Three Habs Rookies Shine In Roberval Win

Of the group of eight or ten rookies and prospects dressed against the Sabres in Roberval last night, three players excite me most.

Max Pacioretty, Ben Maxwell, and Yannik Weber will all be solid NHL'ers in the not too distant future.

Pacioretty seemed to compete in every single facet of the game, as a natural would. It is obvious his physical strength is already big league. One AHL season ought to be more than enough for him to accede to the bigs. He possesses all the offensive gifts needed plus the instinctive defensive alertness that sometimes isn't teachable.

What I liked best, was that there seemed to be no part of the ice that was a stranger to him. He competed for the puck in every area it was available to him. He also didn't hesitate a touch to employ his body to fight for it when the chance presented itself.

Maxwell impressed me not only with his edge in the offensive zone, but also with his overall awareness. No less than four times did I see him come back on the play to help out his defenseman. On two occasions, he was in place before a straying rearguard. I quickly got the feeling that this was a thinking man's center.

What really kicked in, was when Maxwell was coiling back to help - score was 3-0 Montreal. Most rooks trying to make the club would be trying to seize the opportunity of a potential rout to pot some nice netters and impress.

Maxwell has already learned third period leads mean shut down hockey.

Weber has often been billed as the second coming of Mark Streit, strictly due to shared Swiss origins. For me the comparisons end there, as Weber displayed a command of his position that was surprisingly composed for a junior hockey player.

This might be a stretch, (as comparing a second exhibition performance to a playoff game ought to be), but Weber was more at ease in this contest, than Streit was the last time I watched him play defense for the Canadiens. All told, Weber made a slew of boobs and misreads, but he showed a certain composure on the point despite his mistakes, especially on the PP's.

I found it pleasantly surprising how well Weber bounced back after he erred. Usually if a defenseman gets badly burned on a play or two, the remainder of his moves border on tentative.

The kid also reads what's ahead of him very clearly. On a few occasions, the slapper at the net he was frothing to display vanished as an option. Smoothly, and without panicking, he passed off and repositioned for another try. A nervous and less confident talent would drill a blast into approaching shinpads, praying it finds a way through.

Goalie Marc Denis showed he was still a capable NHL stopper. Although I missed the first goal scored against him, I found him to be quite alert and in the groove most of the night. With only two of the Canadiens starting six defensemen in front of him, he was surprisingly composed. It showed that he was an experienced veteran.

If Denis were to be called up in case of injury, based on this performance, I wouldn't initially worry much over whether he could handle the duty.




















Mike Glumac also made an impression on me. The trouble with that is, he is a 28 year old minor league vet, with close to 40 games of NHL experience. So then, he appeared as he ought to have. He should be very usefull in Hamilton, subbing in Ajay Baines role.

Of the remaining group of players, few gave me a big league impression.

Ryan Flinn looks mean, immature, and ready to make bad decisions when the team requires them least. At best he's the second coming of P.J. Stock.

Regarding Mathieu Aubin, the most I can say is that I saw him play.

David Desharnais, small, skillfull, and working quite hard to do many things as right as possible, definitely has game in him. In a glimpse though, it looks alot like Mikhail Grabovski's game. He'll need to become a bastard for occasions in a Doug Gilmour smaller man kinda way before he can even dream of an NHL lifetime.

I was looking for some other players out there.

Rumour has it that Pavel Valentenko played. Same for Olivier Fortier.

Not noticing a defenseman isn't always a bad thing.

On the flipside I noticed Chad Anderson a whole lot. He's big alright, but it looked like the tools left the toolbox behind. He was blunderville in Hockeyville.

All taken together, one visual assement is hardly enough to draw conclusions from.

Second opinions, as any good doctor will admit, are a much better stage to gauge from.

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Habs For Breakfast - April 4, 2008

You have to appreciate how these bunch of Habs have the ability to win games in different ways, with a varying cast of heroes changing on a nightly basis. We looking one gelled team right now!

There are four intangible that I've always maintained a team needs to go deep into the playoffs and win a Cup with. They are goaltending, faith, harmony, and line depth.

Right now, the Smolinski, Begin, Kostopoulos line are playing about as good as one can expect of a fourth line.

This team gets along and there is no turmoil whatsoever this season.

They believe in themselves. How could they not.

