Game played on 10/17/24.
Caleb Desnoyers (C, L, 6’2″, 178, Moncton Wildcats, 04/11/2007)
Grade: A
Comments: Very uncharacteristic start to the game for Desnoyers, he turned the puck over at his own blueline and you could tell that really bothered him, from that point to the end of the game, Desnoyers was driven and really took over the contest. He turned in a 5 pt night that showcased every aspect of his skill set, His vision and play making ability is highly underrated, his skating and quickness is improving every time out and you can tell he’s really working on that aspect of his game. He’s shooting the puck a lot more as well which is great to see, A season ago, he would hang onto pucks in effort to spot the open man and at times would run out of room or elect to pass instead of shooting. He boasts a very heavy accurate pro release and it’s great to see him use it more and from all over the ice. Obviously, when a player returns from an injury it will take them some time, at times Desnoyers was slightly hesitant not to engage, but to go into traffic during some sequences, It’s hard to explain, but he still engaged but not with the same vigor that he has in the past. You can tell he wasn’t a hundred percent this game, and that he was still battling through some discomfort, but his physicality will be something to key in and I’m sure other NHL scouts will zero in on that aspect of his game. Let’s get one thing straight, this kid plays the game and the center position the right way, by no means was he soft or not engaged, just hesitate at times which was the first time I ever observed that from this player. This kid understands and realizes the pressure, attention and expectations that surround him the year and has turned in an very impressive start despite missing close to 10 days of action due to an upper body injury.
Nate Tivey (D, L, 6’5″, 200, Saint John Sea Dogs, 03/27/2004)
Grade: B+
Comments: Nate Tivey: At 6’5 Tivey continues to improve his overall game since joining the league. His progression has been noteworthy, he’s really worked hard on his lateral movement and agility. He processes the game well and transitions pucks, he skates well enough to make forecheckers miss, he still needs to work on his explosiveness if he wants to reach his full potential at the pro level. He’s physical and plays with an edge, he has an active stick and defends well below the dots, He’s learned to contain while defending and manage his game and potential in all three zones. There’s no question the likelihood of a pro team signing him to a contract is very high, but I think more teams are taking a ‘wait and see approach’ to evaluate and project his overall progression and body of work. Tivey is highly effective and impactful D-man at the Q level, he will have to continue to work on his backward skating and explosiveness to have the same impact in a 3/4 role in the pro game.
Zachary Morin (C, L, 6’1″, 186, Saint John Sea Dogs, 01/25/2007, Boston University)
Grade: A-
Comments: It was the first time seeing Morin live, he didn’t disappoint, he was very good versus the Wildcats, his ability to read and react in traffic was outstanding, his creativity and play making ability was on full display, in open ice he used his speed and agility to create opportunities for himself and linemates. He was very solid in traffic and competed hard, he was engaged and didn’t shy away from the dirty areas of the ice, He has a good frame in which to build muscle and strength, but I was surprised to see how slight he was, that didn’t take away from his effectiveness at this level, but he will have to get stronger to reach his full potential at the pro level. There’s no question Morin has power forward potential, he has great vision and puck skills, a very solid accurate pro release, which I would like to see him use more often, he’s definitely a pass first player, possesses tons of confidence and poise in all offensive situations, He skates well enough at the Q level to play through the middle, but is definitely a natural scoring winger and that’s where he will probably land at the next level, It’s going to be very interesting to see how he continues to progress and how he handles the physical aspect of the game at the Q level, There was one play that really stuck out to me, there was an offensive zone turnover and subsequent odd man rush, Morin fought hard to back check and took his player right to the post on the back pressure and then took the puck and generated a chance, this kid is willing and able to be two-presence which is great to see.
Elliot Dube (F, L, 6’0″, 162, Saint John Sea Dogs, 03/15/2007)
Grade: C+
Comments: Dube had a solid outing vs the Cats, tons of potential with this player, but there are certain aspects of his game that he needs to key in on in order to reach his full potential at the Q and beyond. Dube is a solid skating forward, he didn’t see a ton of ice time, but when he did he was creative when he had the puck on his stick, he has good puck skills and distributes pucks well, but one thing I noticed last year when I watched him on video that he still needs to work on this season is his quickness and explosiveness. He struggled at times getting to and winning 50/50 pucks, Again, here’s a kid that is finding his way at this level, and it’s early, but he definitely has to be more assertive out there in certain situations especially away from the puck, he has all of the tools to be an effective two-way player with tons of offensive upside, he just has to play to that identity with more consistency, physicality and poise.
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images