All Habs Hockey Magazine is thrilled to announce the addition of Robert Rice as a new member to our team. Many of you are familiar with Rice, also known as @SeriousFan09 , for his fine work on prospects of the Montreal Canadiens. I had the pleasure to meet Robert in person during the 2011 NHL Entry Draft and know him as one of the most knowledgeable, respectful debaters in the Habs community — I also admire his integrity.
Robert will bolster our coverage of prospects in the Canadiens organization. His weekly series which debuts today at All Habs will be known as “Catching the Torch.” Rice explains the choice of the title on his personal blog “Habs and Hockey” as follows.
“Anyone who holds even a modicum of knowledge about the team knows the line in the Habs locker room room “To You From Failing Hands We Throw The Torch Be Yours To Hold It High.” Hence the title, these young men I track are expected to be the next Habs so it is very much upon them to take up the torch as they arrive in Montreal.”
You will find Rice’s feature of Canadiens’s prospects here every Monday. Be sure to spread the word to fellow Habs fans. Welcome aboard Robert!
Written by Robert Rice, AllHabs.net
Catching the Torch, December 12th-18th edition
The Three Stars of the Week
1. LW Olivier Archambault has had a season defined by inconsistency, this week was spent however flashing the skills that attracted the vision of the Montreal Canadiens. In a pair of games with the Drummondville Voltigeurs, Archambeault had his first set of multi-point games since October 9th. Archambault would score a goal and two assists on Friday night in a 5-2 victory over the Gatineau Olympiques, adding a helper to the 2nd Drummondville goal, than helping to pile it on later in the game as he scored the 4th and assisted on the 5th goal for his team to close out the idea of a Gatineau comeback. Archambault would collect another two assists on Sunday, helping his team take initial 1-0 and 2-1 leads, but unfortunately his efforts fell short in an eventual 5-4 loss to the Chicoutimi Saguenéens. Archambault was drafted in the 4th round, 108th overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2011 Entry Draft.
2. C Andreas Engqvist was not a very notable presence for the Hamilton Bulldogs during the first two games of the week as he was held without a point, but came through on Sunday to help the team earn their only victory of the week. Engqvist would score the opening goal of the game against the Abbotsford Heat on Sunday afternoon, than sealed the victory for Hamilton with the overtime winner. Engqvist’s two goals also bring him into a tie for the goal-scoring lead with current leader Philip DeSimone, but Engqvist has played 13 fewer games. Engqvist was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Montreal Canadiens in July of 2009 at the team’s summer development camp.
3. D Frédéric St-Denis with his steady play and recent performance as a fill-in for the Montreal Canadiens blue line has earned him a promotion out of the bubble category. St-Denis added two assists on Friday night to help the Bulldogs take a 3-1 lead over Abbotsford, in which unfortunately became an eventual shootout loss. St-Denis would add another assist on Sunday afternoon as the Bulldogs earned an eventual overtime victory. St-Denis’s 3 goals and 10 assists make him the defensive scoring leader on Hamilton and 3rd on the team in points. St-Denis was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Montreal Canadiens in July of 2010.
Note: Catching the Torch will not be published on the 26th of December due to all the junior and professional leagues aside from the NHL having a holiday break but will return on January 2nd.
World Junior Tracker: In case you were living under a rock, D Nathan Beaulieu, C Michaël Bournival and RW Brendan Gallagher have all been named to Team Canada for the 2012 World Junior Hockey Championships. D Jarred Tinordi is currently at the Team USA Camp and is favoured to make the team. C Daniel Pribyl is on the preliminary roster for Team Czech Republic.
On The Radar: Morgan Ellis added a pair of assists to his scoring totals for 7G, 17A over 32 games. He needs only 13 points to set a new career best in the QMJHL.
Question Marks: G Peter Delmas suffered a concussion and is out indefinitely. D Brendon Nash is recovering from shoulder surgery. C Dustin Walsh is out with a leg injury.
Complete Statistics for the week of December 12th, 2011
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.
