks again, Danny
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