The boys are back in town
Plenty of familiar faces in the lineup as Eagles brace for 21st season
Fans at Centre 200 shouldn’t take long getting acquainted with the 2017-18 version of the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles, as 15 players are returning from last spring.
But there have also been significant changes. General manager and coach Marc-André Dumont hopes the new faces will have a major impact in the long term, though Eagle supporters will expect some to produce more immediately than others.
There was substantial change heading into the 2016-17 campaign and many pundits predicted that a young Eagles team would sink to the bottom of the standings. But Cape Breton earned home ice advantage and advanced to the second round of the playoffs. How much of that success was due to outgoing players is a question that will be asked of the Eagles this coming fall and winter.
Screaming Eagles captain Olivier LeBlanc led the Eagle blue-line, collecting 43 points in 58 games while providing steady defensive play over a substantial number of minutes. Giovanni Fiore led the QMJHL with 52 goals last season, and his linemate Massimo Carozza rode alongside at over a point a game. Those three were overagers in 2016-17 and will leave a void at the Nest.
The third man on the top Cape Breton forward line is back, as Drake Batherson (now 19) parlayed a 58-point campaign into being selected in the fourth round of the NHL draft by the Ottawa Senators. Overagers Phélix Martineau and Jordan Ty Fournier will help him lead the attack. Martineau’s 28 goals were second among Screaming Eagle players last season, although none of those were as big as Fournier’s Game 7 overtime winner against Gatineau in April.
One rookie who may have an immediate impact is 17-yearold import Egor Sokolov. Taking the place of fellow Russian Vasily Glotov as one of Cape Breton’s two imports, Sokolov produced an eye popping 73 points in 32 games in the Russian under-17 league in 2016-17. The hulking 6’3” forward will be watched by NHL scouts in the upcoming campaign.
Cape Breton’s top three 2017 entry draft picks (all 16 year olds) have earned roster spots. With back-to-back first round choices (14 and 15) Dumont’s club tabbed Halifax area defenseman Noah Laaouan and forward Brooklyn Kalmikov, whose father Konstantin skated with the AHL’s St. John’s Maple Leafs. Second rounder Ryan Francis will also debut this fall.
Rounding out the new forwards is a trio of 18 year olds. Gabriel Proulx and Kyle McGrath both saw time last year in the QMJHL as affiliate players for Cape Breton, while 6’3” free agent Justin Lazure skated in a collegiate league for Thetford Mines.
Former first rounders Peyton Hoyt and Mathias Laferrière should be given added ice time to progress. The 18-year-old Hoyt has showed promise while
struggling with injuries in his first two campaigns. Laferrière, a key part of the Pierre-Luc Dubois trade, carries a small frame but strong offensive instincts. Nineteen-year-old forwards
Tyler Hylland and Declan Smith should see increased opportunities, and Olivier Bourret (17) will be back as a sophomore.
On the backend, overager Ross MacDougall is the elder statesman, with no 19 year olds on the blue-line. MacDougall will quarterback the offense along with German Leon Gawanke. Gawanke was chosen in the fifth round of the NHL draft by Winnipeg after collecting 32 points in 54 games after his North American debut.
Defenseman Adam McCormick also progressed last season, showcasing a two-way game and winning the team’s most improved award as a 16 year old. Fellow sophomores Sacha Roy and Alexis Sansfaçon (now both 18) will return to provide size on the backend. In addition to Laaouan, Ryan MacLellan is another freshman on the blue-line. The 17 year old appeared in five games with the Eagles as an affiliate player and won a national midget title with Cape Breton West.
In goal, there will be no changes but there will be certainly competition between Kevin Mandolese (17) and Kyle Jessiman (18). The two goaltenders battled for ice time down the stretch in 2016-17 and into the playoffs. While neither crease cop cracked the .900 save percentage mark last season, there is hope that advancement from two highly drafted netminders will make goaltending a strength in Sydney.
Eagles fans won’t have to wait much longer to see this team in action, as Cape Breton opens up regular season play on Sept. 22 in Bathurst.