Nicolas Deschamps

[buzz]

What the scouting report on this guy? Thanks in advance.

[BadCompany]

I know nothing about him myself, but McKeens did a nice little write-up on him...


Grant McCagg

When McKeen's contacted Chicoutimi Sagueneens' left winger Nicolas Deschamps and told him that he was a top 20 candidate for the 2008 NHL entry draft, the young man's humility soon became evident.

"Top 20...... in the world?" asked Deschamps with incredulity. "Wow! That's great to hear."

It's been a meteoric rise for Deschamps from midget hockey and a fourth-line spot on Quebec's Canada Winter Games' representative last February to strong consideration for the first round of this year's NHL entry draft.

"I was not thinking at the beginning of the year that things would go this well," admitted Deschamps, who is already a first-line player on the Sagueneens. "My objective was to score 30 points and to make the third line. If I was drafted...great. But now it's looking a lot better. If I get drafted in the first round, it would be great."

He has met those modest objectives and then some, with 20 goals and 52 points in 55 QMJHL games, and his hope of making the third line was realized in September. By November, Deschamps was lining up next to one of the best centers in the league, Francis Pare, and the two have had great chemistry together.

A natural center, the switch to left wing seemed to come naturally as well, and Deschamps is already considered by some to be one of the top left wingers in the QMJHL.

"He looks like he could play a power forward game," said one scout when asked if he thought Deschamps would be better suited playing center at the pro level. "I think he may be better on the wing. He's adapted quite nicely."

Mighty high praise for a QMJHL rookie passed over completely at the 2006 draft.

"I don't think I was drafted because I was playing midget hockey (in 2005-06) and didn't switch to midget AAA until the middle of the year," explained Deschamps. "I was 5-9, 145 pounds at 15-years old."

Deschamps ended up being one of the leading scorers in Quebec midget hockey last season, and QMJHL teams didn't make the same mistake twice, as Deschamps was Chicoutimi's first round pick in the 2007 draft, 12th overall.

Asked why Deschamps wasn't picked in the draft the year before, Sagueneens' GM/coach Richard Martel didn't have an easy answer.

"It's a good question," said Martel. "This year he's pretty good. He's a very good skater, very agile. He plays both ends of the rink and plays with a lot of maturity. He's a good feeder, passes the puck very well."

Deschamps is quick to credit Martel for developing his game at the junior level.

"Work ethic," said Deschamps when asked why he has improved so rapidly. "I got it from the coach. I was working hard, but not that hard. The coach helped me with that. Martel - he likes to win a lot...and when we lose..."

Chicoutimi is in the running for the Memorial Cup in 2009. With the field narrowed down to two, the other being a struggling Shawinigan team, Chicoutimi stands a good chance of hosting the CHL championship next spring.

"That would be awesome; a great opportunity," said Deschamps. "Next year we're going to be pretty strong."

Deschamps, 185 pounds and just a shade under 6-1, isn't worried about filling out, pointing out that his father weighs about 290 pounds. He grew up in Montreal on the south shore, where his father Roger worked as an armored truck guard and coached him in summer hockey.

"My dad when he played was a fighter, said Deschamps. "He's pretty big. He didn't play very high (calibre) though. Me....I'm not really a fighter."

NHL scouts don't want him to be a fighter either; he does too many other things well.

"This is a well-rounded kid," noted a scout who changed his opinion on Deschamps after seeing him play recently. Earlier in the season he had been lukewarm about his NHL upside, but after a strong Top Prospects Game and another solid showing soon after, the scout now considers him to be one of the top prospects from the QMJHL.

"Last time I saw him....his first shift he was dominant," said the scout. "He went in and initiated contact, got the puck, made a couple of nice plays and scored a goal. He's got a lot of character, sees the ice well and makes smart plays."

Even though he's impressing lots of scouts with his smarts and two-way abilities, the 18-year-old admits that he has a lot of work to do.

"I have to work on everything," contended Deschamps. "My shot, my skating, my physical play. Strength-wise, I'm not that bad. I work out three times a week. In the summer it's like every day."

He covers a lot of territory on the ice with a long wingspan that he owes in large part to his stick. "I use a longer stick than others," said the soft spoken Deschamps, whose favourite player is Jarome Iginla even though he cheers for the Habs and the Red Wings. "I like to play with a longer stick."

The Sagueneens will hope that he continues to skate hard, talk softly and carry a big stick.

[habmeister]

hmm in the whl system, once a player has been passed over for his first bantam draft he's a ufa and a team can add him to their 50 player protected list at anytime, not the same in the qmjhl? i like the whl system better, it means a player if he improves greatly after his draft could get listed and play in the whl that season.

a few undrafted whl bantams: iginla, lucic, tucker...

this kids' rise is similar to david perron's, good on him, always like a story like this.

[buzz]

Great thanks, read somewhere that the habs scouts really big on this kid.

[habmeister]

that's strange buzz because scouts usually keep their thoughts pre-draft to themselves.

[skunk]

I like Patrice Cormier out of the Q. He is a solid all round player in the style of Kyle Chipchura, with more of a physical edge. Rimouski has been a mess this season, with all the injuries, but Cormier has been a bright spot. He leads the team in playoff scoring so far. Good second round prospect.

[buzz]

For what it's worth

Originally Posted by Soldat Popinski View Post
Last year, i said the habs were interested in Mcdonagh,Pacioretty and Tommy Cross.

Here's my take on players Trevor Timmins might pick (you can mark it somewhere and watch after the draft..)

1st round (24th-30th)
Nicolas Deschamps ( TT loves him, good speed, can play hard, if he's still there , TT will likely draft him)

Joshua Bailey and Corey Trivino are also guys TT likes.

2nd round (54-60th)
Maxime Sauvé is also a guy TT enjoys a lot

Erik Karlsson is also a strong candidate.

3rd round (84th-90th)
Justin Jokinen (ushs) has been scouted heavily by the habs.

Andre Petersson and Robbie Czarnik are strong candidates too..

4th round (114th-120th)
If any players above are not selected,Sergei Ostapchuk and Toni Ritter displays assets TT might like

7th round (204th-210th)
Hard to predict , limited info for these kind of players , but still
Maxim Trunev,Roman Josi, Alex Beaton are candidates

I hope you guys enjoy this

[CrocRob]

I like Sauvé. I'm not quite sure what kind of career he'll churn out, but I think he'll make The Show.. it's just a matter of what capacity it'll be in.

[NWTHabsFan]

Apr 9, 2008 9:09:17 GMT -5 CrocRob said:

I like Sauvé. I'm not quite sure what kind of career he'll churn out, but I think he'll make The Show.. it's just a matter of what capacity it'll be in.

He has now snuck into ISS's most recent Top 30 and is having a decent U-18. I caught a bit of the game today against Slovakia to catch a peek of him. He seems to have a lot of attributes that TT would like, although it is hard to assess character from a TV set.