The Three Stars of the Week
1. C Louis Leblanc has begun his QMJHL playoff campaign in style with the Montreal Juniors by scoring three goals in his first two games. Leblanc scored what became the eventual game-winning goal in a 5-3 victory over the Halifax Mooseheads on Thursday night in the opening game of the playoff series, giving the Juniors a 1-0 series lead. Leblanc furthered his exploits on Friday as he ignited the Juniors power play, which went punchless on Thursday by adding two power play markers in a 6-0 shutout of the Mooseheads, allowing the Juniors to take a 2-0 series lead. Louis Leblanc was drafted in the first round, 18th overall in the 2009 Entry Draft.
2. RW Danny Kristo has maintained consistency since his return to the lineup for North Dakota as the team is on their quest for an 8th National Title in NCAA hockey. Kristo added a goal and two assists to build to a four-game points streak since returning from injury, which includes him reaching the 20-assist total for a 2nd consecutive season. Kristo scored a goal and assist in a 6-0 whitewash of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, than assisted on a goal in North Dakota’s 6-1 win over University of Denver. North Dakota is now set to play in the “Frozen Four” semifinals for the National Title against the University of Michigan, where he’ll be challenged by Canadiens defensive prospects Greg Pateryn and Mac Bennett. Danny Kristo was drafted in the 2nd round, 56th overall in the 2008 Entry Draft.
3. C Michaël Bournival returned from dealing with a lower-body injury to resume leadership of the Shawinigan Cataractes in time for the QMJHL playoffs this week with a point per game pace. Bournival’s presence for his team was crucial in the opening game as the Cataractes faced off against PEI Rocket where he scored the overtime winning goal to put his team up 1-0 in the series. Bournival picked up a single assist as he tried to help trigger a late-game comeback in the second game of the series, but a final score of 4-2 ended that hope as the series became tied at 1-1. Bournival’s presence will likely be a key factor for Shawinigan's playoff run. Michaël Bournival was drafted in the 3rd round, 71st overall in the 2010 Entry Draft by Colorado and was acquired by the Canadiens in exchange for Ryan O’Byrne.
Worthy Mentions: C Andreas Engqvist added a goal and assist to his scoring totals this week. RW Brendan Gallagher was named to the First All-Star Team in the WHL. D Greg Pateryn assisted on a double-overtime goal that allowed his University of Michigan team to advance past the first bracket in the NCAA National Tournament.
Question Marks: RW Alexander Avtsin has only one point in his last 15 games, an automatic goal from a penalty shot call on an empty-net opportunity. LW Andrew Conboy was suspended two games for his game misconducts including abuse of officials on March 13th. C Gabriel Dumont has been suspended for 10 games by the AHL for a boarding violation, his check fractured the vertebrae of the player he hit. G Karri Ramo’s season is over in the KHL, his team was shut out in a Game 7 loss. C Dustin Walsh’s season is over in NCAA hockey as his team did not qualify for the National Tournament.
Complete Statistics for the week of March 21st:
Legend
Skaters: Games Played, Goals, Assists, +/-, Penalty Minutes
Goalies: Wins, Losses, Overtime Losses, Shootout Losses, Goals Against Average, Save Percentage
Teams: Wins, Losses, Overtime Losses, Shootout Losses, Ties (for NCAA teams only)
Season Stats: Season scoring prior to the past week.
The AHL Report: The Hamilton Bulldogs have been the AHL affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens since 2002. It is the most common route for developing Montreal Canadiens prospects into full-time members of the organization. There are currently 12 members of the Hamilton Bulldogs that can be considered NHL-viable prospects, four of which, David Desharnais, Max Pacioretty, Yannick Weber and Ryan White have been called up to Montreal. The Hamilton Bulldogs have a record of 37-26-2-7, are 3rd in the North Division, 7th in the Western Conference, 15th overall in the AHL.
RW Alexander Avtsin: 20 years old, 6'3", 199 pounds, RH shot.
| Season Stats | 51GP | 5G | 13A | +3 | 22 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 3GP | 0G | 0A | -2 | 0 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 54GP | 5G | 13A | +1 | 22 PIM |
D Mathieu Carle: 23 years old, 6', 203 pounds, RH shot.
