SYDNEY, N.S. — The calendar has turned to 2020 and the second half of the 2019-20 hockey season is underway for many of the Cape Breton Eagles 2018 and 2019 draft picks.
Here's how the local Quebec Major Junior Hockey League team's prospects fared off during the first half of their respective seasons.
2019 draft picks (not playing major junior):
Zach Welsh - Second-round pick, No. 33 overall - The 16-year-old is currently playing with the Truro Bearcats of the Maritime Junior Hockey League. In 29 games in his rookie season, the defenceman has three assists along with 12 penalty minutes. He's the younger brother of Charlottetown Islanders netminder Matthew Welsh.
Bodie Nobes - Fourth-round, No. 66 overall - The defenceman is listed as playing with Stanstead College, however, statistics were not available. Nobes is the son of the late Kelly Nobes, the former head coach o the McGill Redmen men's varsity hockey team. Kelly Nobes died last September at 45.
Kenzie MacPhail - Sixth-round pick, No 102 overall - The 16-year-old goaltender is playing with the Cape Breton West Islanders of the Nova Scotia Eastlink Major Midget Hockey League. The Inverness product has a 6-11-0-0 record along with a 4.79 goals-against-average and a .870 save percentage in 18 games this season. He's played the second-most minutes in the league (964:77) only behind South Shore's Jeremy Robar.
Mathis Demers - Seventh-round pick, No. 118 overall - The forward is suiting up for the Champlain St. Lawrence Lions (QCHL). The 17-year-old Lévis, Que., native has appeared in 21 games this season and has four goals and six assists along with four penalty minutes.
Xavier Ducharme - Seventh-round pick, No. 120 overall - The 16-year-old is playing in his first full season in the Quebec Midget 'AAA' Hockey League with the Saint-Eustache Vikings. The forward has recorded three goals and four assists along with 18 penalty minutes in 26 contests this season.
Guillaume Nadeau - Eighth-round pick, No. 138 overall - The six-foot-three, 174-pound defenceman is having a good season with the Séminaire St-François Blizzard of the Quebec Midget 'AAA' Hockey League. In 28 games, the 16-year-old has five goals and seven assists along with 18 penalty minutes and a plus-11 rating. It's his first full year with the Blizzard's program.
Blake Deacon - Ninth-round pick, No. 148 overall - The 17-year-old is playing for the Valley Wildcats of the Nova Scotia Eastlink Major Midget Hockey League. The forward is currently 11th in the league in points (34) and is on pace to break his personal best in goals (14), assists (23) and points. He didn't have a bad training camp with the Eagles last August.
Jacob Christie - Ninth-round pick, No. 156 overall - The six-foot-two, 187-pound defenceman is having a strong season in the Nova Scotia Eastlink Major Midget Hockey League with the Steele Subaru Major Midgets. In 28 games, he already has broke personal-highs in goals (6), assists (12) and points (18).
Jacob Santerre - 10th-round pick, No. 173 overall - After attending the Eagles training camp in August, Santerre returned to the Gatineau area for midget 'AAA' and is currently playing with the L'Intrépide. In 27 games, the forward has 11 goals and seven assists for 18 points.
Alex Cormier - 10th-round pick, No. 174 overall - The 16-year-old forward is suiting up this season with the Moncton Flyers of the New Brunswick/Prince Edward Island Major Midget Hockey League. In his second season with the Flyers, the Dieppe native has career-highs in goals (9), assists (9) and points (18) in 27 games in major midget.
Marc-Antoine Pouliot - 11th-round pick, No. 192 overall - The six-foot-three, 190-pound blue-liner is in his second season with the Quebec Midget 'AAA' Hockey League's Jonquière Élites. In 29 games, the Port-Cartier, Que., native has four goals and four assists along with 38 penalty minutes and a plus-12 rating.
Tanner Greatorex - 12th-round pick, No. 210 overall - The 17-year-old defenceman is having a good year with the Weeks Major Midgets of the Nova Scotia Eastlink Major Midget Hockey League. Serving as the team's captain, he's appeared in 29 games this year and has three goals and 12 assists, along with 14 penalty minutes.
Kian Bell - 13th-round pick, No. 228 overall - The 16-year-old is surprising many people in the Nova Scotia Eastlink Major Midget Hockey League this season. After playing with the Basin Armada of the province's minor midget 'AAA' league, the Fall River, N.S., product has recorded 19 goals and 20 assists in 30 games with the Steele Subaru Major Midgets. He's currently five-foot-eight, 130 pounds.
Jack Cashen - 14th-round pick, No. 246 overall - The 16-year-old New Waterford native is playing for the Sydney Mitsubishi Rush of the Nova Scotia Eastlink Major Midget Hockey League. Cashen has a 4-11 record along with a 5.52 goals-against-average and a .860 save percentage.
