Dogs garner national attention
Published Friday November 6th, 2009
Scouting: Hockey Canada looking at three players for possible invites to junior selection camp
SAINT JOHN - There was a lot on the line for several Saint John Sea Dogs in Wednesday night's 3-2 win over the Halifax Mooseheads at Harbour Station.
Al Murray, Hockey Canada's head scout of men's national teams, watched the contest and evaluated players who could be candidates for the national junior team's selection camp in December.
"This game will be a big part of their evaluation as will the Canada-Russia Series,'' Murray said during the first intermission Wednesday night. "The Sea Dogs have a number of players who we're following (as tryout candidates for) the world junior team. We know they have a lot of talent and a lot of individual skill. We're looking for them to make the smart play and the right play and the quick play. Speed of execution, solid defensive play and being able to make plays with the puck are huge parts of our program.''
The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League portion of the Canada-Russia Series goes Nov. 16 in Drummondville and Nov. 18 in Shawinigan.
Three Sea Dogs - Michael Kirkpatrick, Yann Sauve and Simon Despres - will play for the QMJHL.
This year marks the fourth straight series for Sauve, while it will be Despres' third consecutive series. The two defencemen each have suited up for Hockey Canada national teams.
This will be the first Canada-Russia Series for Kirkpatrick, a centre who doesn't have international experience on any Hockey Canada national or regional teams. But that doesn't matter to Murray, noting that former Sea Dogs forward Chris DiDomenico was in the same situation before making last year's national junior team and helping Canada capture a fifth straight gold medal. This year's tournament is Dec. 26-Jan. 5 in Saskatoon/Regina.
"He's being looked at very seriously to be part of our program,'' Murray said about Kirkpatrick, 19. "I think last year he upped his game. I'm not sure exactly where he fits.
"I'm not sure if he could be an offensive player for us and I'm not sure he brings enough grit to be a defensive player for us. But he's a very good two-way player and you always like those players who are smart with or without the puck. They win you hockey games.''
Kirkpatrick, who has three goals and 17 assists, will try to keep his strong season going when the Sea Dogs (17-4-1-0) host the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (11-9-2-1) Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 4 p.m. Saint John's five-game homestand continues with games against Baie-Comeau Thursday night and Acadie-Bathurst next Saturday.
"You have to work your tail off every single shift,'' Kirkpatrick said. "You don't know who's going to be in the stands, but you have to play the system, because it's for the team and not for yourself.''
That approach makes an impression on Murray and the rest of the Hockey Canada brass. But some players take more time than others to truly embrace the team-first focus.
"Angelo Esposito showed last year that he developed his game a lot,'' Murray said. "He came to our camp two years ago and wasn't close to (being) a player for our team. He tried to be fancy, he didn't play two-way hockey, he didn't move the puck to people and he was trying to do everything by himself.
"Last year, he came in and he was the most intense player we had at the camp, the most physical player we had at the camp and the hardest-working, two-way player we had at the camp. He found himself a third-line role and moved himself up to one of our top two offensive lines and was one of our top penalty killers.''
Kirkpatrick, Sauve and Despres weren't among the 44 players at the national junior program's summer camp.
"Those 44 guys all have to earn a spot to be one of the 34 guys who come back (to the December selection camp), or we'll find other guys who are more prepared than them to earn those spots,'' Murray said. "There are always guys who are late bloomers.''
Sauve hopes to be classified in that category as he makes a final bid for a Team Canada junior camp.
"I'm more mature now after two NHL camps (with the Vancouver Canucks),'' the 19-year-old said. "I've been playing some good hockey lately and hopefully I'll be able to impress them. It's an exciting time and it's the part of the year when you want to play your best hockey.''
Despres, who was signed to an entry-level contract earlier this fall by the Pittsburgh Penguins, said playing the Russians reveals whether a player is ready for elite international competition.
"They have a great transition game, it's a different pace,'' the 18-year-old said. "But I think playing with the best players in the league helps you play better, too.
"I know what to expect and I have a better chance to get invited (to the world junior camp) this year. I'm faster on my feet and I make better puck decisions. The experience of playing in the NHL (pre-season) has helped me a lot also.''
Murray has seen every team in the Western Hockey League and he'll soon have seen all the clubs in the QMJHL and Ontario Hockey League. He'll also scout the college ranks and will likely take a second look at several major junior players before the selection camp roster is announced.
Whether evaluating a highly touted NHL prospect or a late bloomer, Murray looks for players who are peaking.
"We're looking for the best players at the time we select (players for the selection camp), which will be around late November or early December,'' he said. "Whenever I'm looking at players, it's for a two-way player who makes smart, simple plays. It doesn't have to be a player who makes dynamic, highlight-reel plays.
"It's about making the right play shift after shift, consistency and speed of execution. We're picking players for short-term competition. We don't have a best-of-seven to have a do-over after one bad game. One bad game could cost us a gold medal and the opportunity to win a championship.''
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ATTENDANCE REPORT: Overall attendance is down 3.9 per cent from last season, according to a QMJHL attendance report released Thursday. The Sea Dogs are fourth in average attendance per game (3,489), but that number fills just 55.41 per cent of Harbour Station's seating capacity.
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