Interview with Val-dâOr Foreurs defenseman Sébastien Bisaillon

BOUCHERVILLE, Saturday, December 3, 2005 (QMJHL) – This week, the official Website of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League – www.lhjmq.qc.ca – presents an interview with Val-d’Or Foreurs defenseman Sébastien Bisaillon.

<i>You were a member of the QMJHL’s team in the ADT Canada-Russia Challenge. How can you describe your experience?</i>

"I can put the experience right up there with my invitation to the Montreal Canadiens’ training camp. I was very happy to be on a team with so many talented players – I was even impressed by some of them early on. You’d figure that with a bunch like that, you’d see a lot of egos in the locker room, but it wasn’t the case at all. The players were just a bunch of normal guys. The international game is different than what I’ve experienced playing in the QMJHL. I had to make adjustments to my game, but everything went really well."

<i>Since your arrival in the QMJHL, how far has your game progressed?</i>

"I think progression comes with experience. When I played in the lower ranks, I was considered as on offensive-minded defenseman. Although that’s still a big part of the way I play, I had to make adjustments throughout my learning process in Major Junior in order to be successful and that meant working on my defensive deficiencies. It’s the part of my game which I’ve been working on the most with the coaching staff."

<i>The Foreurs are experiencing some rough moments this season. What were the team’s goals before the season started?</i>

"Well, without going into specifics about our points in the standings goals, I think we set the bar pretty high for ourselves this year and the results haven’t transpired. We all want to turn it around and we’ll do everything we can to actually do it. The front-office has told us to hang in there and that they would help us to succeed in the second half of the season."

<i>You are personally having a good season offensively – 5th overall in the scoring lead among defenseman. Do you catch yourself looking at your personal statistics?</i>

"I don’t believe hockey players who say that they don’t look at their personal output. I’m a competitive player, and therefore I pay attention to what other defensemen or players are doing across the League in order to compare myself. I see it this way: if I’m having success, then there are more chances that the team is also doing well. The bottom line is that I have the successes of the team at heart above anything else."

<i>Have you thought about pursuing a career in professional hockey?</i>

"Yes, I definitely would like to make a career out of playing at the pro level, and not necessarily just at the National Hockey League level. There are other options, such as Europe and the American Hockey League. Also, I’m still in school in order to expand my options."