RW Alexander Avtsin: 20 years old, 6’2″, 199 pounds, RH shot.
| Season Stats | 25GP | 3G | 5A | -9 | 12 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 3GP | 1G | 0A | -2 | 4 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 28GP | 4G | 5A | -11 | 16 PIM |
C Philip DeSimone 24 years old, 6’1”, 188 pounds, LH shot.
| Season Stats | 25GP | 6G | 7A | -10 | 22 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 3GP | 0G | 0A | 0 | 2 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 28GP | 6G | 7A | -10 | 24 PIM |
C Gabriel Dumont: 20 years old, 5’10”, 189 pounds, RH shot.
| Season Stats | 16GP | 2G | 2A | -8 | 19 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 3GP | 1G | 0A | +2 | 0 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 19GP | 3G | 2A | -6 | 19 PIM |
C Andreas Engqvist: 23 years old, 6’4″, 191 pounds, RH shot.
| Season Stats | 12GP | 4G | 2A | +3 | 12 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 3GP | 2G | 0A | 0 | 2 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 15GP | 6G | 2A | +3 | 14 PIM |
RW Aaron Palushaj: 22 years old, 6′, 188 pounds, RH shot.
| Season Stats | 10GP | 3G | 7A | -1 | 16 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 3GP | 1G | 0A | 0 | 2 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 13GP | 4G | 7A | -1 | 18 PIM |
D Frédéric St-Denis: 25 years old, 5’11”, 193 pounds, LH shot.
| Season Stats | 16GP | 3G | 7A | -3 | 2 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 3GP | 0G | 3A | 0 | 4 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 19GP | 3G | 10A | -2 | 6 PIM |
Called up to Montreal:
RW Mike Blunden: 25 years old, 6’4”, 218 pounds, RH shot.
| Season Stats | 16GP | 3G | 4A | 0 | 8 PIM |
C Louis Leblanc: 20 years old, 6’, 180 pounds, RH shot.
| Season Stats | 14GP | 4G | 6A | -5 | 4 PIM |
Injured:
D Brendon Nash: 23 years old, 6’3″, 210 pounds, LH shot.
| Season Stats | 0GP | 0G | 0A | 0 | 0 PIM |
Assigned to the ECHL:
G Peter Delmas: 21 years old, 6’2”, 188 pound, Catches Left.
AHL:
| Season Stats | 0GP | 0-0-0 | GAA | % |
ECHL:
| Season Stats | 10GP | 6-3-0 | 2.17 GAA | .911% |
| Weekly Stats | 1GP | 0-0-0 | 7.21 GAA | .727% |
| Complete Stats | 11GP | 6-3-0 | 2.40 GAA | .902% |
QMJHL:
LW Olivier Archambault: 18 years old, 5’11”, 184 pounds. LH shot.
Junior Club: Drummondville Voltigeurs
14W, 18L, 2OTL, 3 SOL – 14th of 17th overall in the QMJHL.
| Season Stats | 29GP | 9G | 13A | -11 | 12 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 2GP | 1G | 4A | -1 | 0 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 31GP | 10G | 17A | -12 | 12 PIM |
D Nathan Beaulieu: 19 years old, 6’3”, 191 pounds, LH shot.
Junior Club: Saint John Sea Dogs – Alternate Captain
28W, 10L, 0 OTL, 1 SOL- 2nd of 17th overall in the QMJHL
| Season Stats | 30GP | 8G | 18A | +20 | 57 PIM |
C Michaël Bournival: 19 years old, 6’, 187 pounds, LH shot.
Junior Club: Shawinigan Cataractes – Team Captain
25W, 9L, 2 OTL, 2 SOL – 3rd of 17th overall in the QMJHL.
| Season Stats | 16GP | 15G | 9A | +5 | 4 PIM |
D Morgan Ellis: 19 years old, 6’2″, 204 pounds, RH shot.
Junior Club: Cape Breton Screaming Eagles – Team Captain
15W, 21L, 0 OTL, 1 SOL – 15th of 17th overall in the QMJHL
| Season Stats | 30GP | 7G | 15A | -5 | 16 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 2GP | 0G | 2A | +3 | 0 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 32GP | 7G | 17A | -2 | 16 PIM |
OHL:
D Jarred Tinordi: 19 years old, 6’7″, 215 pounds, LH shot.
Junior Club: London Knights – Team Captain
25W, 7L, 0 OTL, 1 SOL – 1st of 20th overall in the OHL
| Season Stats | 19GP | 0G | 7A | +16 | 49 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 1GP | 0G | 0A | +2 | 0 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 20GP | 0G | 7A | +18 | 49 PIM |
WHL:
D Darren Dietz: 18 years old, 6’1”, 195 pounds, RH shot.
