The big story on Sunday was not on the ice but rather a “big trade” of it. For the second time in under a year Raoul Boilard finds himself traded to a new team.
During the off-season, Boilard was traded from the Baie-Comeau Drakkar to the Shawinigan Cataractes. Saturday Boilard was on the move again this time to the Cape Breton Eagles.
The Eagles themselves called the deal a “big trade for the organization”
Eagles general manager Sylvain Couturier said the following in a statement:
“He (Raoul) will be good for the present and the future of the team. You have to sacrifice some big pieces sometimes to get a player like Raoul. Boilard is a skilled and responsible player with good size his experience and leadership should help the team in the second half of the season.”
Boilard goes from the fourth place team in the QMJHL’s Western Conference to the third place team in the Eastern Conference. If anything this might help Boilard’s attempt to earn an entry level contract from the Rangers.
Just by showing up, Boilard becomes the fourth leading scorer on the Eagles but their best faceoff center. The question is can Boilard regain his scoring touch as Cape Breton paid a high price to get him.
Game Action
Artem Gonchar saw his scoring streak end after eight games as his Sudbury Wolves lost 5-2 to the North Bay Battalion in OHL play. Gonchar was scoreless on two shots as the young defenseman has been on fire as of late.
Since November 9th when Gonchar was 1-2-3 with a -15 in 16 games, he has totally turned his game around going 8-15-23 +7 in 19 games. From averaging 0.188 points a game to a very respectable 0.74 points per game, Gonchar is on a pace to go 17-32-49.
The Rangers will gladly accept those numbers considering how the other five defensive prospects have a combined 20 points.
Exhibition play
It was Sean Barnhill’s third-ranked Michigan State Spartan’s turn to play an exhibition game. They defeated the USNTDP Under-18 squad 4-2 as Barnhill was scoreless on one shot.
