All Habs Hockey Magazine is thrilled to announce the addition of Robert Rice as a new member to our team. Many of you are familiar with Rice, also known as @SeriousFan09 , for his fine work on prospects of the Montreal Canadiens.  I had the pleasure to meet Robert in person during the 2011 NHL Entry Draft and know him as one of the most knowledgeable, respectful debaters in the Habs community — I also admire his integrity.

Robert will bolster our coverage of prospects in the Canadiens organization.  His weekly series which debuts today at All Habs will be known as “Catching the Torch.” Rice explains the choice of the title on his personal blog “Habs and Hockey” as follows.

“Anyone who holds even a modicum of knowledge about the team knows the line in the Habs locker room room “To You From Failing Hands We Throw The Torch Be Yours To Hold It High.” Hence the title, these young men I track are expected to be the next Habs so it is very much upon them to take up the torch as they arrive in Montreal.”

You will find Rice’s feature of Canadiens’s prospects here every Monday. Be sure to spread the word to fellow Habs fans. Welcome aboard Robert!

Written by Robert Rice, AllHabs.net

Catching the Torch, December 12th-18th edition

The Three Stars of the Week

1. LW Olivier Archambault has had a season defined by inconsistency, this week was spent however flashing the skills that attracted the vision of the Montreal Canadiens. In a pair of games with the Drummondville Voltigeurs, Archambeault had his first set of multi-point games since October 9^th. Archambault would score a goal and two assists on Friday night in a 5-2 victory over the Gatineau Olympiques, adding a helper to the 2^nd Drummondville goal, than helping to pile it on later in the game as he scored the 4^th and assisted on the 5^th goal for his team to close out the idea of a Gatineau comeback. Archambault would collect another two assists on Sunday, helping his team take initial 1-0 and 2-1 leads, but unfortunately his efforts fell short in an eventual 5-4 loss to the Chicoutimi Saguenéens. Archambault was drafted in the 4^th round, 108^th overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2011 Entry Draft.

 2. C Andreas Engqvist was not a very notable presence for the Hamilton Bulldogs during the first two games of the week as he was held without a point, but came through on Sunday to help the team earn their only victory of the week. Engqvist would score the opening goal of the game against the Abbotsford Heat on Sunday afternoon, than sealed the victory for Hamilton with the overtime winner. Engqvist’s two goals also bring him into a tie for the goal-scoring lead with current leader Philip DeSimone, but Engqvist has played 13 fewer games. Engqvist was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Montreal Canadiens in July of 2009 at the team’s summer development camp.

 3. D Frédéric St-Denis with his steady play and recent performance as a fill-in for the Montreal Canadiens blue line has earned him a promotion out of the bubble category. St-Denis added two assists on Friday night to help the Bulldogs take a 3-1 lead over Abbotsford, in which unfortunately became an eventual shootout loss. St-Denis would add another assist on Sunday afternoon as the Bulldogs earned an eventual overtime victory. St-Denis’s 3 goals and 10 assists make him the defensive scoring leader on Hamilton and 3^rd on the team in points. St-Denis was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Montreal Canadiens in July of 2010.

 Note: Catching the Torch will not be published on the 26^th of December due to all the junior and professional leagues aside from the NHL having a holiday break but will return on January 2^nd.

 World Junior Tracker: In case you were living under a rock, D Nathan Beaulieu, C Michaël Bournival and RW Brendan Gallagher have all been named to Team Canada for the 2012 World Junior Hockey Championships. D Jarred Tinordi is currently at the Team USA Camp and is favoured to make the team. C Daniel Pribyl is on the preliminary roster for Team Czech Republic.

On The Radar: Morgan Ellis added a pair of assists to his scoring totals for 7G, 17A over 32 games. He needs only 13 points to set a new career best in the QMJHL.

 Question Marks: G Peter Delmas suffered a concussion and is out indefinitely. D Brendon Nash is recovering from shoulder surgery. C Dustin Walsh is out with a leg injury.

Complete Statistics for the week of December 12^th, 2011
Legend
Skaters: Games Played, Goals, Assists, +/-, Penalty Minutes
Goalies: Wins, Losses, Overtime Losses, Shootout Losses, Goals Against Average, Save Percentage
Teams: Wins, Losses, Overtime Losses, Shootout Losses, Ties (for NCAA teams only)
Season Stats: Season scoring prior to the past week.

The AHL Report: The Hamilton Bulldogs have been the AHL affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens since 2002. It is the most common route for developing Montreal Canadiens prospects into full-time members of the organization. There are currently 9 members of the Hamilton Bulldogs that can be thought to have future consideration for an NHL position. The Hamilton Bulldogs have a record of 11-13-1-3 and are 5^th in their Division, 13^th in their Conference, 26^th overall in the AHL.