Their goalie is a zone, mentally. Carey Price is not surrendering the type of goals he was earlier in the season, when concentration and puck tracking seemed his biggest woes.

Add it all up!

Ryan O'Byrne had this to say about Carey Price last night after the game:

"He’s just so relaxed. Nothing fazes him," shrugged O’Byrne. "He’s the first guy to be chatting it up with someone in the room before a game, and you never see that in a goalie."

Do I like our chances? I Love our chances!




















Habs Keep Conference Dream Alive - Gazette

"The Canadiens can put the pressure on the Penguins with a win over the Toronto Maple Leafs Saturday night. The Penguins would then have to win their final game Sunday afternoon against the Philadelphia Flyers." - Pat Hickey

Price Can Lead Canadiens To Promised Land - Gazette

Admit it: you knew all along that with only one game remaining in the season, the Canadiens would have the Northeast Division championship locked up and still be in the race for No. 1 overall in the Eastern Conference. Yeah, sure you did. - Red Fisher

Canadiens Eliminate Sabres With Win - TSN

"It gives us a chance to finish first," said Montreal coach Guy Carbonneau. "We don't know what will happen on Sunday, but if we win on Saturday, it will force Pittsburgh to play their best players."

How Sweet it Is - Except If You're A Sabres Fan - Dennis Kane's Excellent Montreal Canadiens Blog

"The Habs aren’t being stopped, eliminating the Buffalo Sabres tonight in a completely convincing, except for some brief moments in the third period, 3-1 win. And they won it in style, even with injuries, even with the northeast sewn up, because, like Alex Kovalev says, "a team starts the playoffs the way they end the season." - Dennis Kane

1st In The East Still Up For Grabs - Lions In Winter

Our first goal on the Power-Play was our nicest tonight. The Habs PP is so effective these days that I have come to take goals like this one for granted. Kovalev fed it back to the point to Hamrlik. Hammer then sent the puck straight back to the right side to Streit who released a very good slapshot. In front of the net Higgins was providing the screen and had just the right touch to tip it up over Miller. - Tobalev

Gorgeous Gorges - The H Does Not Stand For Habs

"I wonder if Bob Gainey has allowed himself a small, secret smile at the way Josh Gorges is playing these days? Or whether Doug Wilson has stopped kicking himself yet. I wasn't sure how things would work out when Craig Rivet got traded to the Sharks for Gorges and the Sharks' first-round pick last year. I wasn't even sure how I felt about it. On one hand, Rivet was a lifetime Hab who'd given a lot of himself to the team. On the other, he was having a pretty rotten season and had betrayed the "A" on his sweater by getting angry and dividing loyalty in the room." - J.T.

Q & A With Mikhail Grabovski - McKeen's Hockey

"McKeen's recently had the opportunity to chat with Grabovski before he was recalled by the Canadiens at the trading deadline. The talented forward talked about his AHL exploits, splitting time between Hamilton and Montreal, coming back from injury, playing in Russia, representing Belarus, and his overall game." - Kevin Wey

4-3-08: Canadiens 3 Sabres 1 - Theory Of Ice

"It’s a little scary how irrelevant our injury ‘woes’ are starting to seem. No Koivu, Komisarek, Bouillon, Ryder, or (incidentally) Grabovski, and yet no obvious deterioration in the Habs’ overall game. Not to say that I don’t want those guys healthy again for the playoffs, but there is clearly more to the team’s success than just good luck with bones and muscles." -E















Eyeing The Calder Trophy - Montreal Canadiens.com

"You often hear about a goalie being in the zone for a period of time. Carey certainly was at the World Juniors, in Hamilton, and even with his junior team," explained head coach Guy Carbonneau. "And now since the trade deadline, Carey has been in that zone."

The Numbers Game - April 3, 2008 - Montreal Canadiens.com

"7 Canadiens players, now including Chris Higgins, to have reached the 50-point mark this season, the most since seven Habs also turned the trick in 1988-89."

Le trio de Smolinski a donné le ton - RDS

"Ce trio va très bien depuis le retour de Steve, a indiqué Guy Carbonneau. Chaque joueur comprend bien son rôle. On parle ici de vétérans qui font le travail défensivement et qui obtiennent ainsi des occasions de marquer."

Desharnais brûle le ECHL - RDS

"Le centre natif de Québec occupe le premier rang des compteurs (28-74-102) de la ECHL en plus de présenter un différentiel de plus-35 dans l'uniforme des Cyclones de Cincinnati."

