Rookie leaves Cats for midget AAA
Published Saturday November 21st, 2009
Raphael Bussieres goes home to Quebec in surprise move
Raphael Bussieres has left the Moncton Wildcats.
The 16-year-old rookie left winger will not suit up again this season for the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League club. The native of Longueuil, Que., went home yesterday and will play in the Quebec midget AAA ranks for the remainder of this season.
This is shocking news given that Bussieres was selected in the first round, fifth overall, in the 2009 QMJHL draft. He had one goal and three points in 20 games.
"He said he felt it was in his best interest for his development to be a first-line midget AAA player rather than a fourth-line major junior player,'' said Moncton head coach Danny Flynn. "I met with him (on Thursday) and he was adamant that was the best route for his hockey development.
"He just turned 16 this month and he's the youngest player in the league. I'm not sure if this is the right decision, but he was adamant that midget AAA was the best place for his development this season.
"There's no sense keeping a player here that is unhappy with his role. I asked him if his parents had any input in this decision and he said no, this was his choice. From a hockey perspective, this certainly goes against the grain.''
Bussieres, six foot and 167 pounds, is a highly touted player who's expected to be a big part of Moncton's future. He's expected to eventually be a dynamic offensive player in the QMJHL.
"Ultimately, every day you strive to be happy,'' said Flynn. "If he thinks that he's better off developing in midget AAA, it doesn't matter what I recommended or even what his teammates recommended to him.
"You have to be happy and you have to be 100 per cent committed. He liked Moncton and he liked the Wildcats. He just felt in his heart that playing a lot in midget AAA would be better for him than paying his dues here in major junior.''
The Wildcats head coach pointed out that everybody was shocked by Bussieres' decision. The club holds out no hope of him returning here this season.
"Even his billets called me and said they were blindsided by this,'' said Flynn. "His teammates were caught off guard also. A number of his teammates met with him and tried to talk him out of this.
"His teammates told him about their past experiences breaking into major junior and being brought along slowly, but he disagreed with them. He had his mind made up and there was no changing it.''
Disabled
Search Articles
More CE Network Sites & Partners:
Comments (2)
All comments are subject to the site Terms of Use. For a full commenting tutorial click here.
Our editorial team relies on filtering technology and our visitor community to identify inappropriate comments. In the event that a site user has submitted offensive content that has evaded our filter, please select the option to Flag As Inappropriate presented within the comment. Thank you for helping to keep this site clean.
It's unfair to assume he's a spoiled brat, you don't even know the kid.
He's the youngest player in the league, and it's uncommon for this to hapen.
I've said from day one that he would be better off another year in MAAA. He played a 3rd line role last year on a midget aaa power house team. First line duties and Special Teams ice time might be what this kid needs.
He's 16 years old. If you've ever played hockey you know how much it sucks to stay on the bench and watch everyone else play. He loves the game and wants to play, he feels it's best for him, so let him be.