QUEBEC CITY, P.Q. — For the majority of QMJHL teams, training camp is already three or four days old. For certain head coaches they already have a good idea about what their team will look like, for others pre-season games will be very determining.
In Baie-Comeau, new head coach Eric Veilleux seems happy the training camp began sooner this year than previous years, because he will have more time to make decisions.
Of the 42 players who should reports to the organization last Sunday afternoon, four were missing. Key player Raphael Bussieres will take part in Minnesota Wild training camp. Selected 16th overall in European draft Swedish Fredric Anderberg won’t be back with the team before September due to shoulder injury.
As far as veteran defenseman Samuel Carrier he didn’t showed up last Sunday wanting to take time to study other options following the fact that Washington didn’t offer him a contract. Acquired by Drakkar general manager Steve Ahern (first round pick) and Alexandre Durette from Val-d’Or Foreurs Jean-Francois Leblanc decided to stay home thinking about his other options.
In Rimouski, Alexandre Tanguay left the Oceanic. Totaling 23 points in 97 games (10g-13a) in two seasons, the young brother of Calgary Flames forward decided to pursue his study in Europe. Young 16-year-old defenseman Nicholas Quillian didn’t report to Rimouski.
In Chicoutimi, the Saguennens faced the Baie-Comeau Drakkar in first pre-season game on Thursday with lots of rookies in their line-up. Mathieu Gagnon, Francis Desrosiers, Lukas Sedlak, Sebastien Sylvestre, Alexandre Roy and Guillaume Cloutier were the only veteran.
Chicoutimi general manager Marc Fortier could make a trade sooner rather than later. With Guillaume Asselin and the possibility of the return of goaltender Christopher Gibson as two 20-year-old players three defensemen aged 20 years will battle for last veteran player on the team.
Mathieu Gagnon, Andrew O’Brien and Gabriel Vermette will battle for the latest 20 year old players, so two veteran defensemen will become available.
In Quebec, several Europeans are on the sidelines. Already knowing the Remparts will have to play without Nikita Kucherov until November (shoulder injury) and the possibility of Mikhail Grigorenko to begin the season with the Buffalo Sabres, Nick Sorensen will be out possibly for six weeks due to Shoulder injury.
After being hit in second intra-squad game Sorensen was expected back the next morning but the bad news came out later that night forcing the young European to stay out of the ice for possibly the next six weeks.
A good battle for the back-up role to Francois Brassard seems to be developing. Acquired from the Sherbrooke Phoenix the former Val-d’Or Foreurs (who had been claimed by Sherbrooke in expansion during summer) Hugo Campeau began the training camp with little advantage due to his junior experience, but youngster Zachary Fortin, Gabriel Parent and Alexis Paiement did good job in first for days of intra-squad games.
On defense, Quebec already has their first two pairs of defensemen settled. With Ryan Culkin, Martin Lefebvre, Anthony Gingras, Marc-Antoine Carrier it will be interesting to see who will earns the fifth and six places on defense.
Jean-Philippe Lebrasseur (played last year) began the training camp with a possible edge, but it isn’t a done deal.
As a first round selection 25th overall in second round Duncan MacIntyre will be interesting to follow what will happen with him since he seemed to have an advantage over another young kid draft also this last summer in Maxime Chevalier.
Back from the under-20 French National Training camp Axel Rioux was back on the ice with his teammates playing in Wednesday night intra squad game.
Quebec will play their first two pre-season games against Rimouski on Friday in Rimouski. The Oceanic will come in Quebec on Saturday.
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