Canadiens 3 Sabres 1: "Ramenez la Coupe" - La Presse

"Le message était on ne peut plus clair: ramenez la Coupe à Montréal. Coiffant, en grosses lettres, les noms de tous les joueurs du Canadien, ce message occupait chaque centimètre d'une longue bannière blanche que des partisans ont plusieurs fois déployée d'un bout à l'autre d'une rangée de la section 107, hier soir, au Centre Bell." - François Gagnon

Viacheslav Fetisov, compatriote et fan de l'Artiste - La Presse

"Je n'aime pas classer les joueurs. Mais Alexei Kovalev, du point de vue des habiletés, a toujours été en haut de la liste, autant aujourd'hui qu'à l'époque où les Rangers de New York ont gagné la Coupe Stanley, quand il était encore tout jeune. Dans la centaine d'années d'histoire du hockey, il y a peu de joueurs qui ont été capables de faire ce qu'il accomplit avec une rondelle." - Viacheslav Fetisov

Carey Price entre dans sa bulle - La Presse

"Carey est dans sa zone depuis la date limite des transactions, a estimé Guy Carbonneau. On a vu dans le passé, aux Championnats du monde junior et l'an dernier à Hamilton, que plus les matchs sont importants, plus il est capable de garder son calme et de faire les arrêts."

D' Agnostini et Srewart int cru à on poisson d'avril à retardement - La Presse

"J'ai été surpris et je suis excité. J'arrive dans une équipe solide qui a gagné le championnat de sa division. Je vais donc travailler fort si je suis appelé à jouer", a déclaré D'Agostini, hier matin, quelques instants avant que l'entraîneur-chef Guy Carbonneau ne confirme sa présence au sein d'un trio avec Chris Higgins et Sergei Kostitsyn." - Pierre Lacouceur

Comme l'année de la dernière coupe - Le Journal

"Le Tricolore a anéanti les der niers espoirs des Sabres de Buffalo de prendre part aux séries éliminatoires en l'emportant 3 à 1, hier soir, au grand plaisir de ses partisans avec qui il renouait après une série de trois matchs sur les patinoires adverses." - Marc de Foy

L'increvable Steve Bégin - Le Journal

"Steve Bégin nous étonnera toujours. À chaque fois qu'on le pense au bout du rouleau, il revient plus fort. Il est increvable! Le vétéran attaquant a joué comme s'il avait 20 ans hier soir. Il a secoué les puces de ses adversaires en appliquant huit mises en échec toutes plus percutantes les unes que les autres. Il lui reste du jus, le vieux! " - Marc De Foy

"Carbonneau a fait du très bon travail": Lindy Ruff - Le Journal

"C'était un pari risqué, a raconté le pilote des Sabres, Lindy Ruff, après la rencontre. On aurait pu se sortir du match, mais ça nous a remis dedans." Ce dernier a tenu à lever son chapeau au Canadien, qui n'a pas donné beaucoup de marge de manoeuvre à ses jeunes joueurs. "Nous ne voulions pas accuser un déficit. Le Canadien joue un système difficile et il a fait un bon travail à nous fer mer la porte", a expliqué l'entraîneur." - Charles Rooke

"Price ne connait pas ce qu'est la pression": Bryan Smolinski - Le Journal

"Ça fait du bien de contribuer à l'attaque, même si la mission de notre trio est surtout défensive, a raconté Smolinski. Des joueurs clés manquent à l'appel et il faut que d'autres en fassent davantage pour combler ces pertes."
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Habs For Breakfast - 2008-03-04

Weird game last night - were the Habs jetlagged or twilight zoned?

Looks to me like Carey Price has trouble when he hits his fourth consecutive start. Is it just me, or does he only let it weak ones when he's played a string of games. The Jody Shelley knuckleball goal was tipped by Komisarek, by Price should not have over reacted and gone into such a quick crouch to stop it.

Perhaps the Sharks quick first goal destabilized him, not to mention the non call on one goal where he was pushed into his net and lost his stick - refs blew that one!

The Canadiens battled hard for most of this one, and better things should come from this road trip once they are acclimated to the California area.

It's always a bummer to read about losses after one, but today I found some interesting links that have to do with more ersonal stories. Don't miss reading about the Latendresse family and the exploits of the Cincinnati Cyclones. For the most part, the bloggers outdid the media in their writing efforts today.

