Cats captain selected for Team QMJHL
Brandon Gormley continues to add to his sparkling resume.
The defenceman is the only Moncton Wildcats player who will suit up for the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League all-star team in the 2011 Subway Super Series. It will be the fourth time that the fourth-year veteran has competed in this event, something that nobody else has ever accomplished.
Team QMJHL will face the Russian national junior team on Nov. 7 in Victoriaville and Nov. 9 in Quebec City. This is part of the evaluation process for Canada’s entry in the 2012 World Junior Hockey Championship, which will take place in Calgary and Edmonton.
“It’s always been a great experience to play in (the Subway Super Series),” said Gormley. “It’s a lot of fun being part of this event. It’s a great opportunity to get to know some of the other players in the league and to show your skills.
“It’s part of the tryout to play in the world junior championship and you’ve got to take advantage of it. You’ve got to play well in this event to get invited to Team Canada’s selection camp in December.”
Team QMJHL’s 23-man roster was announced yesterday. The goaltenders are Maxime Lagace (P.E.I.) and Louis Domingue (Quebec). Gormley is joined on the blueline by Morgan Ellis (Cape Breton), Jerome Gauthier-Leduc (Rimouski), Xavier Ouellet (Blainville-Boisbriand), Shediac’s Pierre Durepos (Saint John), Nathan Beaulieu (Saint John), Martin Lefebvre (Quebec) and Samuel Carrier (Baie-Comeau).
The forwards are Fredericton’s Zack Phillips (Saint John), Carl Gelinas (Baie-Comeau), Charles Hudon (Chicoutimi), Jonathan Huberdeau (Saint John), Jean-Gabriel Pageau (Gatineau), Yanick Dube (Victoriaville), Philippe Halley (Victoriaville), Phillip Danault (Victoriaville), Nathan MacKinnon (Halifax), Raphael Bussières (Baie-Comeau), Zach O’Brien (Acadie-Bathurst), Matthew Bissonnette (Acadie-Bathurst) and Michael Bournival (Shawinigan).
Domingue, Bussieres, O’Brien and Bissonnette are former Moncton players. The Wildcats traded them when they were promising young prospects as part of building their championship team in 2009-10.
Gormley played for Team Atlantic in two world under-17 championships and he captained Canada to a gold medal in the Memorial of Ivan Hlinka Tournament, an under-18 event. He also suited up for Prince Edward Island’s hockey team in the 2007 Canada Winter Games.
It seemed a safe bet the native of Murray River, P.E.I. would play for Canada in the 2011 World Junior Hockey Championship. But he suffered a knee injury last November that robbed him of the opportunity to attend the national team’s final selection camp.
“It’s always been a tradition in my family to watch the world junior championship on television at Christmas time,” he said. “It’s always been a dream of mine to play in that tournament.
“I ran into some bad luck last year and wasn’t able to attend final tryouts for Team Canada. I’m really looking forward to this opportunity (to play in the Subway Super Series) and hopefully I’ll get invited to Team Canada’s selection camp in December.”
Gormley, 19, has been in the spotlight since being selected first overall in the 2008 QMJHL draft. He’s lived up to all expectations and was a key figure in helping Moncton capture the QMJHL championship and advance to the 2010 Memorial Cup in Brandon, Man.
He was claimed in the first round, 13th overall, by the Phoenix Coyotes in the 2010 National Hockey League draft. He missed the start of this season while in NHL camp, but he’s still tied for fifth in Wildcats scoring with seven goals and 11 points in 12 games.
Gormley, 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds, is captain of a struggling Moncton squad that’s fourth in the Maritime Division at 8-10-1-0. Next up is a clash with the Prince Edward Island Rocket on Friday at 7 p.m. at the Moncton Coliseum.
The Wildcats played 10 of the past 12 games on the road and went 4-7-1-0 during that stretch. That includes one win in the past six outings.
The Wildcats now go the other extreme with nine of their next 12 contests at home. They’re obviously looking to improve their .500 home record – 3-3-1-0 – and move up in the standings during this part of the schedule.
Gormley is 17th in Wildcats career scoring with 129 points in 179 games. He’s third among defencemen on this list, trailing James Sanford (181 points) and Mark Barberio (158).
Gormley only played 47 games last season, but still had career highs for both goals with 13 and points with 48. He’s currently on a pace that would see him finish this season with 25 goals and 39 points, but he deflects talk away from personal stats.
“Most of our losses are one-goal games,” he said. “I think we’re battling hard and we’re real close. It’s a matter of bearing down more on our scoring chances and continuing to improve our team defensive play. It’s not our work ethic, that’s for sure.
“The big key is being more responsible in our defensive zone and keeping our goals against down. We’ve always taken a lot of pride in our team’s defensive play over the years. That’s always been our identity.”