Junior Club: Saskatoon Blades – Alternate Captain
20W, 14L, 0 OTL, 1 SOL – 8th of 22nd overall in the WHL
| Season Stats | 32GP | 5G | 12A | +14 | 49 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 2GP | 0G | 1A | -1 | 4 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 34GP | 5G | 13A | +13 | 53 PIM |
RW Brendan Gallagher: 19 years old, 5’8″, 175 pounds, RH shot.
Junior Club: Vancouver Giants – Alternate Captain
(22W, 12L, 1 OTL, 1 SOL – 5th of 22nd overall in the WHL)
| Season Stats | 28GP | 24G | 22A | +12 | 39 PIM |
D Mac Bennett: 20 years old, 6′, 180 pounds, LH shot.
NCAA Team: University of Michigan Wolverines
(9W, 8L, 2T)
| Season Stats | 20GP | 3G | 10A | +8 | 6 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 0GP | 0G | 0A | 0 | 0 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 20GP | 3G | 10A | +8 | 6 PIM |
D Scott Kishel: 22 years old, 6’, 190 pounds, LH shot.
NCAA Team: University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs
{12W, 3L, 3T)
| Season Stats | 18GP | 2G | 12A | +12 | 14 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 0GP | 0G | 0A | 0 | 0 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 18GP | 2G | 12A | +12 | 14 PIM |
RW Danny Kristo: 21 years old, 5’11”, 188 pounds, RH shot.
NCAA Team: University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux
(9W, 8L, 1T)
| Season Stats | 18GP | 9G | 11A | +5 | 12 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 0GP | 0G | 0A | 0 | 0 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 18GP | 9G | 11A | +5 | 12 PIM |
C Mark MacMillan: 19 years old, 6’, 170 pounds, LH shot.
NCAA Team: University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux
(9W, 8L, 1T)
| Season Stats | 18GP | 2G | 4A | -9 | 8 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 0GP | 0G | 0A | 0 | 0 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 18GP | 2G | 4A | -9 | 8 PIM |
D Greg Pateryn: 21 years old, 6’3”, 222 pounds, RH shot.
NCAA Team: University of Michigan Wolverines
(9W, 8L, 3T)
| Season Stats | 20GP | 2G | 9A | +6 | 12 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 0GP | 0G | 0A | 0 | 0 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 20GP | 2G | 9A | +6 | 12 PIM |
LW Steve Quailer: 22 years old, 6’4”, 200 pounds, LH shot.
NCAA Team: Northeastern University Huskies
(7W, 7L, 2T)
| Season Stats | 14GP | 6G | 10A | +8 | 12 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 0GP | 0G | 0A | 0 | 0 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 14GP | 6G | 10A | +8 | 12 PIM |
C Dustin Walsh: 20 years old, 6’3”, 190 pounds, LH shot.
NCAA Team: Dartmouth College Big Green
(5W, 5L, 1T)
| Season Stats | 5GP | 2G | 5A | +3 | 2 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 0GP | 0G | 0A | 0 | 0 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 5GP | 2G | 5A | +3 | 2 PIM |
C Daniel Pribyl: 18 years old, 6’3”, 190 pounds, RH shot.
Extraliga Team: HC Sparta Praha
19W, 5L, 6 OTL – 2nd of 14th overall in the league
| Season Stats | 15GP | 2G | 0A | +1 | 2 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 0GP | 0G | 0A | 0 | 0 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 15GP | 2G | 0A | +1 | 2 PIM |
Czech First League Team: HC Berountsi Medovi
(14W, 16L, 1 OTL – 10th of 14th overall in the League)
| Season Stats | 8GP | 5G | 3A | 0 | 2 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 0GP | 0G | 0A | 0 | 0 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 8GP | 5G | 3A | 0 | 2 PIM |
D Magnus Nygren: 21 years old, 6’1”, 191 pounds, RH shot.
Elitserien Team: Farjestads BK
(15W, 8L, 7 OTL – 5th of 12 overall in the League)
| Season Stats | 30GP | 5G | 7A | -8 | 2 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 0GP | 0G | 0A | 0 | 0 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 30GP | 5G | 7A | -8 | 2 PIM |