MVN - A Lewiston MAINEiacs blog
The Asylum
Gallant to Lewiston
I just got word in the the last hour that Brett Gallant will be at Lewiston Maineiacs training camp.
The Maineiacs acquired the twenty year old last Friday from the Saint John Sea Dogs. Lewiston gave up a sixth round pick which could turn into a fifth round selections if Gallant shows up to camp.
Gallant spent his entire QMJHL career with the Saint John Sea Dogs. He had eight goals and six assists in three seasons with the Sea Dogs. The reason the Maineiacs got him was for his ability to drop the gloves. He holds the Saint John Sea Dogs franchise record with 439 penalty minutes.
Gallant wasn’t a shoe-in to be in Maineiacs camp with offers to play with the Summerside Western Capitals of the Maritime Junior A Hockey League. He had another offer to play in the Central Hockey League and could get a NHL invite to a training camp.
Speaking of former Maineiacs getting a NHL invitation to training camp, Olivier Legault, will attend Los Angeles Kings rookie camp that starts in September. Jonathan Bernier will also attend this camp. With Marc-Andre Cliche playing a full season in the AHL, he’s no longer consider a professional rooke.
The Halifax Mooseheads have traded for Scott McDonald, who saw very little time with the Saint John Sea Dogs last year. The Sea Dogs receive an eighth round pick in 2010 but most likely it will turn into a sixth round pick if McDonald plays one game this season.
The Mooseheads also got word Joe Dillon will not attend their training camp.
I will be doing a Live Blog from the Androscoggin Bank Colisee Tomorrow starting at 9am. I just got word from MVN.com that MVN will be shutting this weekend for launching of their new platform. That means I won’t be able to blog on “The Asylum.” The Live Blog on Saturday and Sunday morning will be on “The World of Junior Hockey Blog.”
That’s My Take
(Nathan also writes for the NHL Source. He also started “The World of Junior Hockey Blog.” Become a fan of The Asylum on Facebook. His email is fbbhgfan@aol.com)
Possible Free Agent Revealed
In baseball, August is when waiver-wire deals go down. Just look at the Boston Red Sox, they have acquired Paul Byrd and Mark Kotsay this August. It looks like the Lewiston Maineiacs lost out on Nick Huard. He’s a forward from Ontario. He had 34 goals and 29 assists in 34 games last year. Apparently the Victoriaville Tigres claimed him off the waiver wire.
“The 17-year-old Trappers graduate was planning on heading to the Lewiston Maineiacs this week but he had to make it through QMJHL waivers after clearing OHL waivers earlier this month. During that process recently, the Victoriaville Tigres decided to pluck Huard off the waiver wire.”
It looked like Huard wanted to play in Lewiston.
While Huard was expecting to be part of the Maineiacs – he respects the process and is grateful to finally get a shot at Major Junior hockey.
“I’m excited to join a team like Victoriaville that is in a reloading mode and I’m excited to come in and hopefully help them out offensively,” said Huard.
With the success of some Ontario kids that have played in the last few years in the QMJHL, it will be hard to sneak these kids pass the waiver wire from now on.
That’s My Take
(Nathan also writes for the NHL Source. He also started “The World of Junior Hockey Blog.” Become a fan of The Asylum on Facebook. His email is fbbhgfan@aol.com)
Moore Thinking About the NCAA Route?
There was a story on Hockeyscene.com on the Moore brothers that will be at Maineiacs training camp. What I found surprising is that Travis Moore, Maineiacs fourth round pick is seriously considering the NCAA route.
“Both would like to play NCAA hockey in the future, but they also want to do well at camp and impress coaches to keep the junior hockey route open as an option.”
They are keeping their options open which is the right thing to do but I am surprised how many high draft picks that Lewiston has drafted that’s considering the NCAA route. The popular believe is that Zach Phillips and Zach Shannon will be in a Maineiacs jersey in the next few years.
You could just see Garrett Clarke and Étienne Brodeur as the only two players that were drafted in the first two rounds to play in Lewiston this season. Michael Chaput said on draft day that he might go back to play Midgets if the coaching staff thinks that’s the right place for him to go to. I don’t think he has NCAA aspirations but Stefan Chaput played most of 16 year old season in Midget AAA to finish school.
I wouldn’t be to worried about Travis Moore just yet because it’s not expected that he would play in Lewiston this season.
The Halifax Mooseheads have traded twenty old forward David Bouchard to the Chicoutimi Sagueneens for a 2010 fifth round draft pick. He had five goals and four assists and 283 penalty minutes last season. You have to think that not too many of the sanactions will be implimented with all these enforcers being traded.
That’s My Take
(Nathan also writes for the NHL Source. He also started “The World of Junior Hockey Blog.” Become a fan of The Asylum on Facebook. His email is fbbhgfan@aol.com)
Other Options For Gallant
The Telegraph-Journal had comments from Brett Gallant who the Maineiacs acquired Friday.
“HEAVYWEIGHING OPTIONS: Former Saint John Sea Dogs enforcer Brett Gallant is weighing his hockey options after being traded to the Lewiston Maineiacs last week.
“I’m not sure what I’m doing yet, to tell the truth,” said Gallant, reached by phone Monday at his home in Summerside, Prince Edward Island.
Gallant would be one of four 20-year-olds competing for three spots when training camp opens Friday. But he said pro offers at the Central Hockey League level are also on the table, as is the possibility of playing for the Summerside Western Capitals of the Maritime Junior A Hockey League. Gallant, who suited up for the Ottawa Senators at a National Hockey League rookie tournament last year, also said another NHL camp hasn’t been ruled out.
“I’m going to play, I just don’t know what I’m going to do,” he said.
In 131 games with the Sea Dogs, Gallant racked up eight goals, 12 points and a franchise-record 439 penalty minutes.”
It looks like Gallant will be a question mark to attend camp this weekend. The week should get interesting.
I also got confirmation that Zach Phillips and Zach Shannon will be playing for the Neponset River Rats Under 19 Team before the Lawrence Academy season starts. The River Rats have a Labor Day Tournament in Marlboro, Massachusetts starting on Friday.
Here are their games
Friday
vs. Boston Jr. Eagles at 6:40pm
Saturday
vs. GBL Bruins at 1:40pm
vs. Mid-Fairfield at 9:50pm
Sunday
vs. Boston Jr. Rangers at 10am
vs. Mahoning Valley Phantoms at 5:30pm
Monday
Semi-Finals at 7:40am
Finals at 2pm
It’s still expected that Phillips and Shannon to be at training camp but once they leave that’s probably where they will be heading.
Going back to Saint John, they have released their training camp roster.
That’s My Take
(Nathan also writes for the NHL Source. He also started “The World of Junior Hockey Blog.” Become a fan of The Asylum on Facebook. His email is fbbhgfan@aol.com)
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