Remparts remain competitive… regardless
It’s tough to even imagine saying that about a perennial QMJHL powerhouse that has routinely ventured deep into the playoffs over the years, but welcome to your 2013-14 Remparts.
Many pundits had difficultly knowing what to make of a team that still had some considerable talent. The changing of the guard at the top was the main reason for that as many wondered: How would the team handle life without Patrick Roy for the first time in almost a decade?
Few doubted the merits of his successor Philippe Boucher who earned his stripes while with the Rimouski Oceanic the past two years. Even the man himself knew what he was getting himself into.
“You don’t replace Patrick Roy,” explained Boucher upon his hire. “You simply succeed him.”
The road was bumpy at first for the new look Remparts with only one win to show for their first nine games this season. The team then bounced back with a solid month of October before stumbling again in November. Consistency has been an issue for the club with that issue never more apparent than when they were manhandled 11-2 on their home ice by Val-D’Or before blanking one of the top teams in the nation in Blainville-Boisbriand 6-0 only two months later.
Through those ups and downs, the Remparts are in 2nd place in the Telus East Division with a 18-11-3-3 record.
Crowded team clinic
Even the most dominant teams are no match for hockey’s great equalizer: the injury bug. While it’s never an acceptable excuse, its effects are often tough to overlook. Head coach Boucher can count on one hand the nights he’s been able to ice his complete lineup this season.
Hit by mononucleosis, 20-year-old Olivier Archambault only just returned to action in late November. The heart and soul of the team, Kurt Etchegary has had to have surgery done to his heart no less! Then one-by-one Nick Sorensen, Anthony Duclair and Adam Erne each missed some action due to injury. As if that wasn’t enough, perennial thorn in the side of the opposition Hubert Lamarre only played five games in September with a knee injury from blocking a shot. Simply put, the Remparts lineup has been a revolving door with many young players getting their chance and their growing pains have been evident.
Defence takes its lumps
Like on any hockey team, the defensive corps is the nerve center of QMJHL teams and the resulting young Remparts blue line has had its challenges against the opposition this year. Aside from 20-year-old vets like Ryan Culkin and Dillon Donnely, the pressure is put on the young shoulders of 16 and 17 year olds. Even veteran goalie Francois Brassard found himself backed up by Callum Booth who won’t turn 17 until May. While Brasssard delivered the goods as the team’s No. 1 goalie, Callum also held his own when he was called upon meaning that the Remparts are looking solid between the pipes for years to come.
Big guns must be loaded
Offensively, it’s been a veteran’s affair for the Remparts. So much so that Duclair, Erne and Sorensen can’t ever take a night off because the scoresheet would be an empty place for their team. Thankfully for Quebec, their three top scorers are all averaging over a point per game. They are getting some help from Swiss product Fabrice Herzog who has 20 goals in 34 games this year. Time will tell what lies ahead for Philippe Boucher’s squad in the second half of the season, butwith his team finally healthy, the Remparts could be about to make some waves.
Call of Duty
The Remparts did see three of their players earn invites to World Junior selection camps and each of those should be in action from December 26 to January 5 in Malmo, Sweden. Adam Erne should crack the U.S. lineup, Fabrice Herzog should do the same for his homeland of Switzerland and Sweden’s Nick Sorensen who will have the chance to play for his country and maybe replace the silver medal won last year with a gold one.
