CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — It’s a project I have thought about for some time.
If I could pick any Charlottetown Islanders for a seven-game Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) playoff series, who would I take?
I had thought about doing it on the 10-year anniversary of the rebranded team but decided there’s no time like the present.
Now this is one person’s opinion. It isn’t an exact science.
I didn’t just take the players with the most points. I tried to find a mix of players to help win games with a variety of skill, grit, leadership and intangibles.
My only criteria was to use players’ time with the organization as the benchmark. It hurt guys who left the organization before starring elsewhere like defenceman Ryan Graves and forward Mitchell Balmas. Both are great people who had great junior careers, but their best games were played elsewhere.
Without further ado, here's my team.
Goalies
Matthew Welsh/Mason McDonald
Welsh was a workhorse and saved his best work for when his team needed him the most. Calm and cool, he was. The lone five-year Islander, Welsh learned his rookie season while playing behind McDonald, who played 2 ½ season in Charlottetown. Those two were teammates one season and between the two of them were the starters for 5 ½ of the seven seasons.
McDonald, better known as Mase, was a foundational piece as the Islanders rebuilt. He had a Hockey Canada resumé and gave the Islanders a chance to win each night. The six-foot-four, 200-pound, right-catching goalie provided a different look than Welsh.
Antoine Bibeau was also a consideration, but only played half a season with the Islanders after two seasons with the P.E.I. Rocket. He was an outstanding playoff performer with the Rocket and Val-d’Or and, if the rules were different, I would be hard-pressed to leave him off this squad.
Defencemen
Guillaume Brisebois/Nicolas Meloche
A pair of high-end defencemen with strong pedigrees. They were both selected in the first round of the 2013 QMJHL draft, the distinguished 1997-born draft class. The duo had played together during all-star style events in the past and were paired up again as the Isles made their first foray into the league semifinal in 2017.
Brisebois, who was the captain, was the smooth, cerebal one while Meloche provided some bite.
Pierre-Olivier (P.O.) Joseph/Ryan MacKinnon
A pair of defencemen who could play a lot of minutes and in a variety of roles, MacKinnon helped change the culture in Charlottetown, and Joseph helped instill a winning belief. Both were well-respected players, who wore the captain’s C proudly. Joseph would also help bridge the French-English components of the dressing room. They are also examples that you don’t need to be first-round picks in the QMJHL draft to be have great careers. Both were taken in the fifth round.
Lukas Cormier/Hunter Drew
Cormier is a young defenceman who is only going to get better. A good skater with confidence, vision and an ability to get his shot to the net, he would be a key component for this team on the power play. Drew is physical force and a throwback defenceman, who doesn't have to be asked to stand up for his teammates. He was a walk-on who turned into an NHL-drafted blue-liner.
7th defenceman
Olivier Desjardins
One of the most underrated additions by the Islanders, he was not flashy, but effective. Desj was more than willing to lay down in front of a shot, could throw a mean hip check and had quiet leadership skills. A team-first guy who would be willing to do what is needed for the greater good. We-before-me kind of player.
Forwards
Samuel Blais/Filip Chlapik/Kameron Kielly
Kielly and Chlapik were dynamite in their final seasons with the Islanders while Kielly and Blais teamed with Jake Coughler to form a great trio the year before. Lots of skill, hockey IQ and some feistiness.
Francois Beauchemin/Nikita Alexandrov/Daniel Sprong
Sprong is the offensive catalyst who can change a series with one shot. Alexandrov showed at the world junior tournament he plays well with elite talent. Beauchemin was among the league scoring leaders as an overager, the year the Isles acquired him from Val-d’Or. But he also knew what it took to win, having played a different role for Rimouski during its 2015 President Cup season.
Oliver Cooper/Filip Rydstrom/Ross Johnston
The grind line would help this squad as the team went deeper in a series. The trio would use their size to cycle the puck, hit the opposition and wear them down. They could provide a net-front presence and chip in offensively.
Pascal Aquin/Keith Getson/ Jake Coughler
Aquin and Getson formed an underrated third line with rookie Matthew Grouchy during the 2017 playoff run.
They were strong defensively while a force on the forecheck.
I have replaced Grouchy with Coughler, an underrated acquisition by then GM Grant Sonier. Coughler, who blossomed in Charlottetown, played up and down the lineup and produced. Not many people would have suspected him to play here as an overager when he was acquired for a fifth-round pick the previous season. But that’s exactly what happened, and he was on pace for a 40-goal campaign when he was traded to Halifax as the Isles acquired Beauchemin.
Getson was a playoff performer with three of his 10 playoff goals during the 2018 run being game winners. Aquin had four goals in Game 7 of the first round of the playoffs that post-season, with three of the markers coming in the third period as the game was 2-2 after two.
13th forward
Sam King
King was the ultimate role guy. He would do his job when called upon whether it was only a few shifts a night. He was good on the forecheck and provided speed.
Jason Malloy has been the sports editor at The Guardian since 2012.
