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The third quarter of the season for St. John’s saw two players in particular really step up their game to lead the team. Unfortunately for the IceCaps, not many others followed suit. Our report card wraps up with a look at the forwards.
Players must have played in at least 5/19 games to receive a grade.
Forwards
Chris Terry – A+: Terry has been one of St. John’s top forwards this season but he took his game to an entirely new level over this stretch. Not only did he lead the team in scoring during this time, he also led the league in scoring. The Habs didn’t waste any time handing him a contract extension after that, guaranteeing him an NHL salary regardless of whether he’s with them or Laval next year.
3rd Quarter Stats: 19 GP, 11 goals, 14 assists, 25 points, +11 rating, 10 PIMS, 64 shots
Charles Hudon – A: Hudon teamed up with Terry to form the best duo in the AHL for several weeks (but still surprisingly didn’t get a look from the Habs despite his success). He hasn’t gotten off to the best of starts to the stretch run but it would have been unrealistic to expect him to maintain this level of production the rest of the way. They’ll need him to step up these last few weeks if they want to make the playoffs though.
3rd Quarter Stats: 19 GP, 11 goals, 8 assists, 19 points, +9 rating, 14 PIMS, 56 shots
Bobby Farnham – B: Farnham wasn’t just racking up the penalty minutes like he usually does. Instead, he showed signs of being at least a somewhat productive player and as a result, he started to see time in the top six in a scoring role. While that’s far from his ideal role, it’s nice to see Farnham show that he can be more than just a puncher at the AHL level.
3rd Quarter Stats: 19 GP, 3 goals, 7 assists, 10 points, +2 rating, 57 PIMS, 19 shots
Daniel Carr – B: Carr isn’t exactly taking over games like he did when he was down there last year but he’s not playing poorly either. It’s kind of like his time in Montreal this season really – it’s not that he’s playing bad but he’s not standing out like he was before. Unfortunately the IceCaps need him to stand out and give them a lift so that Terry and Hudon don’t have to carry the load by themselves.
3rd Quarter Stats: 6 GP, 3 goals, 3 assists, 6 points, +1 rating, 0 PIMS, 13 shots
Michael McCarron – B: The overall numbers aren’t bad but McCarron still never really took the big step forward to really show that he was fully ready to move on from St. John’s. (That didn’t stop the Habs from recalling him though.) If he makes it back down there before the end of the season, it will be interesting to see if he can rediscover the scoring touch he’s completely lost in Montreal.
3rd Quarter Stats: 11 GP, 3 goals, 4 assists, 7 points, -1 rating, 26 PIMS, 28 shots
Jacob de la Rose – B-: It was the same old, same old for de la Rose. He’s strong on his own end and just can’t find a way to produce consistently in the offensive zone. He’s in his third professional season and it’s still not happening – it’s fair to wonder if it ever will. He has had the odd hot streak with St. John’s – now would be as good a time as ever to have another one.
3rd Quarter Stats: 9 GP, 3 goals, 1 assist, 4 points, even rating, 8 PIMS, 22 shots
Nikita Scherbak – B-: It was more hit or miss from the consistently inconsistent Scherbak. At times, he did a nice job rounding out the top trio with Hudon and Terry while at others, he was basically invisible and as a result, was moved around the lineup. Secondary scoring is going to be critical in the final few weeks and that’s something Scherbak is capable of providing – he just hasn’t done a lot of it lately.
3rd Quarter Stats: 19 GP, 2 goals, 10 assists, 12 points, +4 rating, 10 PIMS, 41 shots
Yannick Veilleux – C+: Veilleux doesn’t bring any special gear to St. John’s lineup but he can hold his own in most facets of the game. That has helped him move up into the top six at times while also being able to hold his own in an energy role. Not too shabby for a player who was on a tryout back in training camp.
3rd Quarter Stats: 18 GP, 3 goals, 3 assists, 6 points, +2 rating, 15 PIMS, 24 shots
Anthony Camara – C+: Camara was a regular for the most part until some players returned from injuries which is a solid accomplishment for a player on a tryout. He then landed another PTO deal to take him through to the end of the season. He’s nothing more than a fourth liner with St. John’s but he’s showing enough skill that they’re comfortable using him in the forward rotation.
3rd Quarter Stats: 10 GP, 0 goals, 2 assists, 2 points, -1 rating, 4 PIMS, 8 shots
Max Friberg – C: It’s hard to believe but Friberg was one of the better scorers with Anaheim’s AHL team before the trade last season. As soon as he came to the IceCaps though, that level of his game dipped. He’s still a quality checker and they certainly prefer him in that role but as a veteran leader, they’re expecting him to do more than he was during this stretch.
3rd Quarter Stats: 19 GP, 1 goal, 5 assists, 6 points, -2 rating, 4 PIMS, 26 shots
Mark MacMillan – C: For the first time really in his pro tenure, MacMillan found himself a healthy scratch on a semi-regular basis. He isn’t playing particularly poorly by any stretch but he isn’t exactly making a strong case to stay in the lineup either. Splitting time as a fourth liner at this stage of the season doesn’t bode well for his chances of getting a new deal after the season.
3rd Quarter Stats: 12 GP, 2 goals, 1 assist, 3 points, -4 rating, 0 PIMS, 12 shots
Jeremy Gregoire – C: Like MacMillan, he was in a rotation of fourth liners for the most part which isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement of his play. He has done better staying in the lineup over the past couple of weeks but sooner than later he’s going to have to step it up if he wants any shot at a bigger role either now or even to start next season.
3rd Quarter Stats: 13 GP, 1 goal, 2 assists, 3 points, -4 rating, 11 PIMS, 12 shots
Daniel Audette – D+: To say he was underwhelming would be an understatement. Audette was dropped to the third line in the hopes of giving the bottom six a bit of an offensive spark (while also coinciding with some players returning from Montreal) but it simply didn’t happen. He still received regular power play minutes and didn’t do much with them either. It’s fair to speculate if he’s starting to get worn down as he approaches the end of his rookie season.
3rd Quarter Stats: 18 GP, 0 goals, 3 assists, 3 points, -4 rating, 0 PIMS, 18 shots
Stefan Matteau – D: The scoring touch isn’t there. Neither is the playmaking touch. Even the defence is hit or miss at times. For a former first round pick in his fifth year professionally, this isn’t just bad, it’s a disaster. He’s a serviceable bottom six forward but at this stage of his career, that’s far from an accomplishment.
3rd Quarter Stats: 16 GP, 3 goals, 0 assists, 3 points, -2 rating, 17 PIMS, 35 shots
David Broll – D: Broll’s effectiveness had been waning for a while so it was a bit perplexing that the Habs inked him to an AHL extension for next season. Since that time, he has basically been a healthy scratch most nights and with the team largely healthy at the moment, he’s going to have a hard time getting back into the lineup.
3rd Quarter Stats: 13 GP, 1 goal, 0 assists, 1 point, -8 rating, 36 PIMS, 8 shots
N/A: Markus Eisenschmid (2 GP), John McCarron/Alexandre Ranger (released)
