Russell Having Historic Off Season
The acquisition of Nathan MacKinnon alone would normally be grounds for declaring the off season a success for Halifax Moosheads’ General Manager Cam Russell. But looking at what Russell was able to retain in the deal, and added to earlier acquisitions are making him look like a downright genius.
While there has been no official announcement of the particulars to any deal involving Nathan MacKinnon, all sources seem to be in the same ballpark. Two established Moosehead players, likely Carl Gelinas and Francis Turbide, plus first round picks in 2012, 2013 and 2014 in exchange for MacKinnon.
Keep that in mind, as we evaluate a deal that was confirmed by the Mooseheads. The team sent 2011 second round pick, Adam Erne to the Quebec Rempart for first round picks in 2013 and 2014 plus a second round pick in 2012.
So between the two deals…
Halifax Mooseheads Introduce New Coach
I got some footage from the news conference where Dominique Ducharme was introduced as the Moosheads new head coach.
Ducharme will a bit of familiarity with Luca Campini and Simon Desmarais both of whom he coached at the 2010-11 Would Under 17 Challenge.
It’s just a HD pocket cam so the audio is a bit low, but figured I would share.
You can also find more on Ducharme and his career here.
Ducharme Named MooseHEAD Coach
Dominique Ducharme will find himself behind the bench of the Halifax Mosseheads for the 2011/12 season as Head Coach
Bobby Smith has found his new bench boss in the form of the well-respected assistant coach from the Montreal Juniors. Ducharme spent three years with the Juniors.
Previousl to his time in Montreal, Ducharme led l’Action de Joliette (now le Traffic, Joliette) to two Quebec Junior AAA Hockey League Championships, an Eastern Canadian Championship, and an appearance at the 2006 Royal Bank Cup. He was also named QJAAAHL Coach of the Year in 2008 prior to making the jump to the QMJHL.
Ducharme also has some noteworthy history in his playing career. He is tied for ninth on the University of Vermont’s All-Time Scorers list. He tallied 149 points in his 130 games played from 1991-1995, just 118 points off former teammate Martin St. Louis’s school record.
Ducharme is known for his keen understanding of the technical aspects of the game, and his ability to communicate well with his players.
Ducharme beat out other top canadidates Darren Rumble and Brad Lauer for the Moose top job.
The Moosehead will hold a press conference Friday, May 6th to introduce their new coach.
More Work Ahead
With the head coaching position filled, the Herd’s next big task will be preparing for the upcoming QMJHL draft in Victoriaville, QC. The team holds a number of picks in the early rounds, including the fourth overall pick. GM Cam Russell has made no secret that he will explore the option of trying to acquire the first overall pick from the Baie-Comeau Drakkar in order to draft local phenom Nathan MacKinnon.
Russell will do his best to use some the young talent and the aforementioned draft picks to jump into that spot, but has made it clear he won’t mortgage the teams future for one player.
Cam gets the Can
After a disappointing start to the season, Halifax Mooseheads owner Bobby Smith has decided it’s time for him to step behind the bench himself. Smith announced today that he will be taking over the head coaching duties from Cam Russell.
There is no mention of an interim tag being placed on Smith’s coaching tenure, so it seems this is not just a bandaid solution until an appropriate replacement is found.
In what could be an awkward situation, Russell will stay on as assistant coach of the Moose’s backend (pun intended) and maintain his general manager duties.
Russell inherited a depleted team when he took on the coaching post, as much of the team’s future had been mortgaged in the hopes of contending for a championship. But like the housing market south of the border, the market went bust and Halifax had few assets left and had talent debt as opposed to depth.
Russell has seemingly done a decent job as GM, restocking the Herd with young talent. However some of that could be laid at his feet for poor performance on the ice, guaranteeing the team high draft picks the last two years. The Moosehead finished dead last in the league both years.
“Cam has done a tremendous job replenishing our depth chart with talented young hockey players,” said Smith. “It is now our job to make sure these players reach their potential. We owe it to ours fans to return to being an elite team in the QMJHL.”
Smith a 15-yr NHL veteran with Montreal and Minnesota (NorthStars) will making his coaching debut Tuesday night at the Metro Centre against the Acadie-Bathurst Titan at 7 p.m.
Highly Touted 