Double the trouble with the Saulniers
By Neil Hodge – They’re proving to be double trouble for opponents.
Twins Alex and Allain Saulnier are the Moncton Wildcats’ top two scorers and they’re a big part of the reason why the rebuilding club has remained competitive in the middle of the overall Quebec Major Junior Hockey League standings.
At the one-quarter mark of the schedule, both had surprisingly already surpassed their rookie points total last season. There’s no question they’ve been the club’s co Most Valuable Player so far this season.
“We didn’t set any personal goals in terms of stats for this season,” said Allain. “It’s a confidence builder for sure because it shows we progressed a lot as players. The team played almost 100 games last season so it was almost like two seasons. We gained a lot of experience from that.
“The playoffs and Memorial Cup was like an extra season. We went through a lot of intense games and hard series. We got to see the mood in the dressing room and how the veterans handled everything. We learned a lot being part of a championship team and I think that helped us develop.”
The Saulniers played two seasons ago for the Moncton Flyers and were the top two scorers in the New Brunswick/P.E.I. Major Midget Hockey League. Both were selected in the 2009 QMJHL draft — Allain in the fourth round and Alex in the fifth round.
“As of Jan. 6, Alex was leading the Wildcats with 17 goals and 49 points in 41 games while Allain was runnerup with 17 goals and 46 points in 41 games. Alex, a centre, was tied for 12th and Allain, a right winger, was tied for 14th in the QMJHL scoring race.
“The 18-year-old Saulnier brothers are rising stars who have gained attention across the league. In fact, Jonathan Huberdeau of the Saint John Sea Dogs was the only player younger than them in the top 15 of the QMJHL scoring race.
“We obviously wanted to increase our points total this season,” said Allain. “We were looking forward to the challenge of having a more offensive role on the team, but we didn’t have any numbers in our mind for stats.
“It’s going really well for us so far and we’re working hard to try to keep it going. I’m not saying we’re going to continue at this pace, but as long as the team keeps winning then we’ll be happy.”
The big difference for the Saulniers this season?
“The Max Health Institute (in Dieppe, N.B.) helped us a lot in our summer training program,” said Allain. “Graham Black is one of the best trainers in the Maritimes. He worked with us this summer and focused on making us bigger and stronger.
“He put us on a good summer program and the work we did with him is paying off. I also think that with the experience we gained last season we came back a lot more confident.”
“The Saulniers are from Cap-Pele, a small fishing village about a 30-minute drive from Moncton. It’s the same community that produced former QMJHL players Patrice Cormier and Kevin Cormier and former Major League Baseball pitcher Rheal Cormier.
Moncton has the luxury of two high-profile local players in its lineup, something that has obvious marketing benefits for the club. Wildcats head coach Danny Flynn offered an assessment of the Saulniers.
“They’re such fierce competitors,” he said. “They would go through the Zamboni to get to a loose puck. They want to score and they’ll pay the price to do that. This was the first summer that they really trained well for hockey and they made significant strength gains.
“I think it’s helped them in their puck battles and it’s helped them lower body wise in picking up a step in their skating. We’re seeing examples more and more now of them getting to pucks that they didn’t get to last season.”
Moncton expected the Saulniers to develop into solid top two line players at 19 and 20 years old.
“I would be lying if I said I thought they were going to be this good at age 18,” said Flynn. “We probably would’ve drafted them in the first and second rounds, not the fourth and fifth rounds, if we saw this coming. When you have `A’ level hockey sense and you have `A’ level grit, you find a way to get past your shortcomings.”
Flynn coached Steve Sullivan with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League in the early 1990s. The skeptics said he was too small, but he proved them wrong. He was an outstanding junior player and he’s now a Nashville Predators forward who’s in his 15th National Hockey League season.
“Much like Sullivan, the Saulniers have had their skeptics each time they’ve gone up to a new league,” said Flynn. “People said they couldn’t play at the next level and every time they’ve risen to the occasion and dominated at that level. They’re the same fierce competitor as Sullivan.
“When you’re not really big and you don’t possess blinding speed people are always going to question you. But the Saulniers’ grit and their hockey sense is at a pro level and we’re seeing signs of their speed improving.”
The Saulniers had a humble start in the QMJHL as they were in and out of the lineup the first two months last season. Moncton was even considering sending them to the Dieppe Commandos so they could get more ice time and continue their development in the Maritime Junior A Hockey League.
But the Wildcats ran into injuries, the Saulniers became regulars and they took advantage of the opportunity. They impressed with solid two-way play, established themselves on the penalty kill and were among the club’s top performers at the 2010 Memorial Cup.
The Saulniers were passed over in the 2010 NHL draft.
“They were real close to getting invited as free agents to an NHL training camp this year,” said Flynn. “The same team was going to invite both of them. This is one of the smarter teams in the NHL.
“In the end, that team didn’t have any openings for more players in camp. I told that team ‘This time next year you’re going to be saying to yourselves ‘Why didn’t we invite those Saulniers?’ I don’t think there’s any question they’ll be in an NHL camp next year.”
