Game played on 9/22/2024
General Game Notes: In a banner night celebrating last year’s championship, the Drummondville Voltigeurs delivered a dominant performance in their home opener against the Gatineau Olympiques. Drummondville controlled the game early, outplaying the Olympiques particularly in the first two periods, building a 4-0 lead by the second intermission with a 22-15 shot advantage. Seven first-year 2007 draft-eligible players and a number of undrafted second-year 2006 players were in action, showcasing their potential. The game ended 4-1, with less than 30 shots for both teams, while Riley Mercer (’04) stood out in net for the Voltigeurs with a very solid performance. Scout: Marco Lavigne.
Riley Mercer (G, L, 6’2″, 203, Drummondville Voltigeurs, 03/31/2004)
Game Grade: B+
Comments: Very interesting game for this overage goalie who catches left. Everything looked easy, he was square to the puck all night long, strong glove and fully in control around his crease. He had a presence, and despite the shots he received were not that dangerous, he came out strong and inspired his team, especially during the Penalty Killing occasions in the first and in the third.
Vincent Tremblay (D, L, 6’2″, 191, Drummondville Voltigeurs, 11/28/2006)
Game Grade: C+
Comments: Interesting player with a very decent size at 6’2”, he is a late ’06 so 1st-year draft eligible. Very raw talent but some room to improve on many aspect, he is good on many things but nothing is outstanding. His feet are fluid, made some nice crisp passes at the beginning of the second tier. He has good speed, we noticed that mainly during the second period but despite his size, he doesn’t play with a lot of physicality.
Sam Oliver (C, L, 5’11”, 190, Drummondville Voltigeurs, 07/04/2004)
Game Grade: B
Comments: Strong game for this overeager, he played like a real 20-yrs old leader and showed the way. Gathered couple of points, average size player with a very strong shot as seen on his goal, a laser top-shelf short-side on the Power Play to close the 2nd period at 4-0. The game really became out of reach at that time. Effective and heavy strides.
Matteo Rotondi (D, L, 6’0″, 189, Drummondville Voltigeurs, 08/15/2005)
Game Grade: B+
Comments: Great game for this free agent, a left defender who has a stellar shot, as we saw on his goal at the end of the first, very nice move and the puck was place very precisely top-shelf, his trigger was very quick. He has the size and weight to play physically, his presence in front of the net must be more prominent.
Etienne Dupere (RW, L, 6’2″, 185, Drummondville Voltigeurs, 05/24/2007)
Game Grade: C
Comments: Interesting game for this tall 1st-year draft eligible right shooter. He played within his limits and used his size to score an important goal at the end of the 1st where he was in traffic and recuperate a loose puck/rebound to get his first of his career in the QM. Intensity is sometimes on/off, needs to always be at 100 mph, could play with more physicality will need to improve his speed and leg’s strength to do so.
Yoan Tasse (RW, R, 5’9″, 173, Drummondville Voltigeurs, 09/13/2007)
Game Grade: C+
Comments: Interesting viewing for this 1st year draft-eligible player, not very tall, not very big but bulky and very tenacious. Quicks hands displayed in Power Play and also on his goal in the first where he was super well-positioned in the slot, free in the open space, and triggered a quick precise deceptive shot. Yoan will need to work on his positioning, mainly defensively, where he seemed lost in few occasions. His feet are OK, he moved them quick but would benefit of being smarter and more assertiveness around the offensive blue lines where he was hesitating a little and created few offsides, that should come with experience and confidence.
Charles Desmet (RW, R, 6’0″, 170, Gatineau Olympiques, 04/13/2007)
Game Grade: C+
Comments: Interesting size and speed for an ’07, he was involved early in the game, very intense on puck, on both sides. Charles executed three nice passes when on the Power Play unit in the first, did not materialize in anything but he moved the play around smoothly. Very strong first tier, but the more the game was progressing, the less he was playing… probably due to his lack of effective positioning we observed occasionally in the second tier. He has a strong shot, should use it more often.
Maxim Dube (C, L, 5’11”, 160, Gatineau Olympiques, 05/26/2008)
Game Grade: B
Comments: Very good game of this underage player, he did stand out during this Sunday afternoon game. He was great at face-off dots when he was on call, probably around 75%, excellent for a rookie. He executed 2 assertive shots on net one of them being on a rush in the second where his superior peed was obvious for an ’06. Maxim will need to bulk up a little in order to become stronger and protect his puck better, but for an ’06, he was definitely the best on the ice tonight, strong edges and his hockey IQ seems adequate for this level of hockey.
Simon-Xavier Cyr (C, L, 6’1″, 181, Gatineau Olympiques, 03/11/2008)
Game Grade: C+
Comments: Interesting game for this tall left shooter, he was effective at the dots, probably around 60% and he used his shot with confidence in many occasions, very interesting confident demonstration for a rookie. Must get physical a little more as he could be easily out battled.
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images