QMJHL: Mickaël Beauregard blows up Sergei Boikov

Check out this hit... Get off of the track if you don't want to get run over by the train. From time-to-time, I watch the CHL and this game was on my DVR. Wow what a hit!... Gatineau Olympiques defenseman Mickaël Beauregard absolutely destroys Drummondville Voltigeurs defenseman Sergei Boikov. Beauregard was thrown out of the game for a check to the head of Boikov, as he should have

UND recruit Christian Evers drafted by the London Knights

With the 99th overall pick, the London Knights are pleased to select Christian Evers in the 5th Round of the 2013 #OHLDraft!
— The London Knights (@GoLondonKnights) April 6, 2013

Being a high profile program, the University of North Dakota Hockey team has had some of their highly sought recruits decommit and go a different route.

It’s been highly documented as of late.

In August, right before the 2011-12 season, J.T. Miller decommitted from UND, and signed a signed with the Plymouth Whalers of the Ontario Hockey League. Miller’s decommit put UND in a precarious situation. Without Miller, UND immediately became a different type of team.

In 61 games with the Plymouth Whalers, Miller scored (25g-37a—62). After his season with the Whalers was over, Miller played in eight games during the Calder Cup playoffs for the Connecticut Whale of the AHL.

This season, Miller was called up to the New York Rangers and scored two goals, leading the Rangers to a 4-1 victory.

Last January, USDT U18 recruit Stefan Matteau, who had originally committed to play at the University of North Dakota, decommitted from UND, and decided to play for the Blainville-Boisbraind Armada of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

Matteau had a strong start to the season with the Armada (18g-10a—28pts) in 35 games and was invited to the New Jersey Devils camp once the NHL lockout was settled.

Matteau ended up playing in the Devils first five games of the season before being a healthy scratch for the next four games in a row.

The New Jersey Devils could have sent Matteau back to Blainville-Boisbraind, but instead he remained with the New Jersey Devils and last night he was skating on a line with former Fighting Sioux forward Travis Zajac and Ilya Kovalchuk to start the game.

Matteau has played 17 games with the New Jersey Devils this season, scoring (1g-2a—3pts). On the March 17, 2013, Matteau was returned to his junior team Blainville-Boisbraind Armada and has scored (1g-4a—5pts) in 6 QMJHL playoff games.

In April of 2012, Miles Koules announced that he had decommitted from the University of North Dakota and was going to be a member of the Medicine Hat Tigers of the WHL. In his first season with Medicine Hat, Koules recorded (19g-21a—40pts) in 69 games for the Tigers.

This past November, Brendan Lemieux, son of former NHL pest Claude Lemieux, left the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL, decomitted from the University of North Dakota, and decided to play with the Barrie Colts of the Ontario Hockey League. In 42 games with the Colts, Lemieux scored an unimpressive (6g-8a—14pts).

We’re not done yet!

UND has two other recruits that have been drafted by the OHL clubs. Nick Schmaltz brother of current defenseman Jordan Schmaltz was drafted by the Windsor Spitfires last spring. Nick has not ruled out going to the Spitfires.

Also, today, UND recruit Christian Evers was drafted in the 5th round by the London Knights in the OHL Draft. Lets just say, UND fans are a little worried, based on past experience, if Evers will ever make it to UND. Evers is an impressive kid who is 6’4” and 200 pounds who will turn 16 on May 25, 2013. So you have to think, that the London Knights, will be hard after Christian Evers, to sign with them.

Evers had an impressive year with the Omaha AAA Hockey Club 16U team, scoring (17g-42—59pts) in 67 games. Evers tweeted this on his twitter account today.  So, only time will tell.

Can't wait to be apart of UND in a few years. That's what I mean when I said "Can't wait for things to play out." #SorryForTheConfusion
— Christian Evers (@CEvers97) April 6, 2013

Cross-posted at the Hockey Writers Combine.

Related articles

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Matteau impresses Devils signs deal

When a loss really isn’t a loss at all – it’s beginning to look like UND hockey team wouldn’t have had Stefan Matteau very long – if at all – even if he had actually honored his original commitment come to UND instead of deciding to go to Blainville-Boisbriand Armada of the QMJHL.

