VICTORIAVILLE, Que. —  With just 10 games to go, including tonight against the Rimouski Océanic, Brandon Hynes’s third season in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League is rapidly winding down.

His rookie year was one of both excitement and learning, his second season saw him ascend to the upper echelon of major junior snipers and now this current campaign featured his introduction to Hockey Canada with a spot on the Q’s Canadian all-star team that faced off against Team Russia.

Unfortunately, this season has also brought it’s share of disappointments — from not being invited to the tryout camp for the Canadian world junior team to enduring an offensive slump since his scorching December that culminated in a demotion to the fourth line last weekend.

“I’m the first one to tell you I’m not playing up to par right now,” Hynes said Wednesday night. “My production isn’t the same as it was … my place on the team right now should be more of a leader and a guy you can look up to.

“When you’re not living up to expectations, a message has to be sent.”

His coach, Yanick Jean, has been at odds with Hynes before, mostly due to defensive deficiencies in the 18-year-old’s game. Now, it’s also a lack of scoring punch that’s put him in the coach’s crosshairs. In early January, the team traded it’s biggest offensive weapon in 20-year-old over-ager Philip-Michael Devos, who was swapped to the Gatineau Olympiques for the younger Benjamin Laliberte and three draft picks.

Hynes was supposed to step up into the spotlight, but instead hit a wall.

“It’s pretty tough right now because since Christmas my production has been down big time,” he said.

“It’s the kind of feeling that it’s going to be a Mount Everest to climb to get out of it … but I know one day there’s going to be a bounce here or there and it’s going to happen for me.”

After putting up 29 points (18G-11A) in 60 games as a rookie in 2008-09, the Norris Point native was huge last season, with 75 points (41G-34A) in 68 games. He’ll have to be good to match that total, having notched 57 points (30G-27A) in 56 games heading into tonight’s game against the Océanic.

That’s decent production, to be sure, but Hynes wants more, which his league-leading 264 shots on net proves.

“I just want to get back on track, once that happens we’ll worry about the production compared to last year,” he said. “Obviously it’s playing a bit on my mind, I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t. It could be a bit of the problem, so I’ve got to try and take it away from my mind a little bit.”

The Tigres (30W-24L-1OTL-3SOL-64PTS) have already clinched a playoff spot and, although they’re not expected to post as much of a threat as they did last year, Hynes believes he can help lead the team to an upset or two. Regardless of what happens statistically by the end of the regular season, he definitely has something to prove once the games amplify in importance. In 17 playoff games — four his rookie year and 13 last year — he’s registered just three points.

“Obviously that has to change if you want to be a pro and progress as a hockey player,” Hynes said, though he noted he wasn’t entirely healthy during last year’s post-season run to the league semifinals. A concussion and a high ankle sprain left him feeling like half the player he thought he could be.

“If I was 100 per cent healthy and only had three points or whatever, I’d be the first to tell you that’s not good enough,” he said. “I feel like I can be a part of a playoff team that can win … a difference-maker that can get you through a Game 7.

“I feel like I have that ability and this year is probably a good time to bring it out.”