For laughs, check out the dysfunction piece aimed at the Senators and Four Habs Fans always crackup take on a loss. Enjoy!

Habs Remain Close To Rivet's Heart - The Gazette

"I can honestly say that I loved every minute I spent in Montreal, even with the ups and downs, but when the trade came, I was prepared for it. I knew it was time to move on," Rivet said before the Sharks hosted the Canadiens last night.

Thornton's Big night Boosts Sharks Over Canadiens - Faceoff

"Tomas Plekanec scored twice for the Canadiens, who had a three-game win streak broken but retained the top spot in the Northeast Division following Ottawa's loss to Anaheim on Monday."













Living By Speed And Dying by Speed - The H Does Not Stand For Habs

"Well, the Canadiens defence got a taste of what the Habs' offence serves up to opponents every night. Unfortunately, the D looked pretty slow and helpless in the face of the Sharks' speed last night. I didn't see all of the game, but I saw Josh Gorges and Mike Komisarek look like pylons twice apiece." - J.T.

Pawn To Rook 4 - FHF

"Price found a way to make Brian Campbell look like Bobby Orr and Jonathan Cheechoo like,… Jonathan Cheechoo. Pencil in the Shelley Long special he offered up on a goal from the East coast and the kid would only have needed to air-drop a few bags of rice over scattered villages in Nicaragua to win the Humanitarian of the Night Award." - Habsfan 33

Habs Score 4 But It Isn't Enough - Lions In Winter

"I thought Max showed a lot of spirit tonight. The Habs looked tired and unmotivated for this game and it was Lapierre who was trying to get the troops going. His pest-like play is what we need out of him from here on in, the scoring is just a bonus. He scored a late goal to bring us back within one and give us hope." - Tobalev

3-4-08: Sharks 6 Canadiens 4 - Theory Of Ice

"It was close. For the most part, the two teams alternated goals, and while Montreal never had the lead, they kept themselves in the game. They played tenaciously. Tenacious is good. We can respect tenacity. But personally, I think this game wasn’t so lopsided that they should be happy just to have hung in there like the orange tabby kitten on the inspirational poster that someone will doubtless by buying for Price tomorrow morning. They can do better." - E

And finally, not a Habs related read, but truse me, you'll enjoy this one tremendously nonetheless!

Senators Deserve Dysfunction Award - The Gazette

"Before launching into today's subject, we urge the NHL to consider adding an award recognizing team and/or individual dysfunction to the list of 87 or so awards it hands out." - Ed Willes


Carey Price ne l'avait pas - RDS

"Chancelant tout au long du match, Price a donné un cadeau aux Sharks de San Jose en fin de deuxième période, un but au prolifique Jody Shelley sur un tir de la ligne bleue, et les Sharks ont finalement vaincu le Canadien 6-4."

La belle histoire des Latendresse - RDS

"Ils ont commencé à jouer pour le plaisir, Guillaume est 15 mois plus jeune que Olivier donc je les amenait au parc et on a fait une patinoire dans la cour arrière. Olivier a commencé à patiner et Guillaume a suivi immédiatement. Ils ont fait un peu de soccer, mais le hockey était leur sport. Ils faisaient les écoles de hockey l'été, on s'est promené un peu aux États-Unis. On a eu beaucoup de plaisir", affirme Alain Latendresse.













Rivaliser avec les équipes de l'ouest - RDS

"Maintenant, le mandat du Canadien sera de démontrer comment il pourra rivaliser avec les équipes de l’Association de l’ouest qui préconisent dorénavant un style beaucoup plus robuste." - Gaston Therrien

Gainey convoitait-il Martin Havlat? - La Presse

"Gainey se serait informé de la disponibilité de Martin Havlat après avoir renoncé à acquérir Marian Hossa, mais la conversation n'aurait pas duré longtemps, puisque Tallon exigeait Chris Higgins en retour." - Mathias Brunet

"On va s'en rappeler": David Desharnais - Le Journal

"L'exploit est passé inaperçu, mais il n'en est pas moins digne de mention. Les Cyclones de Cincinnati, équipe affiliée des Bulldogs de Hamilton, ont établi un record de la Ligue de la côte Est (ECHL) en remportant 17 victoires consécutives. Ce n'est pas rien."

