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The third quarter of the season was full of ups and downs for St. John’s.  A handful of players really stepped while several others struggled.  We kick off our quarterly report card with a look at the goaltenders and defencemen.

Players must have played in at least 5/19 games to receive a grade.

Goaltenders

Charlie Lindgren – B: As has been the case all season long, there were some nights where he was unbeatable while there were others where he didn’t have anything close to his ‘A’ game.  The IceCaps have relied on him quite frankly way more than they should have this year and he’s going to be a big part of them making or missing the postseason.

3rd Quarter Stats: 12 GP, 5-2-2 record, 2.65 GAA, .907 SV%, 2 SO

Yann Danis – D: After a strong second quarter where he started to make a push for potentially receiving more playing time, Danis took a big step back over these past few weeks and had several rough outings in his limited action.  As Lindgren’s games played totals head towards career highs, fatigue could become a factor for him which means Danis could still play a notable role down the stretch.

3rd Quarter Stats: 7 GP, 2-4-1 record, 3.73 GAA, .880 SV%, 0 SO

Defencemen

Zach Redmond – A: With Mark Barberio not making it back down, the IceCaps were in desperate need of a legitimate number one defender.  So far, Redmond has filled the void pretty well for the most part.  He’s logging plenty of minutes at both 5-on-5 and special teams and has given the team a much-needed boost of offence from the back end.

3rd Quarter Stats: 13 GP, 2 goals, 8 assists, 10 points, +1 rating, 4 PIMS, 25 shots

Ryan Johnston – B: His defensive play still isn’t adequate most nights but at least lately he has been doing a better job of making up for it at the offensive end.  At this point, he is what he is, a mobile player with a bit of upside in the attacking end that they need to shield defensively.  If he can produce like he did here over the last few weeks of the season, it will be a lot easier to deal with his deficiencies.

3rd Quarter Stats: 15 GP, 3 goals, 5 assists, 8 points, +5 rating, 8 PIMS, 24 shots

Julien Brouillette – B: Brouillette is starting to settle into more of a depth role after spending time as a top pairing player but quite frankly, he was brought in to be a depth player.  The fact that he continues to earn a spot in the lineup on a regular basis is an accomplishment as is the fact that he has been one of their more dependable players most nights.

3rd Quarter Stats: 17 GP, 0 goals, 5 assists, 5 points, +2 rating, 6 PIMS, 18 shots

Joel Hanley – B-: Hanley has been steady at the defensive zone since returning to St. John’s which is basically the polar opposite of his time in Montreal.  Given the amount of opportunities he’s receiving offensively (including plenty of power play time), I was hoping to see him take some strides forward at that end as well.  Still, some stability on the back end is a good thing and anyone who can bring that is doing okay in my book.

3rd Quarter Stats: 19 GP, 0 goals, 5 assists, 5 points, +6 rating, 10 PIMS, 23 shots

Brett Lernout – C+: The opportunity for Lernout to really step up and take control of a full-time top four role is there.  Some nights he looks like he’s ready to do just that while others he looks like a rookie out there.  It’s fair to mention that in terms of his age and contract, he is basically just that but it’s not unfair to expect him to have more of an impact on a night-to-night basis.

3rd Quarter Stats: 19 GP, 2 goals, 1 assist, 3 points, -3 rating, 13 PIMS, 23 shots

Tom Parisi – D-: Parisi had a chance to step up and really claim a regular spot in the lineup and he simply didn’t do that.  In fact, he didn’t even come close to doing so.  He remains a semi-passable depth defender and while it’s nice to have some serviceable depth, I’m sure the Habs were hoping for more by now from someone that still has another year on his NHL two-way deal after this one.

3rd Quarter Stats: 14 GP, 0 goals, 1 assist, 1 point, -8 rating, 6 PIMS, 16 shots

N/A: Josiah Didier/Keegan Lowe (3 GP each), Jonathan Racine/Philip Samuelsson (traded)