Wildcats search for offence from imports
Published Tuesday June 30th, 2009
The Moncton Wildcats haven't had two good Europeans in their lineup since 2005-06. That season, defenceman Oskars Bartulis and left winger Martins Karsums helped the club capture the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League championship.
The Wildcats will be looking to snap their drought today in the 2009 Canadian Hockey League import draft. They own the No. 7 and No. 34 picks.
Wildcats head coach and director of hockey operations Danny Flynn confirmed yesterday that he still didn't have anybody who's guaranteed to report if the club drafts him.
"I would say there's still a great deal of work to be done,'' he said. "There appears to be very few high end Europeans that are 100 per cent committed to coming to North America to play major junior next season. The landscape as far as the European draft has really changed a lot over the last couple of years.
"The Russians are signing kids to long-term contracts in the (professional) Continental Hockey League. They have a lot of difficulty getting out of these contracts. The Swedes and Finns generally stay close to home. The Slovaks and Czechs are more accessible, but there's been a big dip in their talent pool the last couple of years.''
The CHL is the umbrella over the 60 teams in the QMJHL, Ontario Hockey League and Western Hockey League. Each club is allowed to have two Europeans in its lineup.
The QMJHL's Saint John Sea Dogs own the first overall pick in the draft, followed by the WHL's Moose Jaw Warriors at No. 2 and the OHL's Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds at No. 3. Saint John also owns the No. 4 pick, followed by the WHL's Portland Winter Hawks at No. 5 and OHL's Plymouth Whalers at No. 6.
Moncton's first pick was initially No. 46 overall, but it moved up to No. 7 thanks to a trade with the Lewiston MAINEiacs on June 5. The Wildcats went from No. 92 in the selection order to No. 34 yesterday following a trade with the Acadie-Bathurst Titan, giving up a sixth-round pick in the 2010 QMJHL draft.
"Even though we're picking No. 7, it is still a real challenge to find an `A' level player who will 100 per cent commit to coming to North America,'' said Flynn. "I've talked to every team that's picking in front of us and a lot of them have significant concerns to the point where some are talking about trading their pick.
"Kingston traded the No. 6 pick to Plymouth. Moose Jaw at No. 2 and Sault Ste. Marie at No. 3 are also shopping their picks.''
Would Moncton consider trading the No. 7 pick?
"We talked about that,'' said Flynn. "I think we're committed to making the pick. We've put a lot of work into this and talked to an awful lot of people. I think if you look throughout the Canadian Hockey League the number of 'A' level Europeans is steadily decreasing.
"Russia, Sweden and Finland want to keep their best players at home and that makes it increasingly difficult for the Canadian Hockey League to get them. We traded up to get the No. 7 and No. 34 picks because the talent pool is so thin.''
The CHL is the major breeding ground for the pros, producing 99 of the 211 players selected in the 2009 National Hockey League draft. That's something Flynn will surely use as a selling point to convince the players he drafts today to report to Moncton.
European kids who come overseas to play major junior also benefit from the chance to learn English, get accustomed to North American life and adjust to the North American game. Again, all points Flynn will surely use in the recruitment process.
Still, there are significant hurdles to overcome when it comes to trying to lure the best European players to major junior teams in North America. Parents are sometimes reluctant to let their kids go overseas, preferring instead to have them stay home and watch them play for a few more years.
The other argument is that most of the high-end Europeans can play in their country's professional league and make big money doing so. They would argue that playing pro against players ages 20-30 is a higher level than major junior and therefore a better way to speed up their development.
"We have to find a player who wants to come to North America because he thinks it's the best route for his hockey development and he's willing to sacrifice financially and personally to move away from home,'' said Flynn. "The other factor is that a lot of the European player agents are based in Toronto or Western Canada.
"There's a strong feeling among the agents that if they're going to bring these kids to North America they would like to keep them close to them so they can monitor their situation. That's another challenge in trying to bring these kids to the Quebec League.''
In a perfect world, Moncton is looking to land two European forwards who can bring offensive punch.
"I think we're at the point where we will take the best player (available who will come here regardless of position),'' said Flynn.
The Wildcats can draft two Europeans and they still have forward Adam Bezak on a special list for 20-year-old imports. If all three are in camp, they can then decide which two to keep.
"Bezak is still an option to come back here next season,'' said Flynn. "Our overage situation is very much up in the air. I spoke to Bezak's agent on the weekend and he would very much like to return.''
Cat Tracks
* Guy Boucher left the Drummondville Voltigeurs yesterday to become head coach of the Hamilton Bulldogs in the American Hockey League.
* Neil Hodge is a Times & Transcript sports reporter who covers the Moncton Wildcats.
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