Loverock Highlights Training Camp Invitees

Finally!

The Canadiens annual golf tournament and the start of the rookie camp tommorow can only mean that the real NHL season is finally upon us। Thank goodness for that - it's been too long of a bummer summer waiting to see what the 2007-08 Habs have to offer.

On Saturday, 27 possible future Habs will begin preparation for their upcoming seasons - wherever it may lead them. As prospects, many will be returned to junior, some will latch on at the AHL or ECHL levels, and a pair of lucky ones will gain a decent shot with the big time club.

Of the 27 names, 19 of them are Canadiens draft picks, 16 of which participated in the Canadiens summertime development camp.

There are 4 goaltenders ( Price, Lacasse, Desjardins, and Loverock), ten defensemen ( Carle, Cepek, Gleed, Kishel, Labrie, O'Byrne, Piche, Subban, Valentenko, and Weber ), six centers ( Aubin, Chipchura, Desharnais, Fortier, Maxwell, and Russell ), three right wingers ( Beauregard, D' Agnostini, and White ) and three left wingers ( Conboy, Kostitsyn, Lahti, and Stewart ).

Only Price, Chipchura, and O'Byrne have experience at the AHL pro level, having been integral pieces of the Hamilton Bulldogs Calder Cup run in the spring of 2007.

Not coincidentally, these three prospects are the odds on favorites to cling with the Canadiens come October.

Absent from the list are familiar names such as Mikhail Grabovski, Corey Locke, J.P. Cote, and Duncan Milroy, all players now considered as professionals who will be attending the Canadiens camp within two weeks time.

Four unfamiliar names are among the 27 rookie camp invitees. They are goaltender Andrew Loverock, defensemen Sebastien Piche and Mathieu Labrie, and center David Desharnais.

Loverock, who was also given an invite to the Habs development camp, is from the OHL's Mississauga Ice Dogs, while the other three hopefuls hail from the QMJHL.

Should his perfermances merit a contract, Loverock will be snapped up quickly as the Canadiens goaltending depth was subtracted two bodies with the departure of David ( I've got the pin - where's the grenade ) Aebischer and the left unsigned Christopher Heino - Linberg, who'd stayed in Europe the last three seasons.

By all accounts, Loverock appears to be one of many undrafted talents that for one reason or another slip between the cracks of the Entry Draft annually.



Browsing the net for the scoop on Loverock ( an NHL worthy name if there ever was one! ), info isn't hard to come by. Choice write ups and stats were common - like this one from the CHL website:

The Canadian Hockey League today announced that Andrew Loverock of the Mississauga IceDogs is the ADT CHL Goaltender of the Week for the week ending Sunday February 18, after posting a 3-0-0-0 record, along with a 1.33 goals against average, .962 save percentage and one shutout in three games. Loverock made 36 saves in a 4-1 win over the Owen Sound Attack on February 14. Two nights later, he turned aside 22 shots for his first shutout in a 5-0 win over the Brampton Battalion. He finished the week with 44 saves in a 6-3 win over the Ottawa 67's.

The 17-year-old native of Phelpston, Ontario improved his season record to 25-9-0-1 with a 3.41 goals against average and .891 save percentage in 36 appearances. The Victoriaville Tigre's Jean Christophe was the QMJHL nominee, posting a 2-1-0 record with a 2.30 goals against average and .939 save percentage. Carey Price of the Tri-City Americans was the WHL nominee with a three win week, a shutout, a 1.00 goals against average, and .963 save percentage in three games.

A commenter at a Mississauga Ice Dogs fan site, has this to say about the goalie:

Before the playoffs, everyone questioned whether goaltending would be Mississauga’s downfall in the playoffs. It’s just the opposite. Andrew Loverock has been phenomenal. Tuesday night’s game might have been a blowout for the Wolves had it not been for Loverock. And how about the second game in Mississauga Sunday night when he stopped 21 shots in the third period to preserve the 4-3 win?

The Niagara Falls Review featured a story on Loverock's disappointment at not being drafted, and the opportunity that the Habs development camp presented him:

Andrew Loverock is trying to make the best of a disappointing setback in his hockey career.