Alternate Captain
| Season Stats | 61GP | 11G | 15A | +14 | 36 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 3GP | 0G | 0A | 0 | 2 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 64GP | 11G | 15A | +14 | 38PIM |
LW Andrew Conboy: 22 years old, 6’4”, 192 pounds, LH shot.
| Season Stats | 55GP | 11G | 10A | +4 | 107 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 1GP | 0G | 0A | 0 | 5 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 56GP | 11G | 10A | +4 | 112 PIM |
C Gabriel Dumont: 20 years old, 5'10", 180 pounds, RH shot.
| Season Stats | 60GP | 5G | 13A | -5 | 79 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 0GP | 0G | 0A | 0 | 0 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 60GP | 5G | 13A | -5 | 79 PIM |
C Andreas Engqvist: 23 years old, 6'4", 191 pounds, RH shot.
| Season Stats | 62GP | 8G | 13A | +8 | 16 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 3GP | 1G | 1A | 0 | 0 PIM |
| Season Stats | 65GP | 9G | 14A | +8 | 16 PIM |
G Robert Mayer: 22 years old, 6'1", 209 pounds, catches left.
| Season Stats: | 21GP | 9-10-1-1 | 3.06GAA | .890% |
| Weekly Stats: | 0GP | 0-0-0-0 | GAA | % |
| Complete Stats: | 21GP | 9-10-1-1 | 3.06GAA | .890% |
D Brendon Nash: 23 years old, 6'3", 218 pounds, LH shot.
| Season Stats | 64GP | 5G | 22A | +14 | 47 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 3GP | 0G | 1A | 0 | 2 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 67GP | 5G | 23A | +14 | 49 PIM |
RW Aaron Palushaj: 21 years old, 6', 183 pounds, RH shot.
| Season Stats | 57GP | 17G | 27A | +15 | 28 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 3GP | 0G | 1A | -1 | 2 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 60GP | 17G | 28A | +14 | 30 PIM |
Called up to play for Montreal
C David Desharnais: 24 years old, 5'6", 177 pounds, LH shot.
Alternate Captain
| Season Stats | 35GP | 10G | 35A | +14 | 24 PIM |
LW Max Pacioretty: 21 years old, 6'2", 210 pounds, LH shot.
| Season Stats | 27GP | 17G | 15A | +4 | 20 PIM |
D Yannick Weber: 22 years old, 5'11", 196 pounds, RH shot.
| Season Stats | 15GP | 8G | 4A | -5 | 10 PIM |
C Ryan White: 22 years old, 6', 198 pounds, RH shot.
Alternate Captain
| Season Stats | 33GP | 3G | 9A | -5 | 77 PIM |
The Juniors Report: The Canadiens currentlyfeature prospects playing in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and the Western Hockey League (WHL). These leagues can be considered the primary conduit towards professional hockey in North America.
QMJHL:
C Michaël Bournival: 18 years old, 6’, 190 pounds, LH shot.
Junior Club: Shawinigan Cataractes – Team Captain (42W, 23L, 2OTL, 1 SOL) (1-1 Playoff Record)
| Season Stats | 56GP | 28G | 36A | +4 | 28 PIM |
| Playoff Stats | 0GP | 0G | 0A | 0 | 0 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 2GP | 1G | 1A | -1 | 0 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 2GP | 1G | 1A | -1 | 0 PIM |
D Morgan Ellis: 18 years old, 6'2", 196 pounds, RH shot.
Junior Club: Cape Breton Screaming Eagles - Team Captain (18W, 45L, 1 OTL, 4 SOL) (0-2 Playoff Record)
| Season Stats | 65GP | 8G | 28A | -27 | 65 PIM |
| Playoff Stats | 0GP | 0G | 0A | 0 | 0 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 2GP | 0G | 0A | -2 | 6 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 2GP | 0G | 0A | -2 | 6 PIM |
C Louis Leblanc: 20 years old, 6'1", 184 pounds, RH shot.
Junior Club: Montreal Juniors - Alternate Captain. (46W, 12L, 5 OTL, 5 SOL) (2-0 Playoff Record)
| Season Stats | 51GP | 26G | 32A | +21 | 98 PIM |
Playoff Stats | 0GP | 0G | 0A | 0 | 0 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 2GP | 3G | 0A | +1 | 2 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 2GP | 3G | 0A | +1 | 2 PIM |
LW Phillippe Lefebvre: 20 years old, 6', 200 pounds, LH shot.
