LEWISTON – Of the 53 players who arrived at camp this week, 36 remain after Sunday’s final intrasquad game.
“It was a tough decision to make this year,” said Maineiacs’ head coach and general manager Clem Jodoin. “There was more talent this year, and we are younger. They are a good group of kids, and we have a lot of room for improvement, too. The one thing we will have, for sure, is a good skating team.”
Three goaltenders were among the nine players sent home Sunday. Eight players had departed prior to Sunday’s final game, and one, Tom Michalik of Andover, Mass., will announce his plans to either return or remain home for school Monday.
Marc-Andre Sauve, John Duffet and Marc-Andre Perron, who played in two games for the Maineiacs last season, were all dismissed Sunday. For Perron, according to Jodoin, the concern was more about school.
Jonathan Bernier, Travis Fullerton and Claude Garland, an invited goaltender from Cypids, Newfoundland, remain in camp.
The blue line casualties included Jessy Proulx and Marc-Andre Crete, who dressed for a few games late last year when injuries had sidelined a number of defensemen.
The forward ranks lost four skaters: Sean Ratelle, Mathieu McGregor, Jonathan Remillard and Stephen Pearson.
McGregor will be remembered for knocking down fellow skater Brad Swain with one punch last week, and Remillard made it all the way to the final cut last year before being sent home.
Part of the reason Jodoin decided to keep 36 players is injuries, even though they are nowhere near as bad as last year. Sebastien Piche, Marc-Andre Daneau, Alex Sousa and Stefano Giliati are among the players with solid chances to make the team who are sidelined by injuries, all of which appear to be minor.
“We hope this is the end of it,” said Jodoin. “It’s all part of the process, though.”
In the coming days, Jodoin will sit down with assistants Ed Harding and Jeff Guay and hammer out a three-week plan for the rest of the preseason, including playing time for veterans and rookies.
“We will play the first three exhibition games and then see where everyone is from there,” said Jodoin. “There will be another round of cuts.”
Professional camping
The Maineiacs will send seven players to NHL training camps in two weeks, five of who are drafted.
Forwards Mathieu Aubin, Marc-Andre Cliche and Olivier Legault will attend camps for Montreal, the New York Rangers and Florida.
Defenseman Jonathan Paiement will join Cliche with the Rangers, while fellow blue-liners Chad Denny (Atlanta), Brandon Roach (Minnesota) and Michal Korenko (Boston) will also attend camps. Roach and Korenko received invites.
New role?
Last year, in the week following his first goal and subsequent dental work on his shattered jaw, forward Olivier Legault was asked if he would be allowed to fight again. Without skipping a beat, Legault answered that he was “not a fighter anymore.”
“I score goals now,” Legault deadpanned.
Maybe he wasn’t lying.
In training camp this week, Legault put on a show, scoring four goals and adding four assists for eight points in four games. He never dropped the gloves.
“He’s doing more with the puck this year,” said Jodoin. “He can pass the puck, catch a pass and shoot the puck well. Hockey is much easier when you can do all of those things, too.”
As for not fighting, Maineiacs fans shouldn’t worry too much. Legault was asked by the Florida Panthers not to fight until he went to their camp in two weeks.
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