Moose take Drouin #2
Mooseheads select Jonathan Drouin 2nd Overall
The Halifax Mooseheads made a splash Saturday at the 2011 QMJHL Entry Draft selecting highly-touted Lac-St.Louis centre Jonathan Drouin 2nd overall. The Mooseheads obtained the pick after trading their 2011 4th overall pick, defenceman Simon Desmarais, and 3rd round picks in 2011 and 2012.
Drouin, 5’9” 153lbs, lit up the scoresheet this season in the Quebec Midget AAA League finishing 4th in league scoring as a 15yr old with 22 goals 36 assists in just 38 games. He followed that up leading the Lac-St.Louis Lions to the Telus Cup, leading all playoff scorers with 28 points in 15 games. “He’s a highly gifted forward with offensive flare” stated GM Cam Russell. “We’re excited to welcome him to Moose Country”.
With the 11th overall selection the Mooseheads selected goaltender Zachary Fucale from St.Eustache Midget AAA. Fucale was 15-5 this season with a 0.901 save percentage and a 3.09 goals against average. It is the first time the Mooseheads have selected a goaltender in the 1st round since Pascal Leclaire over 10 years ago. In a lighter moment, Fucale displayed the character that Mooseheads scouts loved when he told Chronicle Herald beat reporter Willy Palov that “he was coming to Halifax to win games, not play the tourist”.
At #22, the Mooseheads created a buzz when they selected Indiana Ice forward Adam Erne from the USHL. Erne, a Connecticut native, scored 10 goals and 8 assists as a 15yr old playing against 16 to 20 year olds. Erne was recently featured in the Hockey News prospect watch for the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. Click here for that story: http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/37987-Prospect-Watch-Adam-Erne.html
With the 25th overall selection the Mooseheads selected St.Francois Midget AAA defenceman Carl Tremblay. Tremblay, 6’ 1.5” 186lbs, played in Halifax for Team Quebec at the Canada Games, along with Drouin. He is a very reliable rearguard who recorded 1 goal and 9 assists this year in 38 games. “We know exactly what we’re getting with this guy”, Chief Atlantic Scout Allie MacDonald told Metro News Matthew Wuest.
At #49, the Mooseheads selected another defenseman Brian Lovell from Lac.St.Louis Espoir. Lovell is a smooth skating 6’1” 167lbs defenseman that likes the physical game. “He will be one of, if not the best skater at training camp in August”, stated GM Cam Russell.
At 73rd overall, GM Cam Russell was happy to select hometown boy Ryan Falkenham of the Halifax Major Midget Titans. Falkenham captained the Nova Scotia Canada Games team this past February in Halifax. “A born leader” stated Russell when discussing Falkenham. The Herd rounded out the 5th round selecting Amos Midget AAA forward Alexandre Sills with the 79th overall selection.
At 118, the Mooseheads took Metro Maruaders Jr A defenceman Mitchell Shewfelt. Shewfelt had 14 pts in 48 games as a 16yr old on the blueline last year for Troy Ryan’s team. “Tried to get this guy last year but we couldn’t grab a pick in the first 5 rounds to get him” stated Russell.
GM Call Russell jumped back to offence selecting Miramichi forward Joel Blanchard at #130. Blanchard finished 3rd in NB/PEI Major Midget League scoring collect 34 goals and 20 assists in just 35 games last season and played under Mooseheads scout Rob MacDonald, who coaches Miramichi Major Midget.
The Herd selected their second goalie of the day, 166th overall, when they selected Marc-Olivier Daigle from College Charles-Lemoyne. Daigle was 16-7 last year with a 3.29 goals against average.
In the 11th round the Mooseheads selected forward Brandon Pye from St.John’s Major Midget Privateers. Pye had 44 points in 26 games last season on a team that played in the Telus Cup. With their final selection of the day, the Mooseheads selected Cameron Romoff, a defenseman with Chateauguay Midget AAA that had 23 points in 39 games.
*The Mooseheads also traded for 20yr old right winger Alexandre Grenier in exchange for the Mooseheads 2011 Euro Pick( #11 overall) and PEI’s 4th round pick #63 overall. Grenier recorded 24 points in 31 games last season, along with 16 points in 15 games during the playoffs. Grenier was invited to the NHL Combine this week in Toronto as a 19yr old.
A complete breakdown of the Mooseheads 2011 QMJHL Entry Draft selections is below.
2011 Halifax Mooseheads Draft Selections:
Round 1, #2 overall – Jonathan Drouin, C, Lac-St.Louis Midget AAA, 38gp-22g-36a-58pts
Round 1, #11 overall – Zachary Fucale, G, St.Eustache Midget AAA, 15-5, 0.901 save %, 3.09 gaa
Round 2, #22 overall – Adam Erne, W, Indiana Ice, 45gp-10g-8a-18pts
Round 2, #25 overall – Carl Tremblay, D, St.Francois Midget AAA 38gp-1g-9a-10pts
Round 3, #49 overall – Brian Lovell, D, Lac.St.Louis Midget Espoir Stats Unavailable
Round 5, #73rd overall – Ryan Falkenham, W, Halifax Major Midget, 19gp-6g-11a-17pts
Round 5 #79 overall – Alexandre Sills, C, Amos Midget AAA 38gp-6g-7a-13pts
Round 7, #118 overall – Mitchell Shewfelt, D, Metro Marauders Jr A, 48gp-3g-11a-14pts
Round 8, #130 overall – Joel Blanchard, C, Miramichi Major Midget, 35gp-34g-20a-54pts
Round 10, #166 overall – Marc-Olivier Daigle, G, College Charles-Lemoyne, 16-7, 0.894 save %, 3.29 gaa
Round 11, 184th overall – Brandon Pye, W, St.John’s Midget AAA, 26gp-22g-22a-44pts
Round 12, 202nd overall – Cameron Romoff, D, Chateauguay Midget AAA, 39gp-6g-17a-23pts