Despite a solid rookie campaign with the IceDogs, the 18-year-old netminder was passed over in the National Hockey League draft in June. "I was kind of expecting to be drafted," Loverock said Tuesday afternoon at Jack Gatecliff Arena before the team's scheduled two-hour workout. "For the first few days, I was disappointed. "Now I have to work harder to get a contract." IceDogs general manager Dave Brown was surprised Loverock was passed over.

"Did I think he would get drafted? Absolutely," Brown said. "Obviously, there were some things 30 teams didn't like." Through some hard work by his agent, Loverock was able to land a spot at a Montreal Canadiens' development camp in July where he was so impressive he was invited back to training camp.

"I learned a lot there", said Loverock, who was scheduled to leave for Montreal today, "It kind of opened the door. Now I know what it takes and what I have to work on. "I got a lot of feedback, which helped a lot. Loverock, a native of Phelpston, (about five minutes from Wasaga Beach), said he worked on his skating and positioning at the camp. Now he wants to build on that and make another good impression. "(I hope) they sign me to a contract, that what I'm looking at," said Loverock, who compiled a 31-13 record and 3.50 goals-against average for the IceDogs last season.

Niagara head coach Mario Cicchillo would like to see the Canadiens give Loverock a good, long look. "I hope he stays for two weeks to see the routine the other goalies are doing," Cicchillo said. "He'll see for himself what it takes to get to the next level." When Loverock returns to the IceDogs, he'll be the No. 1 netminder to start the season. With Lucas Lobsinger out until at least mid-October or early November while he recovers from knee surgery, Loverock is the man.

"I was the No. 1 at the end last year and it's kind of like you have to do it every night," Loverock said. "It's in your hands and you have to do everything you can." Rookie Adrian Volpe of Burlington, who was also in camp with the St. Catharines Falcons, will be the backup until Lobsinger returns. "When Lobsinger comes back, we'll reassess at that time and let them battle it out," Brown said.

"I find if there's someone pushing you, it's a lot better than if you state one guy is the No. 1 unequivocally." Loverock made the jump to the Ontario Hockey League after playing Tier 2 in Milton the previous season where he had an outstanding record, including a goals-against average under 2.00.

"There's a dramatic difference, but he handled it well," Brown said. "It's a learning process for these guys." Loverock, who Brown said appeared significantly different in his appearance after a summer of hard work, admitted there were many adjustments to make last season. "I never had a goalie coach in Milton," he said. "I worked on a lot of fundamentals. The league is a whole lot quicker and the skill level of the players is a lot better."



David Desharnais is another curious darkhorse invitation to the Canadiens rookie camp. His accomplishments bode well for his upside.

Desharnais has played three seasons with the QMJHL Chicoutimi Saguenéens, developing into a premier offensive talent in the league। In his rookie season, the Quebec City native played 70 games and scored 23 goals and 28 assists for 51 points, fourth on the Sagueneens.

In 2004-05, he scored 32 goals and added 65 helpers for 91 points, to finish second on the team. The center also showed a lot of passion for the game with everybody surrounding him, winning the Frank Selke Trophy for Sportsman of the league. He was named on the QMJHL second All-Star team.



Desharnais' accomplishments didn’t stop there, as he once again was a prime offensive contributor in 2005-06. Scoring 33 goals and 85 assists for 118 points, he finished 5th in the league in scoring, with two of his linemates in the top 5. The Selke Trophy was his a second time and he added another second team All-Star selection on his resume.

While intriguing offensively, he is still small in today’s NHL standards, but that has never prevented players from skating in the big leagues। He has a strong instinct around the net and is excellent with the puck.

The young center likes to use his teammates in the best possible way but will never shy from shooting the puck. He has scored 65 goals in his last two years with Chicoutimi. Desharnais is also a good leader in and out of the rink. He was the Sagueneens captain last season and has always been able to gain the opponents respect.

Last season, he received an invite to the Ottawa Senators rookie camp. A follower of that camp has this to say about Deshanais stickout out:

I thought the best player on the Sens was David Desharnais, all 5'7" of him! He showed a lot of speed and heart; he didn't shy away from contact and initiated some of it himself. He scored the Sens only goal, by winning the battle for the rebound.

In a short interview with La Presse, Desharnais was quoted as saying that he will be "working hard in order to get noticed at the rookie camp, giving my all in hopes of filling a spot on the Bulldogs. I'm not aware if center if a hole to fill in Hamilton, but I'm looking to have a good camp. I believe my chances are good and I will be showing them what I am capable of."