RW Alexander Avtsin: 20 years old, 6’2″, 199 pounds, RH shot.

Season Stats	25GP	3G	5A	-9	12 PIM
Weekly Stats	3GP	1G	0A	-2	4 PIM
Complete Stats	28GP	4G	5A	-11	16 PIM

C Philip DeSimone 24 years old, 6’1”, 188 pounds, LH shot.

Season Stats	25GP	6G	7A	-10	22 PIM
Weekly Stats	3GP	0G	0A	0	2 PIM
Complete Stats	28GP	6G	7A	-10	24 PIM

C Gabriel Dumont: 20 years old, 5’10”, 189 pounds, RH shot.

Season Stats	16GP	2G	2A	-8	19 PIM
Weekly Stats	3GP	1G	0A	+2	0 PIM
Complete Stats	19GP	3G	2A	-6	19 PIM

C Andreas Engqvist: 23 years old, 6’4″, 191 pounds, RH shot.             

Season Stats	12GP	4G	2A	+3	12 PIM
Weekly Stats	3GP	2G	0A	0	2 PIM
Complete Stats	15GP	6G	2A	+3	14 PIM

RW Aaron Palushaj: 22 years old, 6′, 188 pounds, RH shot.

Season Stats	10GP	3G	7A	-1	16 PIM
Weekly Stats	3GP	1G	0A	0	2 PIM
Complete Stats	13GP	4G	7A	-1	18 PIM

D Frédéric St-Denis: 25 years old, 5’11”, 193 pounds, LH shot.

Season Stats	16GP	3G	7A	-3	2 PIM
Weekly Stats	3GP	0G	3A	0	4 PIM
Complete Stats	19GP	3G	10A	-2	6 PIM

Called up to Montreal:

RW Mike Blunden: 25 years old, 6’4”, 218 pounds, RH shot.

Season Stats

16GP

3G

4A

0

8 PIM

C Louis Leblanc: 20 years old, 6’, 180 pounds, RH shot.

Season Stats

14GP

4G

6A

-5

4 PIM

Injured:

D Brendon Nash: 23 years old, 6’3″, 210 pounds, LH shot.

Season Stats

0GP

0G

0A

0

0 PIM

Assigned to the ECHL:

G Peter Delmas: 21 years old, 6’2”, 188 pound, Catches Left.

AHL:

Season Stats

0GP

0-0-0

GAA

%

ECHL:

Season Stats	10GP	6-3-0	2.17 GAA	.911%
Weekly Stats	1GP	0-0-0	7.21 GAA	.727%
Complete Stats	11GP	6-3-0	2.40 GAA	.902%

The Juniors Report: The Canadiens currentlyfeature prospects playing in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and the Western Hockey League (WHL). These leagues can be considered the primary conduit towards professional hockey in North America.

QMJHL:

LW Olivier Archambault: 18 years old, 5’11”, 184 pounds. LH shot.

Junior Club: Drummondville Voltigeurs

14W, 18L, 2OTL, 3 SOL – 14^th of 17^th overall in the QMJHL.

Season Stats	29GP	9G	13A	-11	12 PIM
Weekly Stats	2GP	1G	4A	-1	0 PIM
Complete Stats	31GP	10G	17A	-12	12 PIM

D Nathan Beaulieu: 19 years old, 6’3”, 191 pounds, LH shot.

Junior Club: Saint John Sea Dogs – Alternate Captain

28W, 10L, 0 OTL, 1 SOL- 2nd of 17^th overall in the QMJHL

Season Stats

30GP

8G

18A

+20

57 PIM

C Michaël Bournival: 19 years old, 6’, 187 pounds, LH shot.

Junior Club: Shawinigan Cataractes – Team Captain

25W, 9L, 2 OTL, 2 SOL – 3^rd of 17^th overall in the QMJHL.

Season Stats

16GP

15G

9A

+5

4 PIM

D Morgan Ellis: 19 years old, 6’2″, 204 pounds, RH shot.
Junior Club: Cape Breton Screaming Eagles – Team Captain

15W, 21L, 0 OTL, 1 SOL – 15^th of 17^th overall in the QMJHL

Season Stats	30GP	7G	15A	-5	16 PIM
Weekly Stats	2GP	0G	2A	+3	0 PIM
Complete Stats	32GP	7G	17A	-2	16 PIM

OHL:

D Jarred Tinordi: 19 years old, 6’7″, 215 pounds, LH shot.
Junior Club: London Knights – Team Captain

25W, 7L, 0 OTL, 1 SOL – 1st of 20^th overall in the OHL

Season Stats	19GP	0G	7A	+16	49 PIM
Weekly Stats	1GP	0G	0A	+2	0 PIM
Complete Stats	20GP	0G	7A	+18	49 PIM

WHL:

D Darren Dietz: 18 years old, 6’1”, 195 pounds, RH shot.

