Inside the CHL
After finishing last overall in the OHL standings last year, the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds have made quick work of their rebuilding efforts and have jumped out of the gate with a perfect 5-0-0-0 record to start the 2009-10 season.
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A big part of their early turnaround has been the inspiring play of rookies Nick Cousins and Daniel Catenacci.
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Catenacci was the first overall pick in the OHL Priority Selection last May while Cousins was the first pick in the second round.
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“It’s been a very exciting start,” said Greyhounds’ coach Denny Lambert. “Finishing last overall last year – everybody was pretty deflated by the end of the year. The bright spot about that is that you get to draft first overall and you get to draft high end guys. We got a couple of special players in Daniel Catenacci and Nick Cousins. They’re going to be great players for us for years to come.”
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Cousins leads all first year OHL players with three goals and five points in five games and had a great start to his OHL career, scoring two goals – including the overtime winner – in his OHL debut against the Ottawa 67’s on September 18.
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“I definitely got off to a great start there,” Cousins said. “It was a great experience for me individually and for us as a team. It was a memorable experience that I’ll never forget.”
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Meanwhile Catenacci hasn’t recorded his first OHL goal yet, but he picked up a pair of assists in his first two games and has been playing on a line with veteran James Livingston.
“We’ve come out and worked hard every single game,” Catenacci said. “Our team is a hard-working team and everyone is fighting for a position so I’m just trying to work my hardest. We’re just looking for wins and to keep building as a team.”
Meanwhile in the QMJHL, the defending QMJHL champion Drummondville Voltigeurs have picked up right where they left off last year, winning their first six games of the season.
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The Voltigeurs, who advanced to the semi-finals of the MasterCard Memorial Cup last year in Rimouski, have a new coach, a new goaltender and a new group of high-scoring forwards to lead the way.
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Marc-Olivier Vachon is the top goal scorer in the QMJHL this season with seven and leads the team with 10 points in six games while Sean Couturier is also having a good start offensively with four goals and eight points in six games.
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The Victoriaville Tigres are also off to a good start with a 5-2-0-1 record while the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies have rebounded from an 0-3 start to win four straight games.
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In the WHL, the Calgary Hitmen have won their first four games of the new season while the Brandon Wheat Kings – who will host the 2010 MasterCard Memorial Cup in May – have won three straight after dropping their season-opener.
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Both teams received some good news this season with the return of scoring stars Joel Broda to Calgary and Brayden Schenn to Brandon.
Photo of Daniel Catenacci by Aaron Bell/OHL Images