Junior Club: Montreal Juniors (46W, 12L, 5OTL, 5 SOL) (2-0 Playoff Record)
| Season Stats | 60GP | 19G | 27A | +26 | 38 PIM |
| Playoff Stats | 0GP | 0G | 0A | 0 | 0 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 2GP | 1G | 1A | +2 | 0 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 2GP | 1G | 1A | +2 | 0 PIM |
OHL:
D Jarred Tinordi: 19 years old, 6'7", 212 pounds, LH shot.
Junior Club: London Knights (34W, 29L, 4 OTL, 1 SOL) (1-1 Playoff Record)
| Season Stats | 63GP | 1G | 13A | -8 | 140 PIM |
| Playoff Stats | 0GP | 0G | 0A | 0 | 0 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 1GP | 0G | 0A | -1 | 8 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 1GP | 0G | 0A | -1 | 8 PIM |
WHL:
RW Brendan Gallagher: 18 years old, 5'8", 170 pounds, RH shot.
Junior Club: Vancouver Giants – Alternate Captain (35W, 32L, 1 OTL, 4 SOL) (0-2 Playoff Record)
| Season Stats | 66GP | 44G | 47A | +29 | 108 PIM |
| Playoff Stats | 0GP | 0G | 0A | 0 | 0 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 2GP | 1G | 0A | 0 | 4 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 2GP | 1G | 0A | 0 | 4 PIM |
US College Hockey (NCAA) Report: The Canadiens have drafted a number of college players in recent years, these are generally ‘project players’ who benefit from additional years in lower level hockey to develop their skills.
D Mac Bennett: 19 years old, 6', 180 pounds, LH shot.
NCAA Team: University of Michigan Wolverines (28W, 10L, 4T)
| Season Stats | 28GP | 2G | 10A | +13 | 17 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 2GP | 0G | 0A | 0 | 0 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 30GP | 2G | 10A | +13 | 17 PIM |
RW Danny Kristo: 20 years old, 5'11”, 188 pounds, RH shot.
NCAA Team: University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux (32W, 8L, 3T)
| Season Stats | 31GP | 7G | 18A | +5 | 16 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 2GP | 1G | 2A | +2 | 2 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 33GP | 8G | 20A | +7 | 18 PIM |
D Greg Pateryn: 21 years old, 6’3”, 222 pounds, RH shot.
NCAA Team: University of Michigan Wolverines (28W, 10L, 4T)
| Season Stats | 36GP | 3G | 12A | +11 | 26 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 2GP | 0G | 1A | +2 | 2 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 38GP | 3G | 13A | +13 | 28 PIM |
C Dustin Walsh: 20 years old, 6’3”, 190 pounds, LH shot.
NCAA Team: Dartmouth College Big Green (19W, 12L, 3T)
| Season Stats | 34GP | 10G | 10A | +2 | 8 PIM |
Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) Report: The Kontinental Hockey League is the professional hockey league of Russia, many Russian players first play professionally there before joining the NHL. Due to a lack of a transfer agreement between the NHL and the KHL it can be very difficult for NHL clubs to attract their drafted Russian prospects.
G Karri Ramo: 24 years old, 6'3", 207 pounds, catches left.
KHL Club: Avangard Omsk (42W, 9L, 1 OTL, 2 SOL) (7-7 Playoff record)
| Season Stats: | 44GP | 33-6-2-1 | 1.97GAA | .925% |
| Playoff Stats | 13GP | 6-4-2 | 2.24GAA | .914% |
| Weekly Stats | 1GP | 0-1-0 | 1.00GAA | .947% |
| Complete Stats | 14GP | 6-5-2 | 2.16GAA | .914% |
RW Maxim Trunev: 20 years old, 5'11", 189 pounds, RH shot.
KHL Club: Severstal Cherepovets (30W, 20L, 4 OTL, O SOL) (2-4 Playoff record)
| Season Stats | 39GP | 1G | 6A | +3 | 20 PIM |
| Playoff Stats | 6GP | 0G | 0A | -3 | 2 PIM |
D Alexei Yemelin: 24 years old, 6'1", 221 pounds, LH shot.
KHL Club: Ak Bars Kazan (34W, 12L, 3 OTL, 4 SOL) (5-4 Playoff record)
| Season Stats | 52GP | 11G | 15A | +16 | 117 PIM |
| Playoff Stats | 9GP | 0G | 0A | 0 | 4 PIM |
