General Game Notes: This was a battle of the first place team in the Western Conference (Rouyn Noranda) and the last place team in the Eastern Conference (Saint John).Huskies buried three in the first and glided to the W in this game. Kyle Hagan only faced 15 shots for the shutout, but did have to make a few big saves to hold on to his shutout.
| Bill Zonnon | Rouyn-Noranda Huskies | QMJHL | L | RW | 6’2″ | 182 | Rouyn-Noranda Huskies | 2022 | Montreal, QC | 2006 | 2024-2025: B |
Game Grade: B+
Comments: The Huskies first round pick in the 2022 draft did not disappoint this evening. Bill was playing on the second line, first PP unit and first PK unit. He uses his large body very well when moving the puck, getting great pushes out of his long legs that is making his North-South puck carrying ability elite. Bill was seeing the ice incredibly well, making fantastic passes when the ice was there and holding the puck to fire off hard and accurate snap shots. He did a great job of finding open ice off the puck, including getting into the slot away from a checker and wiring a one timer for his teams fourth goal. Not only was he creating opportunities, but he also played a strong defensive game, blocking shots and pinning his man against the boards during the penalty kill. Bill will need to work on his East-West skating and his edges to make the jump into the NHL but with the way that he is playing this season, he will be on the board in June. If Bill can fill out his frame and make the improvements to his skating, he will be a solid NHL player.
| Jeremy Langlois | Rouyn-Noranda Huskies | QMJHL | L | D | 6’0″ | 187 | Quebec, QC | 2003 | 2021-2022: B 2020-2021: B+ |
Game Grade: B
Comments: The Cape Breton Eagles 2019 first round pick was as advertised this evening, controlling the play on offense all night. Jeremy has very good puck skills, making several nice moves to get around his checker at the offensive blueline. His IQ is very high, and he always seemed to know where he line mates were and how to best get them the puck. Probably the strongest part of his game is his outlet passes, hard and incredibly accurate. He was hitting his teammates in stride at a great distance which was making it very difficult on the Sea Dogs defenders attempting to forecheck. The nicest play of the game was when Jeremy got past his man along the offensive wall, made a quick move towards the middle and found his forward to allow him to fire home the opening goal. Jeremy excelled in same way defense when his opponent would try to go wide on him with a quick transition and active stick. His skating with and without the puck was strong all night which allowed him to take some chances with and without the puck. His physical game is lacking, but with his high-end speed and puck skills he can make up for that. While the NHL is most likely not happening for the 20-year-old, he will be a fantastic pickup at the CIS level and could make some noise at the Minor Pro or European level.
| Antonin Verreault | Rouyn-Noranda Huskies | QMJHL | L | LW | 5’8″ | 161 | Gatineau Olympiques | 2020 | Mirabel, QC | 2004 | Free Agent |
Game Grade: A-
Comments: The #2 overall pick from the 2020 QMJHL draft was driving the offensive machine all night for the Huskies. Antonin was moving through the neutral zone with the puck extremely well, able to fluctuate his speed and use his edges to create more room for himself. He started the scoring off with flair, receiving a pass in front of the net and then quickly turned away from the d-man, used his hands to dangle the goalie and tuck it into the empty net. Antonin almost did it again a little later, this time going to the back hand and going five hole, the Sea Dogs goalie was just able to shut the door. Despite his small stature, he has very strong legs and a great base to allow him to lean on defenders and keep the puck on his stick. At one point in the game, he was able to out battle 2 defenders, spin off the check and fire a beautiful cross seam pass that almost resulted in a goal. Antonin was dangerous in the offensive zone all night, pushing off a defender and getting his stick on a hard, low point shot that just missed going in. His defensive game needs a little work, but he is staying active and keeps himself on top of the opposing center very well.
| Samuel Rousseau | Rouyn-Noranda Huskies | QMJHL | L | LW | 5’11” | 185 | Rouyn-Noranda Huskies | 2021 | St-Eustache, QC | 2005 | Not yet rate |
Game Grade: C
Comments: Samuel is a 2021 12th round snag by the Huskies. He is a solid, hard-nosed, physical winger who was throwing his weight around all game. Samuel was able to protect the puck wide and lean hard on the defender to give himself room, including a fantastic rush early in the game where he was able to bully his way to the slot and fire a hard snapshot that almost snuck under the trapper arm of the Sea Dogs goaltender. Defensively, he was sacrificing his body all game making several great blocks and laying big hits along the boards to create turnovers in his defensive zone. His skating will need to improve to get him to that next level, but his style of play is great for 3rd line minutes here at the Q level. The biggest hit of the game came from Samuel who hammered Giuseppe Ianniello, shaking him up enough to not return to the game.
| Nicolas Bilodeau | Saint John Sea Dogs | QMJHL | L | D | 5’7″ | 172 | Saint John Sea Dogs | 2021 | Gatineau, QC | 2005 | Not yet rated |
Game Grade: C+
Comments: Nicolas is an undersized, offensive minded defenseman. Nicolas was carrying the puck with his head up and made several very nice cross ice passes in the offensive zone to set up his teammates for shots from high percentage areas. Despite his smaller size, Nicolas was able to battle through contact in the neutral zone to give his team sold entries into the offensive zone. When playing on the penalty kill, he was making smart decisions in the neutral zone by using his quick stick to poke the puck away from opponents and then send the puck deep into their zone. Nicolas biggest strength is his skating, he has a great ability to accelerate quickly and was using his edge work to protect the puck and move around opponents. He did struggle against the larger forwards from the Huskies when they would drive wide and lean on him as he was not able to physically hold them off. Nicolas made a nice play late in the game when the Huskies d-man fired a shot on net, Nicolas stepped up and made the block and was able to then kick the puck up onto his stick and chip the puck out of his zone.
| Reid Calder | Saint John Sea Dogs | QMJHL | L | LW | 6’0″ | 188 | Saint John Sea Dogs | 2022 | Saint John, NB | 2006 | Not yet rated |
Game Grade: C+
Comments: Reid is a big, bruising, physical winger who was playing fourth line this evening. Reid was using his size and strength very well in this game, had three or more times during the game where he timed open ice hits perfectly, knocking his man down and retrieving the puck for his team. Reid was getting regular shifts throughout the game and was doing a fantastic job of getting in front of the net to cause havoc. He had two great chances in front on the net that were stopped either by a great save or just missing the intended pass. The Huskies were growing frustrated with him which allowed Reid to grind it out and draw a penalty. Reid needs to work on his edges and quick turns, he was losing momentum causing him to lose ground, particularly when in pursuit of an opponent. He showed drive and determination during the game, getting knocked down once from a check but jumping right back up and hustling to stay in the play.
| Chad Bellemare | Saint John Sea Dogs | QMJHL | R | RW | 5’8″ | 151 | Saint John Sea Dogs | 2022 | Blainville, QC | 2006 | Not yet rated |
Game Grade: C
Comments: Chad is an under-sized winger for the Sea Dogs. He was playing third line minutes, but was one of the few bright spots this game for his squad. Chad kept his feet moving every shift and was forechecking with great intensity forcing the opposing D to make quick plays. Probably the best chance for the Sea Dogs came from his high IQ, he saw a play developing and was able to sneak in behind the defense, pick up a stretch pass and walk in all along on his strong side. Had it not been for the knob of the goaltenders stick, Chad would have broken the shut out bid. Due to his lack of size, he did struggle to lean on his man and drive towards the net making it difficult to create space for himself. Chad moves very well with the puck on his stick, fluctuating speed as he goes to help him gain entry into the offensive zone.
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images