Matteau who was drafted 29th overall in the 2012 NHL Draft by the New Jersey Devils really impressed the New Jersey Devils during their prospect development camp so the Devils signed him to an entry level deal.

Tom Gulitti, Fire and Ice --- “We felt very good about him at the rookie camp and we wanted to get him under contract and just get his professional career started, not with any knowledge of where he’ll be playing yet, but so we have the options of doing whatever we think is necessary,” Devils GM Lou Lamoriello said.

Matteau is slated to play for the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada of the QMJHL in 2012-13, but said at the Devils’ prospect development camp last month that he’ll be aiming to make the NHL roster at training camp in September. His father, former Rangers Stephane Matteau, is an assistant coach for Blainville-Boisbriand.

Lamoriello did not want to discuss the idea of Matteau starting the 2012-13 season in the NHL.

“I don’t even want to talk about that,” he said.

Lamoriello was impressed with what he saw from Matteau at the team’s development camp and said he also played well at the Team USA camp last week.

Brendan Lemieux committed to college route

Here is an article about future Fighting Sioux forward Brendan Lemieux and him attending the Green Bay Gamblers try out camp. There is also some good new for UND Hockey fans - Brendan's mom is a big fan of the college hockey game and that will be a big plus going forward.

Weston Hodkiewicz, Green Bay Press-Gazette --- When Brendan Lemieux was little, he didn’t With Claude’s successes at a young age in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, there were some questions about which direction Brendan would go in his development after being drafted by the Ontario Hockey League in April.

However, Lemieux’s mother, Deborah, was a big proponent of going the college route and Brendan concurred, especially after taking a visit to North Dakota. The day after he signed with Green Bay, Lemieux committed to UND, where he’ll play alongside fellow Gamblers forward Nick Schmaltz.

Since Lemieux is a the son of a former NHLer Claude Lemieux who is also a former QMJHL alum there will probably always be questions or rumors about Lemieux going to the Majour Junior route - we heard it with other players that were high end recruits. I doesn't look like we need to worry about Brendan Lemieux.

UND loses another recruit to the CHL - QMJHL

This is what a lot of us feared. Stefan Matteau will not be coming to UND next year and will play in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League for Armada. It's been a tough year for NCAA hockey.

Here is a story that you can read on this subject as well, I had to used google translate to be able to read the article because I do not speak French.

TVA Sports --- In recent months, Matteau had mentioned that it could evolve with the Fighting Sioux of the University of North Dakota next year. This possibility is now excluded.

The rumored for quite a few weeks about the possibility of the young Matteau join his father in the Armada. The latter acts as an assistant to head coach Jean-Francois Houle.

Colleges being forced to play shorthanded

Image via WikipediaHere is a really good article from the Boston Globe on the college hockey defections to the CHL that have taken place this summer.

Let's not kid ourselves, it's definitely been a very rough summer for Division I college hockey, however, after it's all said and done, college hockey will still be a very good route to take to the NHL for many American and Canadian hockey players. 

Fluto Shinzawa; Boston Globe --- Traditionally, and for the foreseeable future, major junior is the route most often taken to the NHL. Of the 20 Bruins who played in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, 16 starred in the Western Hockey League, Ontario Hockey League, or Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, the three leagues that operate under the Canadian Hockey League umbrella. Three played juniors in Europe. Just one chose college.

That said, those four seasons at the University of Vermont served Tim Thomas well.

There is no right or wrong way to graduate to the NHL. Proponents of major junior and college have their respective arguments as to why their approaches are preferable.

An OHL player will have a game-heavy schedule that mimics what he’ll experience in the NHL. A Hockey East player will enjoy a well-rounded atmosphere - attending classes, meeting people outside of the rink, a rich social life - that will help him transition to adulthood.

So those on either side have nothing to carp about when a kid says yes to one and no to the other. But what’s irking Kelly, coaches, and the NCAA is when a player commits to college hockey, then pushes the reset button and bolts for a junior team.

While that player, his family, and his new club move on, his former college coach suddenly has a hole on his roster. Late in the game, at that.
[Read the rest of the article here]

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