American picks: Conor Sullivan (Round 1, No. 12 overall) and Luke Holyfield (Round 2, No. 30 overall)
Sullivan - The six-foot-three, 170-pound goaltender is playing with The Rivers School in the United States High School Prep League. Statistics were not available. The Westborough, Mass., native has also played two games with the Boston Jr. Eagles under-16 program where he posted a 2.50 goals-against-average. The record was not available.
Holyfield - The 16-year-old forward has jumped around to numerous teams this season. He played with both Connecticut Chiefs under-16 programs as well as the split Chiefs program. In total, Holyfield has four goals and three assists in nine games this season. He's listed as playing for Westminster Prep, but statistics were not available.
2018 draft picks:
Noah Gaudette - Sixth-round pick, No. 95 overall - The 17-year-old forward is playing with Gilmour Academy of the Midwest Prep Hockey League this season. In four games, he has a goal and an assist. Last year, he played with the Saint-Eustache Vikings in the Quebec midget 'AAA' league. He was not at the Eagles camp last August.
Logan Carruthers - Seventh-round pick, No. 115 overall - The defenceman is part o the Fredericton Red Wings of the Maritime Junior Hockey league this season. The 17-year-old has played 31 games with the Red Wings this year, notching one goal and eight assists along with 47 penalty minutes.
Brady Hunter - Ninth-round pick, No. 151 overall - The Enfield product reported to the Eagles training camp last August, but was later cut by the team as the 17-year-old wanted to keep his NCAA eligibility available. The forward began the season with the Minnesota Wilderness of the North American Hockey League, recording three goals and three assists in 20 games. Last week, he was added to the Northeast Generals roster and has appeared in two games with no points.
Matthew Power - 10th-round pick, No. 169 overall - The 17-year-old defenceman is having a stellar season with the Cole Harbour Wolfpack of the Nova Scotia Eastlink Major Midget Hockey League. Power is average a point per game with five goals and 24 assists for 29 points in 28 games. He's already posted a career-high in assists (24) and is one point shy of tying his points record in a single season.
Marc Richard - 11th-round pick, No. 187 overall - The Charlottetown native is playing with the Summerside Western Capitals of the Maritime Junior Hockey League this season. In 32 games with the P.E.I.-based team, Richard has seven goals and 13 assists along with 30 penalty minutes. He appeared in one game for the Eagles prior to the Christmas break.
Simon Singher - 12th-round pick, No. 205 overall - The offensive defenceman is playing this season with Stanstead College. Statistics were not available. The 17-year-old did not attend the Eagles' training camp last August.
Mason Beck - 13th-round pick, No. 223 overall - He's the biggest surprise among all Eagles property not playing major junior this season. The 17-year-old Bridgewater native is having a breakout season with the South Shore Mustangs of the Nova Scotia Eastlink Major Midget Hockey League. He currently leads the league with 17 goals and 49 assists for 66 points in 31 games this season. He has eight power-play goals and two game-winning goals.
Josh Leudy - 14th-round pick, No. 241 overall - The 17-year-old attended the Eagles training camp in August, but was later cut by the team. He's currently playing with the Riverview Redmen of the Cape Breton High School Hockey League. In five games, Leudy has a 5-0-0-0 record along with a 2.15 goals-against-average.
American Picks: Richard (DJ) Hart (Round 1, No. 7 overall) and Robert Lapsley (Round 2, No. 25 overall)
Hart - The six-foot-three, 190-pound defenceman is playing for the North Jersey Avalanche under-18 program this season. He has five goals and six assists along with 36 penalty minutes in 12 games. He's committed to Ohio State University for the 2021-22 season.
Lapsley - The 18-year-old forward is suiting up for the Noble and Greenough School of the United States High School Prep League. His statistics were not available. Along with school, he also played three games this season with the Boston Jr. Eagles under-18 program and had no points.
2019 and 2018 prospects traded:
David Doucet (second-round pick in 2019 - traded to Acadie-Bathurst), Milo Roelens (third-round pick in 2019 - traded to Gatineau), Alex Drover (first-round pick in 2018 - traded to Saint John), Ben Allison (second-round pick in 2018 - traded to Gatineau), Alex Falardeau (fourth-round pick in 2018 - traded to Baie-Comeau), Karl Vaillancourt (fifth-round pick in 2018 - traded to Sherbrooke), and Jacob LeBlanc (eighth-round pick in 2018 - traded to Drummondville).
NOTE: Current members of the Eagles roster Jérémy Langlois and Connor Trenholm were 2019 draft picks of the team.
