RIMOUSKI | The Océanic’s general manager Serge Beausoleil says he’s very happy to keep his captain Frédéric Brunet if offers don’t match the value of his ace defender, whom he estimates at two-and-a-half first-round picks.
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“I love our ice hockey team. i like what we do Frédéric Brunet is an asset over Gaudet (Marc-André) and he cost Sherbrooke a first-round pick, two picks from two and one from four. For us there are no bad solutions. He’s an exceptional leader with us and we have the luxury of keeping him if we want to keep him and we also have the luxury of moving him if it’s an offer that bends our knees. At the moment (Monday noon) we are talking a lot, but we don’t have a serious offer on the table.”
Credit Alexandre D’Astous
Serge Beausoleil goes on to say his team can afford the luxury of keeping their captain. “We have an extraordinary team spirit. To me it’s worth a lot of additions as we speak. We will continue to try to improve our team until Friday (deadline for transactions).”
The sags come
The Océanic welcomes the Chicoutimi Saguenéens on Tuesday night. Serge Beausoleil will once again have a full squad, an unusual luxury this season with the long-term injuries of Luke Coughlin, Xavier Filion and Jacob Mathieu. “Injuries are no excuse, but it’s three important players who missed several games,” said the head coach.
Serge Beausoleil is hoping his trio of youngsters will recover after a more difficult game against the Voltigeurs on Sunday. The coach brought together 17-year-old forwards Maël St-Denis, Maxim Coursol and Alexandre Blais for a few games. “They did well on the road, but it was a bit more difficult on Sunday and they know that. I expect them to recover tomorrow (Tuesday).
hopes valued
The Océanic invited some hopefuls to a mini evaluation camp for a few days this week. “We’ve been doing this for a few years. We use the break in Midget AAA and College to raise hopes and assess their progress. Goalkeepers Lyam Leblanc and Cédric Massé are there, as are Mathys Dubé and Dominic Pilote. Anthony Paré is not there because he has just had an operation. He will be ready for the next training camp,” said Serge Beausoleil.