Junior Club: Saskatoon Blades – Alternate Captain

20W, 14L, 0 OTL, 1 SOL – 8^th of 22^nd overall in the WHL

Season Stats	32GP	5G	12A	+14	49 PIM
Weekly Stats	2GP	0G	1A	-1	4 PIM
Complete Stats	34GP	5G	13A	+13	53 PIM

RW Brendan Gallagher: 19 years old, 5’8″, 175 pounds, RH shot.
Junior Club: Vancouver Giants – Alternate Captain

(22W, 12L, 1 OTL, 1 SOL – 5^th of 22^nd overall in the WHL)

Season Stats

28GP

24G

22A

+12

39 PIM

US College Hockey (NCAA) Report: The Canadiens have drafted a number of college players in recent years, these are generally ‘project players’ who benefit from additional years in lower level hockey to develop their skills.

 

D Mac Bennett: 20 years old,  6′, 180 pounds, LH shot.
NCAA Team: University of Michigan Wolverines

(9W, 8L, 2T)

Season Stats	20GP	3G	10A	+8	6 PIM
Weekly Stats	0GP	0G	0A	0	0 PIM
Complete Stats	20GP	3G	10A	+8	6 PIM

D Scott Kishel: 22 years old, 6’, 190 pounds, LH shot.

NCAA Team: University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs

{12W, 3L, 3T)

Season Stats	18GP	2G	12A	+12	14 PIM
Weekly Stats	0GP	0G	0A	0	0 PIM
Complete Stats	18GP	2G	12A	+12	14 PIM

RW Danny Kristo: 21 years old, 5’11”, 188 pounds, RH shot.
NCAA Team: University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux

(9W, 8L, 1T)

Season Stats	18GP	9G	11A	+5	12 PIM
Weekly Stats	0GP	0G	0A	0	0 PIM
Complete Stats	18GP	9G	11A	+5	12 PIM

C Mark MacMillan: 19 years old, 6’, 170 pounds, LH shot.

NCAA Team: University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux

(9W, 8L, 1T)

Season Stats	18GP	2G	4A	-9	8 PIM
Weekly Stats	0GP	0G	0A	0	0 PIM
Complete Stats	18GP	2G	4A	-9	8 PIM

D Greg Pateryn: 21 years old, 6’3”, 222 pounds, RH shot.

NCAA Team: University of Michigan Wolverines

(9W, 8L, 3T)

Season Stats	20GP	2G	9A	+6	12 PIM
Weekly Stats	0GP	0G	0A	0	0 PIM
Complete Stats	20GP	2G	9A	+6	12 PIM

LW Steve Quailer: 22 years old, 6’4”, 200 pounds, LH shot.

NCAA Team: Northeastern University Huskies

(7W, 7L, 2T)

Season Stats	14GP	6G	10A	+8	12 PIM
Weekly Stats	0GP	0G	0A	0	0 PIM
Complete Stats	14GP	6G	10A	+8	12 PIM

C Dustin Walsh: 20 years old, 6’3”, 190 pounds, LH shot.

NCAA Team: Dartmouth College Big Green

(5W, 5L, 1T)

Season Stats	5GP	2G	5A	+3	2 PIM
Weekly Stats	0GP	0G	0A	0	0 PIM
Complete Stats	5GP	2G	5A	+3	2 PIM

Czech Extraliga Report: The Extraliga is the top professional league in the Czech Reppublic. The First League is the league that plays under it.

 

 

 

C Daniel Pribyl: 18 years old, 6’3”, 190 pounds, RH shot.

Extraliga Team: HC Sparta Praha

19W, 5L, 6 OTL – 2^nd of 14^th overall in the league

Season Stats	15GP	2G	0A	+1	2 PIM
Weekly Stats	0GP	0G	0A	0	0 PIM
Complete Stats	15GP	2G	0A	+1	2 PIM

Czech First League Team: HC Berountsi Medovi

(14W, 16L, 1 OTL – 10^th of 14^th overall in the League)

Season Stats	8GP	5G	3A	0	2 PIM
Weekly Stats	0GP	0G	0A	0	0 PIM
Complete Stats	8GP	5G	3A	0	2 PIM

Elitserien Report: The Swedish Elite League is the top professional league of Sweden.

 

 

D Magnus Nygren: 21 years old, 6’1”, 191 pounds, RH shot.

Elitserien Team: Farjestads BK

(15W, 8L, 7 OTL – 5^th of 12 overall in the League)

Season Stats	30GP	5G	7A	-8	2 PIM
Weekly Stats	0GP	0G	0A	0	0 PIM
Complete Stats	30GP	5G	7A	-8	2 PIM