QMJHL Announces 2008 ADT Canada Russia Challenge Coaching Staff and Roster

BOUCHERVILLE, Wednesday, October 22, 2008 – The Cape Breton Screaming Eagles and Saint John Sea Dogs organizations, in collaboration with the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and the Canadian Hockey League, today held simultaneous press conferences to announce the coaching staff and roster of Team QMJHL which will compete against a delegation of Russian All-Stars in the 2008 ADT Canada-Russia Challenge.

Guy Boucher, the bench boss of the Drummondville Voltigeurs who won a gold medal as an assistant coach with the Under-18 team in Russia last spring, takes over the head coaching duties. His assistants are Mario Durocher of the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles and Jacques Beaulieu of the Saint John Sea Dogs.

“It’s a great opportunity for the players to get some national exposure,” said Boucher. “Having had the privilege to work with Hockey Canada in a few events, there are two things that players need to focus on to stand out: speed and feistiness. When comparing two equally talented players, the one who battles and ultimately comes out with the puck will draw the most attention. Finally, the ADT Canada-Russia Challenge is an opportunity for me to learn, but also to give back while shedding some positive light on the League.”

Cape Breton is set to host the first game of the series on Monday, November 17, at Centre 200 while the second game will be played the following Wednesday at Harbour Station in Saint John. Then, the Russian delegation heads west where it will play two games against both the OHL and WHL all-stars.

All six contests will be televised nationwide on Rogers Sportsnet. RDS will broadcast the games played in QMJHL markets.

The ADT Canada-Russia Challenge plays a key role in the selection process of Canada’s World Junior Hockey Championship and Under-18 Championship teams. Each of the three CHL member leagues assembled a selection committee, which worked closely with Hockey Canada’s Chief Scout, Al Murray, to select the players for this year’s ADT Challenge. The QMJHL selection committee included Pascal Vincent, the General Manager and Head Coach of the Montreal Juniors, Jacques Beaulieu, the General Manager and Head Coach of the Saint John Sea Dogs, and Pierre Leduc, the QMJHL Director of Hockey Operations.

A total of twenty-six players will be called upon to participate in the event. Guy Boucher will announce the starters for each game at a later date.

Here is the QMJHL roster for the 2008 ADT Canada-Russia Challenge:

Goaltenders

Jake Allen (MTL)
Maxime Clermont (GAT)
Olivier Roy (CAP)

Defensemen

Mathieu Brodeur (CAP)
Marc-André Bourdon (ROU)
Simon Després (SNB)
Brandon Gormley (MON)
Alex Grant (SNB)
Hubert Labrie (GAT)
Kevin Marshall (QUE)
Charles-Antoine Roussel (SHA)
Marco Scandella (VDO)
Yann Sauvé (SNB)

Forwards

Luke Adam (MTL)
Paul Byron (GAT)
Jordan Caron (RIM)
Patrice Cormier (RIM)
Philippe Cornet (RIM)
Nicolas Deschamps (CHI)
Christopher DiDomenico (SNB)
Angelo Esposito (MTL)
Olivier Fortier (RIM)
Dave Labrecque (SHA)
Logan MacMillan (HAL)
Maxime Sauvé (VDO)
Kelsey Tessier (QUE)