The Lewiston Maineiacs and scoring leader Alexandre Picard got another Christmas present Monday when Picard was named the league’s offensive player of the week.

Picard played in three games last week, all Maineiacs’ wins, and scored five goals to go with four assists. Picard had a hand in nine of the team’s 14 goals against the Acadie-Bathurst Titan, the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies and Gatineau Olympiques, and he scored at least two points in each of those games.

Currently, Picard is third in the QMJHL in scoring with 24 goals, trailing just Dany Roussin (29) and Sidney Crosby (26) of Rimouski. Picard beat out teammate Alex Bourret (four goals, four assists), Chicoutimi’s Yan Gaudette (6-0-6) and Shawinigan’s Sebastien Courcelles (5-2-7) for the weekly honor, and is the fourth Maineiacs player honored this year. Previous winners have included Jonathan Paiement, Bourret, and Mathieu Aubin.

And a tradin’ we go

Three deals went down in the QMJHL on Monday, the first day of this year’s mid-season trading period.

The first had Shawinigan right-winger Sebastien Gauthier going to Rouyn-Noranda for center Alexandre Bolduc and for the Huskies fourth-round draft pick in June 2006.

In another trade, the P.E.I. Rocket sent defenseman 18-year-old Julien Beaulieu to the Drummondville Voltigeurs for a sixth- and an eighth-round draft pick (obtained from the Rocket) in June 2005.

The Val-d’Or Foreurs finished off the day in trades by acquiring 17-year-old center Sebastien Breton from the Qubec Remparts in return for their fifth-round draft pick (obtained from the Baie-Comeau Drakkar) in June 2005.

The trading period involving under 20-year old players will end on Saturday Jan. 8 at noon.