As we all know, the Saint John's Sea Dogs were the 2011 Memorial cup champions. Powered by potential 1st round draft picks Jon Huberdeau, Zach Phillips, Nathan Beaulieu and Tomas Jurco and top prospects like Eric Gelias, Simon Despres and Stanislav Galiev, the Sea Dogs dominated the QMJHL and the memorial cup. Of course, there's more to the Sea Dogs than their big name players. Gabriel Bourret was one of them- he managed to catch the eye of central scouting, as they have him ranked as 92nd overall amongst North American skaters.
Unfortunately for Bourret, he won't be a Sea Dog next season- the Sea Dogs traded him to Chicoutimi for a 2nd round pick in the QMJHL draft. Of course, this will be a big season for Bourret, seeing as he'll go from a stacked team to a relatively weak one in Chicoutimi. Which means that a team drafting Bourret should have a lot of faith in him to become a solid prospect.
Who is Gabriel Bourret?
|
Season |
GP |
Goals |
Assists |
PIM |
|
2010-11 |
63 |
8 |
25 |
72 |
Gabriel Bourret is a defenseman for the Chicoutimi Sagueneens. He was a 6th round pick from Saint John in 2009, and spent the last two seasons with the Sea Dogs, winning the memorial cup this season before being shipped out to Chicoutimi. Jamie Tozer points out that Bourret could be part of the trade that sent Devils prospect Eric Gelinas to Saint John- as a player was supposed to be going back to Chicoutimi at the draft in that trade.
Bourret is not very big- at around 6'0 and 173 lbs, he isn't the biggest or most impressive defensive prospect out there. However, Bourret did do something to make Central scouting more interested in him- he jumped from 108th at midterm to 92nd in the final rankings.
What people are saying
Everything about this late-'92 screams average, yet he was a part of the Memorial Cup-winning formula in Saint John this season. He's a hair over 6-feet and isn't a dynamic skater, but makes up for those unimpressive attributes by playing it smart and keeping things simple. This player isn't going to wow you at any one thing, but he's gritty and puts in the effort to get better. He's a longshot as an NHL prospect, but stranger things have happened. He was hardly noticeable at the Memorial Cup, but when you go back and look at the film, it was a good thing. Played disciplined, in control and did his job. -Kirk Luedeke
Bourret was selected by Saint John in the sixth round of the 2009 QMJHL Entry Draft. He played in 37 games in his rookie season, compiling three goals and seven assists.
This past season saw Bourret get a lot more ice time. He played in 63 regular season games where he had eight markers and 25 helpers. He played in all 19 of the Sea Dogs’ playoff games, helping them win the President’s Cup and eventually the Memorial Cup. He recorded three assists in the post-season.- Jamie Tozer from Sea Dogs blog Station Nation
Highlights
Bourret fights Olivier Jodoin
Bourret scores a short handed goal
An opinion of sorts
Bourret might not be the biggest guy on the ice but he's willing to stand up for his teammates and fight if necessary. Even if he puts on some more muscle I can't really see this guy being over 195 lbs- which might mean he's probably not going to fight nearly as often at the NHL level. Which would likely mean he's going to have to play a more disciplined game- which he was able to do during the playoffs. Bourret doesn't seem like a defenseman with a strong point. He's pretty well balanced in all aspects of the game. He isn't bad at anything yet doesn't excel at anything. He wasn't impressive- but I'd have to assume his jump in rankings had a lot to do with his team's performance rather than his.
Bourret's trade to Chicoutimi brings up a question mark about his future. Either Bourret gets exposed as an average player playing on a team that wasn't nearly as dominant as Saint John, or Bourret proves to be one of the better defenders on Chicoutimi next season. It's a pretty big question mark if you ask me, transitioning from the champions to a bad team.
Should the Devils draft Bourret? I think some of the risk factors involving him make me abit less interested in him as a 4th round pick. If he was going to be a Sea Dog next season, I wouldn't have much of a problem drafting him that early. If he's available in the fourth round (which could be a possibility). However, his trade to a weaker team makes him not nearly as attractive- especially if he isn't able to hold his own as one of the more important players on Chicoutimi.
NHLer i'd compare him to...
Andrew Ference: Average sized defenseman who isn't good or bad at anything specific. A reliable mid pairing defenseman at best.
Your Opinion
Do you think the Devils should take Gabriel Bourret with their 4th round pick? Do you think he might be able to handle the job of playing a more important role with Chicoutimi? Thanks for reading.